Training Camp Day 1: Patriots, Vrabel Hit The Ground Running
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What a great day to be at Gillette Stadium. Optimism is back, and you can feel the energy just oozing out of the place, the Patriots began their first training camp under Mike Vrabel in beautiful weather, and for the most part, the day went very well.
Drake Maye completed the very first “competitive” pass of camp to Stefon Diggs, the team has been hopeful Diggs would be ready for Week 1 of the season, after tearing his ACL last October. He was given the green light for camp this weekend and it is good to see Diggs and Maye already working on some early chemistry.
Diggs, like the spring workouts, was running very smoothly. He doesn’t look like a guy who tore his ACL 10 months ago. “I know that everybody heals differently, especially from that type of injury. But I would say that I think it’s just a testament to how hard he worked,” Vrabel said.
Maye was excited to have Diggs on the field, and why shouldn’t he be? Diggs is automatically the best wide receiver on the Patriots.
What better way to start the morning than to have the players carrying dogs who are available for adoption under the Pawtriots program, a community program focused on getting fans to adopt dogs/puppies. And it was successful, out of 41 dogs today, 40 were adopted.
Head coach Mike Vrabel even carried a puppy out. It was great to see Andy Borregales and his wife Steph adopt a puppy, adding to their already crowded home with four dogs.
And if there were any doubt about Stefon Diggs health, when his puppy got away, he displayed some nifty “dog leg” routes trying to corral him back up. Okay, that was corny…
Vrabel led the way during warmups and when the first whistle blew, he sprinted to the far side of the practice field, put on a blocking pad and jumped right into the first individual reps for the offensive linemen.
Vrabel, in his pre-practice presser, said, “We’re grateful. We’re excited. There’s an energy in the building. Players seem ready to go.”
And he was in prime Vrabel sarcasm with the media for the second day in a row. After giving Ben Volin the business on Tuesday with his response to a question that had already been asked.
Vrabel jibed the media again when he asked them questions about yesterday’s press conference. It was prime Vrabel.
So, Drake Maye is looking more confident this year (as he should), there are a couple of things he’s specifically working on. He’s trying to make this team his own, which for a 22-year-old is a challenging task. He’s trying to be more forceful, and he’s trying to master the Josh McDaniels offense.
And part of that is to remain a passer first, even when scrambling. He had a good first day, especially with Diggs, who caught two passes in team competitive snaps. Part of running McDaniels’ offense is getting the ball out quickly and on target. At least on Day 1, it was a positive first step.
Diggs spoke about building chemistry and trust with Maye. “He’s a young quarterback. I believe in him. I think he’s gonna have a lot of success in this league. Breathing confidence in (QBs) is very important when they’re young, and just talking through a lot of the stuff.”
Kyle Williams had a nice start to his Patriots’ career. He also caught two of Maye’s eight passes, both working against Christian Gonzalez. One was the play of the day, where Maye put a back-shoulder dime to Williams down the left sideline, who caught the ball over his shoulder with Gonzo all over him.
The Offensive Line had a rough time of it in the first practice, but without pads, it is tough to judge it fairly. But the Patriots’ new-look front seven was getting around Maye, making him step up in the pocket. This will be something to monitor going forward.
Josh Dobbs didn’t have a great first day as Maye’s backup. He was inaccurate and had a pass picked off by corner D.J. James.
Speaking of the front seven, Harold Landry was teeing off on the QBs today. Keion White was singled out for some good pressure as well.
Defensive coordinator Terrell Williams made his first appearance on the field after missing the spring due to a medical scare earlier this year. Vrabel mentioned that he’s never had a DL coach other than Williams, until right now.
The Patriots are back at it, with practices Thursday, Friday, and Saturday mornings at 10:15. They’ll have Sunday off, and then the first padded practice will be on Monday.
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Good that Terrell Williams is in camp. Given he’s new to his players, and the players new to him and his system. It’s important.