Patriots OTA notebook: Jarrett Stidham capitalizes without Cam Newton, strong day for the defense

Much like the Patriots’ first open OTA practice of 2021, Friday’s session – the second attended by the media this year – has the potential to shift the quarterback narrative heading into training camp.

About halfway through Friday’s practice, as the team was working on positional drills, Cam Newton walked away from the quarterbacks group and over to the Patriots’ training staff. The focus was on Newton’s throwing hand – at one point he appeared to show significant discomfort.

For the remainder of practice, Newton didn’t throw or even pick up a football. He was repeatedly flexing his fingers, and seemed to be looking and feeling around his thumb and index finger. Asked about the condition of Newton’s had after practice, wide receiver Nelson Agholor replied “I’ll let him speak on that.”

Despite being done throwing, Newton stayed on the field for the rest of practice, which featured a good amount of 11-on-11 work. During those drills, Newton stood about 15 yards behind the offensive line, surveying the plays. This stood out, as Bill Belichick spoke last week about the value of mental reps – especially at the quarterback position where snaps are numbered.

“It’s very important for players at every position to learn from the guy who’s taking the reps,” Belichick noted when asked about balancing practice time among four quarterbacks. “So, even though they’re not in there taking it, mentally they can still take it and still go through the process and in the quarterback’s case, is pre-snap keys and real-time timing, rather than watching it on film and that kind of thing, but real-time timing of, ‘Alright, here’s what happens when the ball snapped, here’s what I see, here’s where I go with the ball.'”

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  "That's what a good player will do. That's what a good professional will do," Belichick later added. "They'll take advantage of every rep, whether they're in there or not, and then take advantage of the ones that they are in there on the field for."
  
  Newton not throwing meant there were more snaps available for the remaining quarterbacks. Nobody did more to take advantage of that opportunity than Jarrett Stidham, who shined in team drills. His highlight was a 20-yard in route that he threw to Jakobi Meyers that had some serious zip on it, but overall he appeared to be confident, quick, and in control.
  
  As for Mac Jones, he didn't quite live up to the incredibly high bar he set during the first open practice. That's not to say he played poorly, but there were more reminders that he is, in fact, a rookie quarterback who is still developing his game. He misjudged a couple of passing windows, with one throw almost being intercepted by Kyle Van Noy.
  
  Before moving on, one more quick note about the quarterbacks, specifically a certain drill. It was an interesting exercise that had each guy take a snap facing one end zone, perform a five step drop, then turn all the way around to face the other end zone, dodge a blocking pad thrown at them by a coach, then hit another coach downfield with a pass. As the Patriots look to get back to a more varied passing attack in 2021 eye discipline and field vision from the QB position will be key - two skills tested heavily in that drill.

Of course, the quarterbacks weren’t the only players on the field on Friday. Here’s some of what stood out regarding the rest of the roster:

• Defense wins the day

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  When offense and defense went head-to-head on Friday, it was the defense coming away with the victory more often than not. That’s not usually the case in half-tempo drills, but the Patriots’ defensive unit - specifically the front seven - was buzzing.
  
  They collected a number of ‘sacks’ (whistled dead, no hitting the QB in practice), had a few balls knocked down at the line, and Kyle Van Noy nearly had a diving interception (and started doing push-ups after his drop). As a unit, they made their presence felt.

• You’ve got to see it for yourself

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  Some players have traits that just don’t translate to film. You need to see them in person to truly appreciate elements of their game. There were two prime examples of that on Friday.
  
  Nelson Agholor’s speed is no secret, but it’s another thing to witness first hand. It’s not just straight-line speed either, but his quickness in and out of cuts. The Patriots haven’t had a player who can make some of the moves he made in a few years, maybe since Brandin Cooks.
  
  Defensively, Henry Anderson popped coming off the line of scrimmage. He was a key part of the defense’s strong performance with his initial burst. When Adam Butler left for Miami, the Patriots lost a player who knew how to convert speed to power at the point of attack. Anderson appears to have a similar knack, which should be a valuable asset.

• King of the hill

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  Over the last few seasons, Matthew Slater has established his own routine at practices, often separate from the majority of the roster. Unlike other core special teams players such as Cody Davis or Justin Bethel, who practice with their listed positional group, Slater is rarely - if ever- with the wide receivers.
  
  On Friday Slater had some company, at least briefly. During the early portion of practice, Brandon King joined him for warm ups. King later took part in some solo drills that seemed to reflect a special teams skillset. Has Belichick awarded the same freedom to roam at practice that Slater has?
  
  One practice isn’t enough to know the answer for sure, but it’s something to monitor once training camp begins. Slater is 35 and in the final year of his contract, meaning there could be an opening for a new special teams leader soon. King would be as strong a candidate as any as he enters his seventh season in New England. The 27-year-old does have a hill to climb this year - he missed the last two seasons after tearing his quad in the preseason finale in 2019. But if he returns to form, he’ll be a key member of the kick coverage unit.
• What a boot

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  Normally a UDFA-heavy team, the Patriots have just one undrafted rookie on the roster for OTAs. That lone player is kicker Quinn Nordin, and he delivered a powerful introduction to Patriots media at the end of Friday’s practice.
  
  Nordin displayed an incredibly powerful leg. Lined up nearly 50 yards out, his kicks were hitting halfway up the netting 15 yards or so behind the goalposts. Even just the sound of his foot hitting the ball was different - the contact was audibly solid as well as visually. Accuracy will be a question - the Michigan product hit just 72.4 percent of his field goal attempts in college - but he has as strong a leg as you’ll see (or hear) in the NFL.

• Plays of the day

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  A couple of diving attempts -one on each side of the ball - stood out as the most impressive plays on Friday. On offense, it was Isaiah Zuber lunging for a pass over the middle in QB-WR drills, and hauling the ball in as he hit the ground. Defensively, safety Adrian Colbert covered an impressive amount of ground before leaving his feet to break up a pass on the sidelines in 7-on-7s.

• Odds n’ ends

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  • Robert Kraft was in attendance yet again, spending the latter half of practice on the field. He seemed to cheer Newton up a bit after the QB banged up his hand, as the two shared a laugh.
  • A number of Patriots players and coaches were wearing Bruins hats during practice. Belichick had a shoutout for the B’s during his Friday morning press conference, wearing a spoked B hat of his own. 
  • Newly-signed wide receiver Marvin Hall was in attendance. He wore number 14.
• Taking attendance

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  18 players from the Patriots’ 90-man roster were not spotted on Friday, down from the 25 missing during the team’s first open practice last week. Among the notable absences were Brandon Bolden, Sony Michel, James White, Rhamondre Stevenson, N’Keal Harry, Jonnu Smith, Trent Brown, Isaiah Wynn, Dont’a Hightower, Terez Hall, Matt Judon, Stephon Gilmore, JC Jackson, Devin McCourty, Adrian Phillips, and Nick Folk.
  
  Damien Harris, Anfernee Jennings, Justin Herron, and Dalton Keene were present, but didn’t do much beyond stretching. Tre Nixon was a full participant, after missing last week’s open session with a knee injury.

More from Patriots practice: 

LISTEN: Bob Socci and Alex Barth share what they saw at Patriots practice with Zolak & Bertrand:

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Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at abarth@985TheSportsHub.com.