The pass protection drill is generally one of the more intense one-on-one drills. Today’s action had some of the backs against the linebackers. Matt Kranchick struggled in the drill. He’s a big guy, but his tall frame seems to leave him high in a lot of his blocking. Chad Brown beat Kranchick on one play. Brown has struggled elsewhere. Sammy Morris also seems to struggle in pass protection, not exactly a good thing for a guy who is expected to be a third-down back.

 Pierre Woods has also done a really nice job early in camp. Woods beat Kranchick badly in the pass pro drill.

Since I know Tommy “Drama” Casale is big on telling you guys about the music played during stretching we just heard Ma$e and Diddy now we’re on to Lauryn Hill. I like it.

Pre-practice special teams drills revolved around kick return work. One of the interesting aspects of the drill was the guys serving as the center piece of the wall in front of the returners. While Stephen Neal filled the spot, one he’s held in the past, Le Kevin Smith also took a couple reps Wednesday afternoon. That speaks volumes for Smith’s athletic ability as a defensive lineman. While he’s not quite the athletic freak that fellow defensive lineman Mike Wright is, Smith might have the athletic ability to carve out a special teams spot in addition to his potential backup line duties.

As Bill Belichick predicted in his morning press conference, Mel Mitchell is on the practice field for the afternoon session. Mitchell has been removed from PUP and therefore by rule is no longer eligible for PUP heading into the regular season.

Those not at practice include the six remaining PUP guys, Asante Samuel, Kyle Brady, Garrett Mills and Rashad Baker.