FOXBOROUGH — Three takeaways from the Patriots’ training camp practice Friday, a workout with shell-pads that lasted 1:40: 1. The offense isn’t producing much excitement. Practice started on a high note.
The stands were full on a beautiful day at Gillette Stadium. The fans brought energy, cheering every time Jacoby Brissett, Drake Maye, and the other two quarterbacks whizzed a football into the tiny square target in the net in front of them. But the buzz didn’t last long.
For the next 90 minutes, fans mostly sat on their hands as the quarterbacks struggled to make highlight plays. Brissett and Maye completed plenty of checkdowns into the flat but rarely pushed the ball down the field. I counted five times when the fans cheered audibly: on a deep seam pass from Maye to Hunter Henry; a beautiful deep ball from Maye to rookie Ja’Lynn Polk; a 60-yard bomb from Joe Milton to rookie Javon Baker; a laser over the middle from Milton to rookie JaQuae Jackson; and the standing backflip Milton did after a drill.
Milton’s majestic bomb to Baker came almost simultaneously as Maye threw a pick-6 to Matthew Judon on the opposite practice field. Advertisement It continued a trend through three days of camp in which the offense has produced few fireworks. Coach Jerod Mayo said the struggles are only natural considering the defense is returning almost everyone while the offense is brand new.
“The offense, obviously they’re still jelling together, and we have a lot of guys on defense that already know the scheme,” Mayo said. “I’m happy where they are. They’re out here, they’re working hard, and that’s really all you can ask for.
The progress will continue to go.” The offense is looking for small victories. as it builds from the ground up.
Brissett found one Friday. “I’d say we’ve gotten better each day,” he said. “I think today we only had one or two pre-snap penalties.
Trying to clean up the operation and things like that is going to be a work in progress, but each day we’ve gotten better.” 2. Special teams take a back seat.
The biggest story leaguewide this season is the wholesale changes to the kickoff rules, which could result in hundreds more returns and dozens of touchdowns. But the Patriots have barely spent any practice time on special teams. Advertisement They have spent practically no time on kickoff formations or the punting game.
Friday marked the first time they had a full practice period, with kickers Chad Ryland and Joey Slye ending the day with a kicking competition. Ryland went 4 for 4 on field goals between 30 and 40 yards, while Slye went 3 for 4. The Patriots surely will get to their kickoff formations soon.
But here’s betting that a lot of teams are going to play it coy with their kickoff strategies in training camp and preseason games so as not to spoil the surprise for Week 1. 3. Left and right tackle might be a rotation for a while.
Mayo reiterated again that “the best five will play” on the offensive line, and the Patriots apparently are serious about trying everyone at different spots. The first two days, Calvin Anderson and Vederian Lowe flip-flopped between left and right tackle. Friday, Chukwuma Okorafor and Caedan Wallace switched sides, with Okorafor moving to the right side and Wallace to the left for the first time this camp.
Mike Onwenu has been entrenched at right guard, but he’ll probably play tackle at some point. The Patriots have about three weeks to mix and match before they need to settle on a starting five. Ben Volin can be reached at ben.
[email protected] ..
