Patriots News 8-11, Panthers Game, JuJu Gone, Eagles Thoughts
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Good morning. Here are your Patriots news and notes for August 11. The first preseason game against Carolina is in the books, and now the Patriots prepare for the Philadelphia Eagles coming for a joint practice and preseason game on Thursday. But regardless of the score or the weather… etc, it was great to see the Patriots back on the field playing in a game against an opponent. We don’t know how the season will turn out, but seeing the players flying around the field was a positive first step in the rebuild.
It will probably take another year and a good draft to get them back into contention, but if they play this hard for their new coach, then they’ll have the opportunity to surprise some teams. Regardless, it is football time once again.
The team released JuJu Smith-Schuster, which wasn’t a surprise at all, but they will now face eating millions in salary cap cash from his contract. According to Miguel Benzan, aka @Patscap, who is the guru of cap matters, “JuJu Smith Schuster’s 2024 dead money is $9,633,333. The Patriots will receive a credit in 2025 for any cash he may receive from another team in 2024. Max credit = $7M. His 2025 dead money = $2,633,334.”
The bottom line for Smith-Schuster was that his knee injury had diminished his burst at the line of scrimmage, which allowed him to separate from defenders. It was clear that he was no longer the player who produced so well with Pittsburgh. And with so many young receivers, the Patriots decided to eat the money and give him time to latch on elsewhere.
The Patriots and Eagles will conduct a joint practice on Tuesday, and you can find the details on the Patriots website. If you have never been to a joint practice, I highly recommend it. They are a lot of fun, and there is so much to watch and take in, as 180 players will crowd the fields.
But take note: If you’re going, get there early. Philly isn’t far away, and when the Eagles were here in the past, there were huge crowds of fans from New England and Philly. I remember interviewing Jacob Hollister, the former Patriots tight end (who was then a rookie), after a Philly joint practice, and he told me that there were more fans there that afternoon than at a Wyoming home game.
Tyquan Thornton: The Patriots wide receiver got the start on Thursday night and was only targeted once. Thornton had beaten his coverage on a deep sideline route, but the pass from Jacoby Brissett was underthrown and broken up. But what was interesting was that, when the starting unit sat, Thornton did too.
This is worth pondering; while many of the media and fans have Thornton firmly on the bubble, perhaps his roster spot (for now) may in fact, be more secure than previously thought. There is still a long way to go but it was intriguing to say the least.
Carolina Panthers: The Panthers had a scare on Thursday night when their team plane slid off the taxiway at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. The Panthers had left T.F. Green in Providence, RI, after the preseason game with the Patriots. No one was injured in the 3 a.m. mishap.
Joe Milton: The Patriots rookie QB injected some much-needed electricity in the game on Thursday night. Neither offense was doing much, and you could feel the excitement when he entered the field.
Milton has plenty of physical gifts; his size, athleticism, and arm strength are off the charts. And he showcased all of those things on Thursday night. But remember, he was going against many players who will not be on an NFL team come September. Thursday’s performance, however, did nothing to hurt his chances of making the team.
So… temper the “Milton Mania” just a tad bit. However, he was awfully fun to watch. Now, if he can consistently do that against other team’s 1s and 2s, then he’ll be ready to roll.
Joe Milton II: After the game, he was asked about his feelings about playing in his first NFL experience and told that HC Jerod Mayo said he exceeded expectations in his first game.
“Man, hearing that from the head coach, thanks to him, but I feel like I’ve got a lot more work to do. There’s a lot of things in the offense that I need to learn, and I need to learn fast. Just being hard on myself, that’s the only way I got this far, is being myself. Thanks to Coach Mayo for saying that, but I feel like I’ve got a lot of work to do, got to keep studying. Can’t get complacent no matter how good the game went tonight. Just being able to wipe it off and put it in the books and get ready for the next one.”
Drake Maye: The rookie quarterback only played one series (more to that below), and he was asked during the postgame presser about his first experience in a pro game.
“Yeah, I think it was awesome. First of all, to get out there in the stadium. Really the first time since, I think, the day after I got drafted being in the stadium, other than the walkthrough yesterday.
