Observations from Day Ten of Patriots Training Camp

The Patriots followed Friday’s half-speed in-stadium practice with a slighter more competitive day in shells. This seemed to be the second consecutive veteran day off with Matthew Slater, Jonathan Jones, and David Andrews not participating. Matthew Judon was a full participant fresh off of his pay bump and Tyquan Thornton was active after missing the past couple of on-field practices. I spotted Calvin Anderson walking the sidelines in a hoodie about halfway through practice, marking the first time he’s been on the field in any capacity since landing on the non-football injury list before camp.

ATTENDANCE

Physically Unable to Perform

• RG Mike Onwenu (ankle)
• ST Cody Davis (knee)

Non-Football Injury

• OT Calvin Anderson (illness)

Missing/Did Not Participate

• LT Trent Brown (unknown)
• LG Cole Strange (left leg)
• WR Ty Montgomery (left leg, considered day-to-day)
• ST Matthew Slater (day off)
• C David Andrews (day off)
• CB Jonathan Jones (day off)

Red Non-Contact Jersey (excluding QBs)

• LB Marte Mapu (pectoral)
• TE Jeremy Lumpkin (unknown)

PASS RUSH DOMINATES VS THIN OFFENSIVE LINE

With Trent Brown, Cole Strange, David Andrews, and Mike Onwenu not participating, Mac Jones was forced to throw behind a patchwork offensive line in today’s session. Riley Reiff protected the blindside in place of Trent Brown while Conor McDermott took his usual spot as the opposite tackle. Kody Russey and Atonio Mafi seemed to swap positions today, with Russey at right guard and Mafi on the left. Veteran James Ferentz lined up at center for David Andrews.

While I wouldn’t put much stock into pressures during non-padded practices, the Patriots’ rush threw off several plays by forcing Jones to leave the pocket or scramble.

Matthew Judon’s presence was palpable on his first day of full action since the start of camp. He would’ve had multiple sacks and was a regular presence in the offensive backfield.

It also looked like Ja’Whaun Bentley would’ve gotten home quickly on a blitz from the second level.

MAC JONES HAS MOSTLY POSITIVE DAY WHILE BAILEY ZAPPE STRUGGLES

I’d say Jones had a good day overall given the line he was throwing behind, but I’ll get the lowlights out of the way first. The first was an interception to Christian Gonzalez while targeting Kayshon Boutte during 7-on-7 drills. Though it seemed like an ill-advised throw due to Gonzalez’s tight coverage, it’s tough to say definitively without the benefit of replay or film. The second was an underthrow in the low Red Zone where Thornton Tyquan Thornton beat Myles Bryant on a corner route.

With that out of the way, let’s hit on Jones’ highlights, which included some of his best throws of camp. He dropped a downfield throw in the bucket during 7-on-7s where Mike Gesicki made an impressive one-handed grab along the sidelines. Jabrill Peppers was in coverage and disputed the completion, but the consensus among reporters was Gesicki kept both feet in bounds. Jones later followed the Red Zone underthrow to Thornton with another dime to Hunter Henry in the back of the end zone.  The quarterback’s best throw of the day, and maybe his best of camp, was a deep shot to DeVante Parker who elevated over Jack Jones for a score near the boundary.

Bailey Zappe had his least impressive day of camp, with several inaccurate passes and what may have been some batted balls when throwing against staff members holding paddles. The most noticeable misses were another underthrow to Thornton that turned a touchdown into a Rodney Randle breakup, as well as an interception to Shaun Wade on his final throw of the day. I don’t want to dunk on Zappe, who’s had a good camp thus far, but it was a noticeable departure from what he’s put on the field in most sessions. To his credit, Zappe had a pretty downfield completion to Thornton early in practice and stayed late to sign autographs for fans. I’m sure he’ll bounce back from a down day.

LEFTOVERS

• Christian Gonzalez has provided tight coverage all training camp but struggled to turn that into positive plays for the defense, particularly in the past few practices. He flipped that script today with the aforementioned interception and a breakup where he smothered Kendrick Bourne on a comeback. Cornerbacks coach Mike Pellegrino mentioned how valuable these reps are as learning experiences for the young defender, and we’re beginning to see Gonzalez’s growth on the field.
• With Jonathan Jones not participating today, Jack Jones was the primary outside corner with Myles Bryant in the slot. Bryant is a good player when used as a versatile zone defender, but Demario Douglas left him in the dust on a whip route early in practice.
• Tyquan Thornton and Kayshon Boutte, who’ve mostly worked with Bailey Zappe and Trace McSorley, saw a number of snaps with Mac Jones during 7-on-7s. I thought Thornton got open multiple times but suffered from poor throws, though there were a couple where he probably should’ve finished through contact. Boutte had one of the plays of the day on a back-of-the-end zone grab where he beat Isaiah Bolden at the catch point and kept both feet in bounds. The rookie has been gaining momentum lately.
• Rookie kicker Chad Ryland followed a strong performance during the in-stadium practice by going 4-4 on field goals today, including a 50-yarder. Kyle Dugger gestured that one kick was no good, but it looked clean from my vantage point.
• The Patriots’ defense had to run a lap during Red Zone work because of what Davon Godchaux disclosed was a substitution error. When Jabrill Peppers was asked about the mistake, he took accountability and said the defense will continue to run laps if they don’t tighten up their operation. A rare mental mistake for the veteran unit, which seemed to get a stern talking-to from Bill Belichick during a huddle after the punishment.