Observations from Day Seven of Patriots Training Camp

The Patriots threw on pads today for the second time since the start of training camp, introducing 1-on-1 drills early in practice. Guard Chasen Hines and defensive back Brad Hawkins returned to the field after missing yesterday’s but didn’t go through drills. Cole Strange was a no-show after being present but inactive yesterday. Matt Judon, Trent Brown, and Tyquan Thornton were present but did not participate. Rhamondre Stevenson only took part in a slow-paced two-minute situation at the end of the session, telling reporters after practice “Honestly, you’ve got to ask Bill Belichick why I’m not practicing.”

Missing

• LG Cole Strange (left leg)
• WR Ty Montgomery (left leg, considered day-to-day)
• LB Terez Hall (unknown)

Physically Unable to Perform

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

Non-Football Injury

• OT Calvin Anderson (illness)

Red Non-Contact Jersey (excluding QBs)

• LB Marte Mapu (pectoral)

OFFENSE HAS BREAKOUT PERFORMANCE

The Patriots’ offense has understandably been up-and-down as they work to install plays and build their foundation, with yesterday being one of their least impressive efforts. But Bill O’Brien and company rebounded in a big way with their most impressive showing of the offseason, which felt more like a day where the offense won than one where the defense lost.

Wide receivers dominated 1-on-1 drills, resulting in the defense having to do pushups. Kendrick Bourne beat Jack Jones, who’s had an impressive camp, on each of their matchups. Demario Douglas had the catch of the day when he Moss’d Marcus Jones on an underthrown deep ball, then left Shaun Wade in the dust on another rep. Fellow 6th-round rookie Kayshon Boutte beat each of the Patriots’ top corners Christian Gonzalez and Jonathan Jones, noting after practice that he’s gaining confidence and building momentum after a slow start. DeVante Parker ended 1-on-1’s with a win against Gonzalez on a well-placed pass from Mac Jones. Parker let the defense know which side won the period and got into a passionate exchange with cornerback coach Mike Pelligrino.

The offense rode this hot hand in team drills, with Jones taking what the defense gave him and methodically moving the ball. With modern defenses selling out to keep plays in front of them, playing smart is at a premium, and that’s what the Patriots have been getting from their top signal-caller.

That said, Bailey Zappe may have had the throw of the day when he dropped a shot to Tre Nixon in the bucket with Jack Jones trailing. The backup quarterback had a solid day and it’s good to see him being aggressive in camp when the opportunities present themselves.

When the offense moved into the high Red Zone, Jones finally uncorked one and gave Parker a jump-ball opportunity. The veteran receiver was jostling with Gonzalez but managed to out-physical the rookie and box him out for a contested score. Jones threw another touchdown soon after in the low Red Zone, hitting a wide-open JuJu Smith-Schuster in the back of the end zone. The play appeared to be a switch release concept the top offense has been repping during special teams drills, with Smith-Schuster confirming to reporters this was the first time they ran it successfully against the defense, who didn’t seem to be on the same page. Another sign that the offense is evolving daily.

DEFENSE FINISHED STRONG

While the offense clearly won the day, the defense stood their ground during goal-line drills.

After sniffing out a play-fake to force a throwaway, the front built a wall to stuff Kevin Harris on back-to-back attempts. This was especially impressive considering the offense managed to punch in at least two touchdowns in this situation during the first padded practice on Monday.

When I asked Ja’Whaun Bentley about this improvement, he responded, “We got to understand what the offense is trying to do to the defense. … [so we’re] just trying to see what they do to us and understand our responses to it. Today, I think we did a better job of seeing certain things and understanding what the offense is trying to do. So we just got string together. It ain’t always gonna be perfect.”

LEFTOVERS

• Keion White is looking the part. He’s been consistently disruptive in non-padded practices, but I’ve been hesitant to put too much weight into those reps. But he finally got a chance to show off today in 1-on-1s, dominating a rep against Conor McDermott.
• Marte Mapu’s coverage ability really stood out today. He blanketed Matt Sokol for a breakup in 1-on-1 drills and was consistently around the ball early in practice. The Patriots continue to use him in multiple different roles.
• Tough day for guard Bill Murray, who lost 1-on-1 reps to Christian Barmore and Daniel Ekuale. He was replaced by Kody Russey on most competitive reps and wasn’t part of the final two-minute walkthrough.
• Atonio Mafi got a lot of work at left guard with Strange out after spending most of his reps at Mike Onwenu’s right guard spot.
• Matt Sokol and Anthony Firkser have each flashed in training camp, with Sokol appearing to be a backup in-line blocker with contested catch ability and Firkser being more of an off-ball chess piece. This could be the deeper tight-end rooms the Patriots have had in quite some time.
• Linebacker/special teamer Calvin Munson received multiple reps with projected starters on defense. Didn’t have that on my bingo card.
• Mike Gesicki and Kayshon Boutte have typically worked with the offense on Red Zone install the past few days during special teams periods, but today both skill players were on the scout kick return team. Gesicki has been quiet after being projected for a big role, and Boutte was mostly quiet before today’s breakout practice. Wouldn’t sound the alarm quite yet, but definitely warrants monitoring.