“Being there with the fans, it was a different feeling. I felt some little chills through my body, but it was just awesome getting to compete against somebody else. We’re going through camp and practicing with ourselves, and we finally get a chance to come together and compete as one.
“Thought the guys did a great job, that was the biggest thing, through the rain, through the weather in the first half. It cleared up, and I was glad that we came up on the right side. That’s what preseason is for, I think just a good group of guys, having them make the plays, and it’s just fun to cheer on your teammates. So for me, just kind of an idea of how much I played tonight and just going there and trying to take care of the football and execute and other than that, just fun to be out there.”
Brandon Aiyuk: The Patriots announced that they had moved on from a possible trade involving Aiyuk after he rejected an average salary of $32 million per year. Aiyuk didn’t want to come to New England and has rejected a similar offer from Cleveland. It is clear that he either wants to go to Pittsburgh or stay in San Francisco.
There were also rumors about Washington due to his close friendship with Jayden Daniels, but those have fizzled recently. He’s earned that; the Patriots tried, but it takes two to tango.
Patriots 4th & 2 Podcast: Derek Havens and I discussed and broke down the Panthers game. Please check it out. We looked at the latest breaking news.
I was a guest on my “Patriot paisan,” Mike D’Abate’s “Locked On Patriots” show on SI, and we discussed the performance of the team against Carolina.
Russ Francis/Chuck Fairbanks: The former Patriot tight end and head coach should be in the Patriots team Hall of Fame, and the fact that Francis isn’t in is an absolute travesty. Francis and the Raiders’ Dave Casper changed the game with how teams used the tight end position. This will be discussed in our Sunday posts until it happens. Casper is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Francis’ numbers stand up well against Casper’s, yet he isn’t even in the team’s HOF.
The Patriots and head coach Jerod Mayo got the 2024 preseason off and running with a 17-3 win over Carolina. And Mayo, in his first game as a head coach, got off to a pretty good start.
During the preseason, the final scores don’t matter, but the games are very important to the players’ careers, especially the bottom of the roster guys. Not only are they auditioning for their own team, but 31 others who may need a player if they are released.
While the team was sloppy with too many procedural penalties, overall, the coaching staff did a good job; there were no calls going in late or communication gaffes, as we could see.
Some other observations from the game include:
Jacoby Brissett got the start, which was no surprise, and only played one series. His first pass attempt sailed on him, which was too high for TE Mitchell Wilcox to handle. He then threw short after Thornton had beaten outside coverage on a deep shot. The rain, heavy at the time, may have played a role in each. But he is a very steady, reliable guy and is a perfect veteran to have right now.
Drake Maye also played only one series. He completed two of three, both to the backs. The team is taking things gradually with him, but I would have liked to see him play more.
Bailey Zappe got the most playing time, and that was probably a demo tape for other teams that may need a backup quarterback if an injury situation arises. I honestly think for the good of all the QBs, it may behoove them to make a move sooner rather than later, so that all four QBs can get more reps. In Zappe’s case, that would be elsewhere.
Joe Milton was electric and showcased his talents, albeit against Carolina’s bottom-of-the-rotation players. He showed some better footwork in the game and is working on getting more accurate in the short/intermediate game.
His 38-yard touchdown strike to JaQuae Jackson was a laser, but more impressive was the way he did it. He kept his eyes on the right side and subtly pump-faked that way, moving the free safety that way. He then zipped the ball to Jackson, whose double move had him wide open.
He’s a project, but his ceiling is high. The fact that all four quarterbacks supported each other speaks highly of the room and the role of quarterback coaching.
A couple of thoughts here: Carolina is going to struggle to get after the passer this season. And the fact that rested over 30 players is something to consider. And yet, they were still able to bring pressure off the edge, which doesn’t bode well for the tackle position, especially the left tackle side.
One surprise was that Chuks Okorafor started after missing the entire week of practice. He played at right tackle. The starting unit consisted of Vedarian Lowe, LT, Sidy Sow, LG, David Andrews, C, Mike Onwenu, RG, and Okorafor.
