A quick round of what we learned from Sunday’s practice as the team hit the field after an off day on Saturday:
Another Up and Down Day On Offense
While the New England Patriots offense continued looking for consistency, it feels like it hasn’t quite found it yet.
Sunday’s session included a fair amount of big throws and impressive plays, but there remains quite a bit of inconsistency from an offense that continues trying to build a foundation ahead of the 2024 season.
Along the offensive line, the Patriots did put together a combination that was intact for consecutive days, with Caedan Wallace lining up at left tackle, while Chukwuma Okorafor lined up at right tackle, while Sidy Sow (left guard) and Mike Onwenu (right guard) remain the interior players on either side of David Andrews. The club is still in search of it’s “best five” players, and it remains an area that is obviously the most critical and it was interesting to see them stick with this group for a second-straight practice.
Heading into the first padded practice tomorrow, it’s going to be even more in the spotlight. By all accounts, the protection wasn’t terrific and despite some big throws by both Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye on Sunday, had it been a full-contact practice or a true game scenario, it’s tough to say if either QB would have potentially had time to get those plays off.
Even with that, there were some rough moments. Maye continued to experience some issues pre-snap on Sunday, and he had some issues with his accuracy. At the same time, he had a couple of throws that were outstanding, including an incredible ball to Kayshon Boutte, dropping it in where only Boutte could make a play on it, despite a nice effort by Christian Gonzalez, who was in coverage.
https://twitter.com/PatriotsCLNS/status/1817593874195399139
That catch was unreal, especially considering how tight Gonzalez had Boutte covered:
Brissett had a terrific throw of his own, tossing a deep ball over Mikey Victor, which saw Javon Baker make an unbelievable over-the shoulder grab.
https://twitter.com/PatriotsCLNS/status/1817591001894015464
As well as another big throw to Jalen Reagor, who continues to have a solid camp, and this one to K.J. Osborn:
Jacoby Brissett to KJ Osborn on a DEEP pass with Shaun Wade in coverage
Patriots Coverage Powered by @Gametime @PrizePicks pic.twitter.com/w7Vq2fNfKH
— Patriots on CLNS Media (@PatriotsCLNS) July 28, 2024
Still, despite the highlights, the overall operation and timing of things still feels like they have a fair amount of work ahead of them. At the same time, the fact they were able to put some nice moments together to build off of is absolutely encouraging, especially heading into what’s essentially a big week for Jerod Mayo’s football team.
Mental errors also came into play, with rookie Layden Robinson at one point getting some reps but false-starting, which resulted in a penalty lap. Rookie Joe Milton also ended up with the lone interception of the day at one point, with Joe Giles-Harris picking him off. Milton and Zappe remain in a battle for the third quarterback spot.
Overall, Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald broke down the totals had Brissett at 19-of-29 (65.5%) overall (5-of-8 in 11-on-11s), while Maye finished 15-of-28 (53.5%) overall (9-of-13 in 11-on-11s). Zappe finished 5-of-7 (71.4%) overall (2-of-3 in 11-on 11s) while Milton finished 3-of-7 (42.9%) overall with an interception. Milton reportedly did not take part in 7-on-7s.
Jerod Mayo preached “patience” earlier this week with the belief that his club would make incremental progress. That’s certainly what we’ve seen to this point, with a reminder that they’re certainly still quite a ways away from being a finished product.
Odds and Ends:
Veteran wide receiver Kendrick Bourne was out on the field on Sunday and took part in the early part of warm-ups but remains out of normal activities. Still, the fact he’s out there is a good sign, as many believe he’s still a candidate to open the year on PUP. … Meanwhile, Antonio Gibson was in full uniform and participated on Sunday, which likely means we’ll see him appear off of the NFI list when the league releases the next round of transactions. Gibson looked like he was moving well in the various footage that appeared on “X” during practice, which is a positive sign as the club is still in search of some solid depth behind Rhamondre Stevenson. … Terrell Jennings was also a player who was out there during warm-ups, while fellow teammate Christian Barmore was among the notable names missing during Sunday’s practice. … Marte Mapu was absent to start the day, but he arrived at practice just as he did on Friday but remains limited. … The defense remains well ahead of the offense, and it’s going to be interesting to see how the two units perform when the club suits up for its first padded session tomorrow. Fans might remember that the first session last year was when Cole Strange suffered what turned out to be a significant knee injury, so the hope is that they escape unscathed this week when the first of their preseason full-contact sessions begin. … Demario Douglas continued to be limited on Sunday, with the second-year wideout still seeing his hand wrapped. Fortunately, it doesn’t sound like it’s anything that should hamper him long term, with Douglas telling AtoZ Sports reporter Sophie Weller, “I’m good,” he said. “But we want to make sure everything’s good before I go out there.” … Kayshon Boutte was asked about his gambling situation Sunday, and he said he hasn’t heard from the league, but he’s looking to move past it. He called it a “dumb” decision and added, “I’m not addicted or nothing. It’s just something I need to let go.” … Tyquan Thornton told reporters on Sunday that he’s weighed in at 192 pounds, up from 185 from last year. He remains in quite a battle for a roster spot and this week is a big one for him given his past struggles when the contact has begun. … Finally, after an impressive performance, Javon Baker was asked what he’s trying to prove this training camp. His reply? “I’m NFL ready.” He certainly put on a strong showing, and he’s continued to get better with each passing day. He also told reporters his previous thumb injury from this spring is no longer a factor. “Does it look like it?” he asked, smiling.
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
