Tuesday Patriots Notebook 6/11: News and Notes
Patriots minicamp saw Drake Maye take another step forward on Monday.
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Some Patriots news and notes on this Tuesday:
This is the point of the offseason where you typically hope an NFL rookie quarterback might start to turn a corner, and that appears to be what Patriots QB Drake Maye did on Monday.
The rookie went out and put together a fairly solid outing, with Maye looking decisive and comfortable after completing well over 70% of his passes over the course of New England’s open session with the media.
One of the things that stood out was the fact that Maye did a good job of taking what was given to him, going through his progressions, and then hitting whichever available read was open to him. According to most reports, he was patient, yet decisive and didn’t show any signs of confusion or hesitancy. There were also moments where it was clear he thought about going one way but wisely went another, which, considering how well the defense has shown up early on, is still good to see.
However, the more important thing is the ball was out and on time, with Maye reportedly throwing multiple touchdowns on consecutive plays during a period when the team was practicing operating down near the goal line.
NBC Sports Boston’s Phil Perry said during the most recent Patriots Talk Podcast with Tom Curran that to the untrained eye, Maye looked comparable to veteran Jacoby Brissett during the session.
“I thought Drake Maye was the best quarterback on the field today,” said Perry. “I think he can do some things, and it’s starting to become clear, that Jacoby Brissett just isn’t going to be doing. He’s going to be more clean and he understands definitely better what’s going on. But if you were to drop in from Mars today and watch, you wouldn’t know that Jacoby Brissett knows the offense better than Drake Maye because there were not a lot of moments where it was like, ‘Oh, the rookie clearly didn’t know what to do there.'”
That’s exactly what you hope to see. And while it wasn’t perfect, it’s yet another big step forward for a player who Jerod Mayo has pointed out continues to put in a lot of work behind the scenes, and it’s clearly beginning to pay dividends.
“Every day, he’s gotten better,” said Brissett on Monday when asked about his teammate. “The good thing about it is not like, ‘Oh, I got it right now.’ And ‘I’m not thinking about…’ He’s just constantly trying to find ways to get better, making some nice throws out there, and you’re seeing his progression come alive.”
Brissett added that the rookie’s overall understanding of the offense and the improvement in his fundamentals have also been notable.
“He’s been here for, what, three and a half weeks, a month? And he’s made tremendous strides,” said Brissett. “Not only calling the plays, footwork, throwing the ball, and I guess his overall understanding of this offense.”
Wednesday’s ceremony for Tom Brady is certainly expected to be one for the ages, with Brady set to receive his red jacket and be inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame, along with seeing his #12 be retired. The event is scheduled to begin at Gillette Stadium at 7:00pm, with the Patriots encouraging everyone to “be in their seats by 6:30pm” to ensure they don’t miss any of the festivities.
The in-stadium event is reportedly going to see some stars on hand, including comedian Bill Burr, who the team announced will deliver a monologue to kick things off. Musical guests are also rumored for the event, with Mike Reiss of ESPN pointing out that Robert Kraft recently said while speaking after the Myra Kraft Community MVP Awards last week, that they have “some real outstanding surprise guests that are coming out of respect for Tommy and his legacy.” Scott Zolak said on Monday on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Zo & Bertrand, “I don’t have any inkling of who those secret guests are, but I’ve heard they’re pretty good, from what I’m told,” said Zolak. “There’s a rehearsal taking place tomorrow.”
Tom Curran said during his Patriots Talk Podcast with Phil Perry that two names he’s heard are Jay-Z and Kenny Chesney, saying, “It’s going to be a concert-type event,” while telling fans, “You are going to have a great time.”
Another big question is whether or not the team might unveil a statue of their former quarterback. Zolak was also asked about that Monday, and he apparently hasn’t heard anything definitive on that, but he believes it’s a possibility.
“I’ve heard yes and no on that,” said Zolak during that same segment. “I’m leaning more yes.”