Lowe struggled against backups in both pass protection and the running game. Speaking of the running game, the team rushed for 113 yards on 30 carries, an average of 3.8 yards per attempt with one touchdown. Not bad, but not great. It looked like they split the traditional downhill gap runs and the AVP outside zone runs. It is a work in progress and is going to take time.
Rookie Caedan Wallace had an up-and-down game, but guard Layden Robinson played a ton of snaps at both guard positions and looked solid.
This will be a big week for the unit, as it will be their joint practice and preseason game #2 against Philly.
The Patriots’ defense came as advertised. Carolina was unable to move the ball all game long, finally kicking a field goal with under two minutes left. Playing a lot of even fronts, the team stuffed the run (62 yards, 3.6 yards per rushing attempt) and brought pressure seemingly on every down.
The Patriots sacked the Panthers’ QBs five times and garnered eight QB hits. Carolina had just 89 yards net passing. Jeremiah Pharms was outstanding, with a sack, consistent pressure, and a couple of run stuffs, and drew two holding calls on consecutive plays. He’s not a true nose tackle but more a three-technique penetrator, a la Christian Barmore. I’m not comparing the two, but the style is the same. But it was a great night for Pharms.
Two guys who may not even make the team, Christian Ellis and Joe Giles-Harris, both played very well at linebacker. They did nothing that would hurt the stock.
Deatrich Wise played just one snap and sacked Jack Plummer. Oshane Ximines is having a great camp and in this game, I thought he was outstanding. Playing off the edge, he nearly got Plummer for a safety, forcing him to throw the ball away. He was credited with a strip sack. He looks like a guy who will see a lot of reps this year. The secondary’s job was much easier due to the pressure generated, but overall, it was very good. They got solid contributions from across the board.
The Patriots drafted two wide receivers this spring, Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker, both of whom saw action in this game. Polk saw extended reps in this one and had three catches on three targets. Baker only had two grabs on four targets and had miscommunication issues with Zappe on a fade play. But overall, it was a good game experience for both.
Kayshon Boutte had a very good game, catching three passes for 53 yards. His 28-yarder from Zappe was an excellent job of going up and battling for a contested grab. He’s making a push for a roster spot.
Returner David Wallis had a nice night with 23 and 14-yard punt returns. The former set up the Patriots’ first touchdown, and the latter got them out of a deep hole on their own end of the field.
Interesting development at tight end in camp as Mitchell Wilcox, La’Michael Pettaway, and Jaheim Bell are battling for the #3 spot behind Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper. Bell missed some time, but I really like his upside and versatility. He had a nice 11-yard catch. Plenty of time to compete this week.
Looking at this week’s practice/game against the Eagles, it will be a much tougher test for the team. The Eagles are a much better overall team on both sides of the ball, and the joint practice will be a great test across the board.
For the quarterbacks, due to questions of the offensive line, I expect that Brissett and Maye will see the vast majority of the reps in the practice, while Zappe and Milton will see extensive action in the game.
The Eagles’ offense is full of explosive playmakers, and I’m curious to see how the Patriots’ defense holds up against them. Especially in the secondary, where Christian Gonzalez and Marcus Jones are returning from season-ending injuries last year.
And look for our next 53-man roster projection after the first two weeks of camp.
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“Yeah. I’ve always been a huge fan of Polk, even in college, because, first of all, he’s able to do the dirty work as a receiver, and those guys are hard to find. But he’s one of those guys that I’m just excited to see his development and growth.
“Obviously, he can run great routes. He blocks, he can catch the ball, and he can run after the catch. So I think it’s important for him and also [Javon] Baker to go out there and get a good amount of reps because we’re going to depend on those guys going forward.”
Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo after he was asked about Ja’Lynn Polk and the amount of reps he was getting in the Panthers game.
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“Talent sets the floor; Character sets the ceiling.” Bill Belichick
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So what? I saw this first week of exhibition games. Was that penix with Atlanta looked outstanding and JJ McCarthy looked like a starting quarterback for the NFL. Meanwhile, the Patriots drafted Drake May who while he completed two passes, does not look anything like a starting quarterback