Patriots 2018 training camp: Running back Rex Burkhead returns to practice Yesterday Marcus Cannon Jersey , the New England Patriots held their first practice since last week’s preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles. The walkthrough session was the first since the public portion of training camp came to an end, which means that reporters were only allowed to attend a short window at the beginning of the session. That being said, there were still some encouraging reports coming out of Foxboro.According to reporters on site, running back Rex Burkhead returned to practice after an almost two-week absence. The second-year Patriot, who is projected to play a big role this season after the free agency departure of Dion Lewis, originally injured his knee on August 8 and was not spotted since – neither did he practice nor participate in one of New England’s two preseason contests so far.And while he will probably sit out the remaining two games before the regular season starts, Burkhead returning to the practice fields can be seen as a good sign for his rehabilitation process. Having the 28-year old back – even if his workload will likely still remain limited early on – creates more flexibility in an offensive backfield that also currently misses first-round draft pick Sony Michel.Michel, who is reportedly also dealing with a knee issue http://www.patriotscheapshops.com/cheap-authentic-rex-burkhead-jersey , left practice on August 1 and has been out ever since. Yesterday, the rookie was one of four players not spotted: linebacker Harvey Langi (kidney laceration), and offensive tackles Marcus Cannon (unknown) and Isaiah Wynn (Achilles; headed for injured reserve) also did not participate in the session.Every other player was present, including six who did not suit up for last week’s win against the Eagles: wide receivers Braxton Berrios, Kenny Britt and Matthew Slater, defensive edge Trey Flowers, and cornerbacks Duke Dawson and Ryan Lewis. The New England Patriots run defense played a terrible stretch from week 13-15 of the regular season, when they allowed the Minnesota Vikings http://www.patriotscheapshops.com/cheap-authentic-lawrence-guy-jersey , Miami Dolphins, and Pittsburgh Steelers to run up and down the field.Well, whatever the Patriots did to fix that problem- a mix of schematic changes on the defensive line and improved play by the linebackers- worked out for the playoffs as New England just capped off one of the most impressive stretches of run defense in NFL history.The 2018 Patriots allowed 122 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns on 40 attempts (3.05 YPC) and those 122 yards mark the third-fewest allowed by a Super Bowl champion in NFL history.The 1986 New York Giants and the 2008 Pittsburgh Steelers allowed a mere 121 rushing yards in their journeys to winning the Super Bowl. That Steelers defense is one of the best in NFL history, while that Giants team featured a young defensive coordinator by the name of Bill Belichick.And then there’s the 2018 Patriots, edging out the historic 1985 Chicago Bears (125 rushing yards allowed). That’s some incredible company and the Patriots did it against some of the best rushing attacks in the NFL.The Los Angeles Chargers ranked 6th in rushing DVOA this year and the Kansas City Chiefs ranked 4th. The Los Angeles Rams ranked 1st by a wide margin. Chargers RB Melvin Gordon is a Pro Bowler and Rams RB Todd Gurley is a three-time All Pro. These three opponents ranked 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in offensive DVOA, too.So while Patrick Chung Jersey , yes, the Patriots were able to build up a big lead against the Chargers and remove their rushing attack from the game plan, I would argue that the Patriots were able to build such a lead because the run defense executed at such a high level. In every game it felt like the run defense stuffed the opposition and forced second- and third-and-long situations, where the secondary could smother the receivers and the pass rush could disrupt the quarterback.This Patriots defense didn’t get a lot of credit this year. But they’ve cemented their position alongside the greats with one of the most impressive playoff runs in NFL history.