Patriots Training Camp 5: A.J. Brown Thrives in Red Zone Practice

The Patriots inched closer to real football with their first padded practice. Today’s session introduced 1-on-1s and red zone possessions, making it the most competitive practice this summer.

Here’s a look at New England’s attendance, Mike Vrabel’s top quotes, and what I noticed during a rainy day in Foxborough.

Attendance

Absent: CB Carlton Davis III, CB Brandon Crossley

Physically Unable to Perform: ED Harold Landry III, TE CJ Dippre

Non-Football Injury: ED Gabe Jacas, ST Brenden Schooler, RB Terrell Jennings

Injured Reserve: WR Jeremiah Webb, WR Jimmy Kibble, TE Julian Hill

Tweet of the Day

Mike Vrabel’s Top Quotes

On Christian Gonzalez’s status and how he’s looked in camp: I don’t think his participation is going to change. I haven’t heard anything. I thought he has come out and looked good, looked exactly how we would expect him to look and came in ready to go. Executing the multiple coverages, and when he is in match, he has been close to his guy. I think the one thing we’ve tried to challenge him on is some of the other opportunities where he can go and use his athleticism, his speed, his length and his instincts to go make plays. There’s going to be times where he’s going to be matched up, and there’s going to be times where he’s going to have other opportunities. Some of that has shown up early on in camp, and hopefully that continues.

On what he’s seen from the rookie class: I think that it’s a learning curve for these guys. I think that the spring is one thing, and then getting to training camp is something completely different. I think they try to improve, they try to learn. Caleb [Lomu], playing O-line in this league and doing those things is a new experience. There are new techniques. It’s a much different line of scrimmage, I would say, than college football. So, he rarely makes the same mistake twice. He practices hard. He tries to learn. He tries to fix mistakes. Eli [Raridon]’s learning and figuring this game out, and I think he can find a way to help us, and I can go down the line. As I said, I mentioned Gabe earlier. He wants to be out there as soon as he possibly can, and I told everybody this and I told Gabe this, that there’d be a return to play when he got back. So, he’s attentive in meetings, and he’s watching practice. He came in on his off day and met with Smitty [Mike Smith] and did all those things that he needed to do.

On the offense’s pre-snap operation: I think it’s good. I mean, you want to compare last year, it’s probably better. I don’t know. We talk about our overall tempo of practice. I think the tempo, the speed and the urgency, I think is good. I think the execution, what I told the team, what I told the offense, I think the execution has to be better. I think it will be better. But overall, I think that we’re moving with a pace that I think can help us. We try to work with a play clock, and we try to get to the line of scrimmage, and whether we huddle, we don’t huddle, and allow Drake to get us in a good call. I think all those things are good, and we’ll continue to build and work with that, and it could always be better. But being able to play with a tempo, whether we huddle or not, is something that’s critical.

On Caleb Lomu’s role as a jumbo tight end: I think what their skill type may be, whether the further away you get from the ball, or being able to work in space, or some of those blocks out on the edge, and how that translates. It’s usually a tackle. If you look at the open side of the play, whatever they may do, just kind of pretend that they’re the tight end and see how that translates. So, we’ll work some other guys through and continue to look at that. But we wanted to try to give him a role early on or give him an opportunity to have a role early on, and we’ll see where that develops. He’ll be in there sometimes, and when Morgan [Moses] isn’t out there, and then some other guys will.

On the Patriots’ wide receiver depth: Well, I love having depth, but I would say that we’re always going to try to look to improve, whether that’s by adding draft capital, obtaining a player or keeping the guys we have. We want to try to provide competition throughout the roster at each position. I think that’s something that’s critical. I think that’s what good teams do every year, year in and year out, that they’re making the roster as competitive as possible. So that those position battles, who’s the sixth lineman, who’s the fifth, sixth receiver, who’s the fourth tight end, all these things, you want to be as competitive as possible. That’s something that I have always — I was a part of it as a player, and I think that’s important to do here in training camp.

Notebook

• Drake Maye and A.J. Brown have struggled working downfield this summer, but they’ve been nearly automatic underneath. That continued in today’s red zone-centric practice, with Brown catching four of his five targets for multiple touchdowns. Brown scored on an option route from the slot and twice on outside slants, including an RPO from an under-center look. Brown also caught a curl after shifting across the formation, which came one period after Maye hesitated on a similar, if not identical play and scrambled for positive yards. Maye’s only 11-on-11 incompletion targeting Brown came on his first attempt, when a seemingly uncatchable fade sailed out of bounds with Christian Gonzalez trailing.
• Gonzalez was a full participant today despite his looming contract extension. He recorded three breakups on four targets during 1-on-1s, including two against Kayshon Boutte (one pass was underthrown) and one against Brown. Gonzalez’s only catch allowed came on a perfect fade throw from Maye to Brown, and he was targeted just once during 11-on-11s. As a professional on and off the field, this has been Gonzalez’s most impressive summer to date.
• Kyle Williams looked unguardable today, creating quick separation and tough catches. Early in practice, Williams smoked Kobee Minor off the line before adjusting to an underthrown pass and making a contested touchdown grab. Later, he had a similar win against Kindle Vildor before making a twirling, one-handed catch on a back-shoulder ball in the end zone. Both scores came on throws from Tommy DeVito. Williams may be buried on the depth chart, but he appears to be doing everything that’s asked of him.
• The top offensive line struggled to create room on the ground. Most runs seemed to go for little to no gain until late in practice, when TreVeyon Henderson exploited a huge inside lane before Rhamondre Stevenson bounced a duo run to win the edge.
• Stevenson and Henderson couldn’t be covered by the Patriots’ linebackers during red zone 1-on-1s. Each went undefeated during the drill, with Robert Spillane (2x), Christian Elliss, K.J. Britt, and Chad Muma each allowing scores to the dual-threat backs.
• Rookie tight ends Eli Raridon and Tanner Arkin stood out multiple times as blockers, with Arkin taking veteran Dre’Mont Jones to the ground on one rep. Raridon also caught multiple short targets off bootlegs, including a pair of scores.
• Caleb Lomu had a heads-up play to pancake Marcus Jones on a slot blitz.
• Efton Chism III had one of the more impressive touchdown grabs of the day. After beating Mike Brown on a corner, he elevated to attack an underthrown pass and made a tough catch working back through the safety.
• Linebackers Christian Elliss, Khalil Jacobs, and Namdi Obiazor each blow up plays behind the line of scrimmage throughout practice.
• Cameron Dorner beat fellow rookie Karon Prunty for a touchdown on a go ball with Behren Morton on the throw.
• Vrabel told reporters that rookie Gabe Jacas is closer to returning than veteran Harold Landry III.
• DeAndre Hopkins–who worked with the Patriots’ coaching and personnel staffs last week–is no longer with the team. Vrabel called Hopkins’ brief time with New England a great experience for all involved.