Meanwhile, NBC’s Mike Tirico will be the host of the ceremony, which is expected to include “hundreds” of Brady’s former teammates who will be present for the event. The team announced that Julian Edelman, Randy Moss, Rob Gronkowski, Willie McGinest, Devin McCourty, Vince Wilfork, Ty Law, James White, Wes Welker, Kevin Faulk, Matthew Slater, Dan Koppen, Logan Mankins, Matt Cassel, Brian Hoyer, Drew Bledsoe, Rob Ninkovich, and Patrick Chung are among the names expected.
Chad Graff of The Athletic reported that Bill Belichick will also be at the ceremony, which is certainly good news. This is the second time we’ve seen Belichick show up for his former quarterback, with the former Patriots head coach also having previously appeared on The Roast of Tom Brady on NetFlix. Belichick was among those who delivered one of the more memorable monologues during the event if you didn’t see it.
It looks like for those who weren’t able to purchase tickets for Wednesday night’s extravaganza, the Patriots are making sure fans will still be able to take it all in.
According to the team’s website, the club appears set to stream the festivities “on all Patriots digital and social platforms starting at 5 p.m. ET on Wednesday.”
Here’s a quick rundown with links to their most popular social media accounts:
Patriots Official Twitter Account
Patriots Official Facebook Account
Patriots Official Instagram Account
Patriots Official YouTube Account
The club already has the link for Wednesday night available on their YouTube account, which you can view via this link. According to the description, broadcasting is set to begin at 5pm ET.
The Patriots reportedly canceled Tuesday’s practice, with the players expected to split into multiple groups and take part in community service around the region. Jerod Mayo hinted at this yesterday, saying, “We’re going to do something special tomorrow, which I think is, I should say, which we think is important for this state.” Mayo did say that the club would practice two days this week, so it remains to be seen what day this week that second session might happen. … Brissett said on Monday that he’s been impressed by rookie Ja’Lynn Polk. “He’s making so many plays in the red zone today, big, strong catches,” said Brissett. “That’s what we need him to do. He’s starting to do that on a consistent basis. His level in this offense is going up.” … Brissett also said that he’s enjoyed playing for Mayo so far, with Mayo’s energy being something that stands out. “Man, it’s been awesome, man. His energy. He obviously played this sport at the highest level,” said Brissett. “He understands that competitive nature that he wants to breed. It’s fun to come out here, work with him every day, and see the enthusiasm that he gives off to the players, the coaches, the staff, and his overall message. It’s been a lot of fun to work with.” … Something is up with Davon Godchaux, who, like Matthew Judon, is in the final year of his contract. According to Chris Mason of MassLive, while Godchaux was present, he didn’t wear his uniform during stretching and didn’t participate in team competition. As a result, he’ll be a player to keep an eye on moving forward. … Also reportedly missing were Sione Takitaki, Jahlani Tavai, and Josh Uche among others. Mayo did say there are some players who are still recovering from some things, and he joked about Tavai’s interest in being involved on kickoffs. “[Jahlani] Tavai is knocking on my door every day. ‘I can do it, Coach. I can do it.'” However, Mayo also added, “Just get healthy” while referencing him, so it’s possible that’s the reason. … New England’s two kickers continue to battle it out, with newcomer Joey Slye putting together a decent performance on Monday. Slye was reportedly a perfect 4-of-4 kicking field goals during the session, while Chad Ryland reportedly went 3-of-5. Points are likely to be at a premium until this offense settles in early on, so this remains a significant question mark heading into training camp. … Mike Onwenu reportedly saw some work at right guard on Monday, with rookie Caedan Wallace getting work again at right tackle. Mayo again preached versatility ahead of practice. “Honestly, on the offensive line, versatility is key,” he said. “If you play guard, we hope you can play center. If you play right tackle, hopefully, you can play left tackle. We’re still just trying to build that depth, whatever the combination is.” … Julian Edelman was spotted at the Gillette Stadium practice field on Monday, sporting a Celtics hat. As noted above, he’s expected to be on hand again in support of his former teammate later this week.
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