FOXBOROUGH — Long before the thunder erupted over Gillette Stadium on Tuesday afternoon, there were some loud rumblings on the practice field.
Tempers flared in the heat as center David Andrews and defensive tackle Christian Barmore got into a fight that quickly enveloped everyone on the offense and defense, including quarterback Mac Jones.
The scrum came after a Jones completion to Hunter Henry, and it was unclear just who was the initial aggressor. Peacemakers quelled the uprising pretty quickly.
“Yeah, I tried to get in there a little bit,” Jones said with a smile. “I just tried to break it up. It’s two guys I have a lot of respect for, and at this point in camp, that’s going to happen. I just want to make sure that I can talk to both those guys and try to stop it.
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“But at the end of the day, we’re teammates and we all know that. We’re just competing and it’s just tough love.”
Andrews and Barmore were banished from the rest of practice. Barmore was escorted to the locker room with a staffer, while Andrews was walked to the far end of the field. Andrews watched practice from a knee before running the conditioning hill while his teammates finished the workout. Andrews returned to join the offense’s post-practice huddle.
Longtime captain Devin McCourty, who has seen his share of practice dustups, said the Andrews-Barmore fisticuffs will soon be forgotten.
“Obviously that’s a part of football,” said McCourty. “Those things happen. It’s not the end of the world, but I’m not one of those guys that are like, ‘Man, it’s great to see fighting.’ That won’t help us win any football games. That’s not going to do anything, but it happens. It won’t be a big deal here. It never is.”
There was a minor kerfuffle earlier in the day during the interior line drills, but it was unclear who was involved and it was over in seconds. There were no ejections.
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ROLL CALL
Not participating: OT Isaiah Wynn (undisclosed), RB James White (PUP), OL Andrew Stueber (nonfootball injury list).
Wynn was limited at Monday’s practice but wasn’t spotted at all Tuesday. Yodny Cajuste took the majority of snaps in Wynn’s stead.
TEs Devin Asiasi, who left Monday’s practice early, and Dalton Keene were limited.
INJURIES: Linebacker Raekwon McMillan was briefly shaken up, but after a brief respite (and an exchange of smiles with Bill Belichick), he was back in. McMillan is having his second straight strong summer.
Receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey came up limping after running a route during a late practice 11-on-11 period.
DRESS CODE: Full pads.
TOP PLAY
Feels a bit like a broken record to shout out DeVante Parker, but the big receiver made another strong play, outleaping Jonathan Jones and high-pointing a Mac Jones ball during a late clock-management period.
MORE HIGHLIGHTS
▪ McCourty came flying in seemingly out of nowhere to break up a Brian Hoyer pass in the back of the end zone during an 11-on-11 period.
▪ Linebacker Harvey Langi showed nice concentration to pick off a Jones pass intended for Kendrick Bourne that was deflected twice before he could corral it.
ODDS AND ENDS
▪ Jones, who was the first player up for the first time this summer, looked more confident and decisive after Monday’s sluggish practice. He delivered quick strikes and avoided would-be sacks and throwaways.
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▪ Belichick said the staff hasn’t yet had conversations about whether Jones will play against the Giants Thursday.
▪ Drops were a bit contagious as J.J. Taylor, Jonnu Smith, Jakobi Meyers, Kevin Harris, Tre Nixon, and Josh Hammond each had one.
▪ After a ton of run stuffs Monday, the running backs were able to find some room, getting to the second level more consistently. Pierre Strong Jr., who just started practicing last week, is making a strong push for snaps and could see a heavy workload against the Giants.
▪ Former Packers general manager and Pro Football Hall of Famer Ron Wolf watched practice and chatted with Belichick. Wolf’s son, Eliot, is the Patriots director of scouting.
UP NEXT
Wednesday: Walkthrough practice, closed to the public and media.
Thursday: Exhibition Game 1 vs. Giants, 7 p.m.
Friday: Off day.
Jim McBride can be reached at james.mcbride@globe.com. Follow him @globejimmcbride.