Before practice, Bill Belichick called the first week of training camp a continuation of OTAs, where the team wasn’t able to install its Red Zone offense. That was clear today, with New England once again donning shirts and t-shirts while working exclusively in scoring territory. The Patriots once again had nearly perfect attendance, but the offense took a hit during the session with Ty Montgomery working with trainers after colliding with Terez Hall. Rhamondre Stevenson, Matthew Judon, and DaMarcus Mitchell also appeared to be limited.
ATTENDANCE
Physically Unable to Perform
- RG Mike Onwenu
- ST Cody Davis
Non-Football Injury
- OT Calvin Anderson
Red Non-Contact Jersey (excluding QBs)
- Marte Mapu
OFFENSE STILL GROWING IN A NEW SCHEME
When asked about the difficulty of playing in the Red Zone to start training camp, Hunter Henry noted the importance of trust, timing, and communication. None of these come automatically, particularly when adjusting to a new offensive scheme, and that was apparent during team drills.
Mac Jones went 0-4 during 7-on-7 reps inside the 10-yard line, with the quarterback seemingly not on the same page as his receivers on a couple of throws. To be fair, all of these passes were to the back pylon and the defense caught onto this trend quickly. Bailey Zappe had more success, including an impressive high-point touchdown grab from Matt Sokol, but only one of his four attempts went downfield.
The top unit looked better in 11-on-11 periods, which took place in the high Red Zone where they had more space to operate. Jones’ first throw was a deep touchdown to DeVante Parker with Christian Gonzalez trailing, and he connected with JuJu Smith-Schuster for a pair of scores. But there were also a number of dropbacks that likely would’ve ended in coverage sacks, and Jones threw his second interception to Kyle Dugger in as many days when ad-libbing on a designed rollout. Zappe had some impressive throws against the second unit, notably another connection with Sokol on a crosser and a short score to Pierre Strong where he stepped up in the pocket. But like in 7-on-7’s, many of his attempts were on short throws.
3rd-string quarterback Trace McSorley continued his rough start to training camp, with most throws being uncatchable or glaringly inaccurate. Montgomery’s collision was a result of the veteran throwing behind his receiver, which forced an awkward adjustment.
JUJU SMITH-SCHUSTER SEIZING HIS OPPORTUNITY
JuJu Smith-Schuster was a question mark to the public after missed OTAs and minicamp while nursing an ACL injury suffered in last season’s playoffs. But Bill Belichick told reporters Smith-Schuster has been present throughout the spring and that the offense is incorporating things he’s had success with in the past. Belichick also noted the receiver is “great to work with” and “a really smart kid [with] a lot of experience.”
While speaking to the media after practice, Smith-Schuster said he’s been putting in work with Mac Jones this offseason, calling his new quarterback’s work ethic “the best” and praising his intelligence. That work seems to be paying off as Smith-Schuster was a fixture in the slot today, grabbing two of three catchable passes thrown his way. He scored one touchdown in the front of the end zone with Gonzalez in coverage and another on what appeared to be a seam route against Marcus Jones.
Smith-Schuster seems primed for a big year in New England, with Hunter Henry telling reporters, “He’s a big piece for us. Excited to have him here. … He’s fun to be around, works really hard.” Jonathan Jones noted Smith-Schuster’s physicality, hands, mobility, and work ethic, saying he’s regularly at the facility early.
The Super Bowl champion may have been a bit of a surprise signing this offseason, but he’s clearly fitting into the championship culture the Patriots are trying to get back to in 2023.
MARCUS JONES ON THE RISE
Marcus Jones still looks like New England’s top returner despite Demario Douglas, Kyle Dugger, and Isaiah Bolden also being capable candidates. His role on defense also seems to be growing, as the second-year corner has been a consistent presence outside across from Christian Gonzalez and Jonathan Jones, rotating in for each at times when the unit deployed three safeties.
Though Jones was beaten for a touchdown by Smith-Schuster midway through practice, he showed great situational awareness early by pushing DeVante Parker out of bounds on a pass where Mac Jones rolled out of the pocket. it was a close call and the offense did its best to sell a score, but the consensus among reporters was that Jones prevented the completion.
I still think Jones would be best suited in the slot due to his lack of size and length, but his athleticism and intelligence make him an extremely competitive player regardless of matchup.
LEFTOVERS
- Tyquan Thornton was expected to have a breakout year after being taken in the 2nd round of last year’s draft, but the speedster has yet to record a pass in two days of training camp
- Demario Douglas spent time with Mac Jones and the top unit for the second consecutive day
- Riley Reiff and Bill Murray continue to hold down the right side of the offensive line
- While Jack Jones has been relegated to second-team duties since the start of training camp, he’s been a disruptive presence with multiple breakups
- Pierre Strong saw snaps at kick returner, which I don’t believe he did in OTAs or minicamp despite receiving a handful of opportunities last season
- Though he acknowledged that the NFL is a business, Josh Uche told reporters when asked about his impending free agency “This is the place I’ve called home for the last four years. … I would love to be here.”
- Chad Ryland went 5-5 on field goal attempts at the end of practice
