Monday Patriots Notebook 8/5: Seven Impressions From Practice
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Following an off day on Sunday, the New England Patriots were back at it during another hot and humid session on the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium.
The session was held in full pads and there was plenty of contact on Monday, with the two units exchanging some shots throughout the morning.
Some quick impressions based on the reports from practice:
1) Tough Day For the Offense: For the offense, based on some of the reports, it didn’t seem like a strong performance as the defense seemed to make life tough on them. For the quarterbacks, there were some nice throws and a few plays made, but overall, it sounded like it was more or less a struggle. There was a big emphasis seemingly placed on the ground game, with New England’s defense doing a good job of limiting things and preventing the group from getting much going. Multiple reports appeared to indicate that the offensive line had a tough time, especially when the back ups were out there.
2) Brissett Still the Better QB – For Now: Overall, Jacoby Brissett remained solid Monday and continues to show why he’s likely going to be out there in Week 1 to begin the 2024 campaign. Reporters who were on site tracking Brissett had him at 10-of-13 during the team portion of things. Brissett made several nice throws, including a nice touchdown pass to Tyquan Thornton, who snagged the pass against Christian Gonzalez. The veteran quarterback remains solid and consistent and at the rate he’s going, also appears to be on track to be out there just over a month from now in Cincinnati to kick off the season.
3) Another inconsistent day for Maye: Rookie Drake Maye came up with a few nice throws on Monday, but his consistency continues to be an issue. Reporters had him at 5-of-11 on the day, although he tossed up a few nice throws including a beauty in 1-on-1s to Ja’Lynn Polk which he lofted just over Marcellas Dial for the touchdown, along with another nice pass to Jalen Reagor. He did have an interception where he threw high to Mitchell Wilcox, with the ball getting tipped and picked off by A.J. Thomas. Maye did have a couple of throws that were close, including a ball that Osborn misjudged on a deep downfield play, along with another where he just overshot Javon Baker. But so far, Maye’s had a tough time stringing plays together and Monday remained no exception.
4) Thornton picked up where he left off: For a player who clearly knows what’s at stake, it was good to see Thornton out there on Monday after the wideout had missed time recently. One thing that’s really stood out is the fact that while the additional weight he put on this offseason has been a positive, the bigger story seems to be his added strength. That’s a trait that has seemingly helped him compete for the ball better than what we’d seen from him previously. He’s a player who now has a nice little twitch to him and some added power to fight off the defender. All of a sudden, he’s starting to look like he’s building some momentum and his ascension could complicate things should he continue his upward trajectory over these next few weeks.
5) Gonzalez continues to impress: While Christian Gonzalez had what he would likely consider to be an off day, what is certainly evident is the fact he remains a player who has tremendous balance and does a good job staying with his man and getting his hands in there fighting for the football. Gonzalez did get beaten by Thornton on one touchdown throw in 1-on-1s, but the second-year defensive back overall has looked solid and just has terrific fundamentals. He remains a player who most fans should look forward to seeing out there this season.
6) Osborn coming on strong: The veteran wideout has been on a role as of late, seemingly catching most passes thrown his way and he had several nice grabs on Monday. One of those was a dart from Jacoby Brissett, with Osborn doing an unbelievable job of getting his hands up and snagging the pass just after he had turned his head and broken inside. He was absolutely terrific on Monday, and he’s continued to build some significant momentum over these last few sessions.
https://twitter.com/PatriotsCLNS/status/1820493718660767793
7) Offensive line continues to shuffle: Chukwuma Okorafor was sidelined on Monday, which saw the Patriots put together an offensive line that included Vederian Lowe back at left tackle, while Calvin Anderson was back out there after having missed time, with Anderson lining up opposite him at right tackle. Overall, that unit didn’t have a great day and Jerod Mayo had said earlier this week that they were going to continue working with combinations ahead of their first preseason game. He said from there, they’ll have some decisions to make. “After the second preseason game, we’ll have a better understanding of how we want that to operate,” said Mayo. “In my mind, after the second preseason game, it should be set in stone. Not set in stone, but there’ll be some smaller decisions to be made. But after the second preseason game, we’ll know more.”
Kayshon Boutte continues to also be a consistent factor on offense. The second-year wideout had another good performance on Monday, and he’s also among the names of players in that group making a strong case for a roster spot. … Matthew Judon spoke to the media for the first time since last week’s episode, with Jahlani Tavai initially joining him as his interpreter. Judon went on to say that he’d like to retire with the Patriots but that “it’s not up to him,” deflecting any questions to Mayo and the front office. He said the practice he missed was because he had “something going on” but that he plans on being out there moving forward. “I gotta play. This ain’t nothing about practice,” said Judon via NBC Sports Boston’s Tom Curran. “I gotta do what I’m contracted and obligated to do so I don’t lose my money.” … Joe Milton still appears to have the edge over Bailey Zappe. The rookie was ahead of him in drills and has also started to string some plays together, albeit he doesn’t completely seem to have control over how hard he throws the football. That’s obviously been a big topic of discussion, and it’s something he still seems to need to work on. But based on all the reports, his overall growth has been surprising, and he continues making a solid case for himself. … Keion White and Jeremiah Pharms were each spotted at fullback on offense for a couple of plays. White, who is a former tight end, admitted that he enjoyed getting some work in there and also praised teammate Mike Onwenu, calling him a “great” guard and someone he enjoys going against on defense. White’s had a terrific camp, and he seriously looks like someone who opponents will have a tough time dealing with this season.
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I know it’s only summer camp, but there’s been daily positive story’s on almost all the WRs. Boutte. Polk. Baker. Pop. Thornton. Osborne. All accept Bourne whom isn’t ready, but a solid player. That’s 6. But the fans and media want Aiyuk. What this team needs with its dough is a LT that solid. Right now Caeden Wallace and Okorafir are no guarantees to solve at both tackles. And every time the pats put in a project player like Lowe, they struggle. It’s really clear(to me) what the focus idols if/where the pats make any more material trade moves.
Completely agree. Everyone wants the shiny new toy now rather than to let things play out, build a foundation, and then add to it when it’s finally ready. They still don’t know what they really even have, and there has been enough positive to build off of where I’m looking forward to the season.
Also, just wanted to say thanks as well for all the comments. I actually look forward to hearing from people each time any of us posts something, and you’ve certainly been terrific. So, definitely appreciate it. 😉