Patriots training camp notebook: Getting game ready on Day 11
Tuesday afternoon was the final Patriots training camp practice before their preseason opener on Thursday. Here’s what stood out.
The ‘dog days’ of Patriots training camp came to a close on Tuesday afternoon. On wet, rainy practice fields behind Gillette Stadium the team held its 11th practice of camp, and the final practice before the preseason opener on Thursday night.
For the fourth practice in a row the Patriots were in full pads as they ramp up for their first live action of the season. There were no live tackling drills like there were on Monday, but there was still a focus on 11-on-11 work, including multiple red zone periods.
Now multiple weeks in, it’s becoming apparent that the Patriots’ offensive players are getting more comfortable with the new system. That includes the quarterback who is dealing with more changes than just the system. We’ll start there in today’s Patriots training camp notebook…
Drake Maye settling in
For most of Tuesday, rookie quarterback Drake Maye looked as comfortable as he has all summer. Maye completed five of his six passes in 11s and seven of his first 10 overall.
There are a few reasons Maye was able to settle in. For one, moving pieces on the offensive line gave him a better group up front, and he had more time to throw. He also spent more time with some of the top wide receivers.
However, it wasn’t all perfect for Maye. The offensive still failed to move in the closest thing to a live game environment with him under center (more on that in a second). He’s made good progress from where he was a week ago, but Thursday night will still be a significant test.
One-minute drill
Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye each got a chance to run a one-minute drill towards the end of practice. We’ll start with Brissett, who after a false start up front faced a 4th & long. He was able to convert by hitting K.J. Osborn deep over the middle, giving Osborn a chance to highpoint the ball over two defenders – which he did and held on as he hit the ground for the first down. However, Brissett couldn’t move the ball much past that as more than 40 second had already wound off the clock, and the drive ended with Chad Ryland missing a 53-yard field goal wide left.
Maye’s first shot at the one-minute ended after the first play. He tried fitting a ball into a tight window to Javon Baker on an out route, but the coverage was too tight and the pass was deflected up in the air right to rookie Marcellas Dial, who recorded the interception. Maye then got another shot but went three-and-out, after a bad third down snap from Atonio Mafi set the unit back. They had a delay of game as well.
Both sides of Baker
There were highs and lows for Javon Baker on Tuesday. He was on the wrong side of Maye’s interception, but also had a couple of highlight catches. The big one came in red zone work, when he went full extension to grab a pass from Jacoby Brissett before landing in bounds along the sideline in the end zone.
Based on what we’ve seen from Baker in camp – and from him in college – this seems to be the kind of player he is, boom or bust. He’s a big play threat capable of highlight contested catches, but at the same time will have issues with drops. The hope is the good outweighs the bad, and none of the drops come in timely moments. He’ll have a chance to make some truly game-changing plays, but not as a high-volume target.
WATCH: Zo & Barth react to Day 11 of Patriots training camp
Kayshon Boutte more consistent
Kayshon Boutte caught another touchdown on Tuesday (Drake Maye was the quarterback), something he’s been doing on a more regular basis this summer. The key for Boutte in this camp was to show he could be more consistent, rather than just flashing talent every few days.
It feels like he’s done that so far. That will need to carry over to games, but he’s put himself in the mix for that final wide receiver spot.
Offensive line moves
There were more moving pieces on the offensive line on Tuesday. Sidy Sow didn’t take part in team reps opening guard snaps to multiple players, with Michael Jordan getting a good amount of run. Jordan is the team’s most experienced guard behind Mike Onwenu, which could give him a chance to compete for a roster spot.
Jerod Mayo has referenced the second preseason game as the point that the Patriots want to have their initial offensive line for the 2024 season settled. That’s now just over a week away. This Thursday’s game should go a long way in telling us who will get the inside track on those jobs, but with so many moving pieces over the last week there isn’t much continuity with any specific group.
Ball security
In rainy conditions, ball security was an issue for the Patriots at times on Tuesday. There was a fumbled under-center exchange between Jacoby Brissett and David Andrews early in practice, and a few plays later running back Kevin Harris fumbled the ball after a handoff. There was also the bad snap from Atonio Mafi towards the end of practice, and Bailey Zappe was strip-sacked by Trysten Hill, who knocked a ball clean out of Zappe’s hand.
Prior to practice, Jerod Mayo talked about it being a good day to work on fundamentals in wet conditions. There were certainly some teachable moments in that regard throughout practice.
Sam Roberts stands out
With some of the Patriots’ top edge players limited, Sam Roberts had a bigger role on Tuesday. He made the most of an opportunity with a pass rush pressure against the top offense as well as contributing plays on multiple runs stops. It was a notable day for Roberts, who projects as a bubble player heading into the first preseason game.
Matthew Judon limited
After being a full participant for the past few days, Matthew Judon didn’t do much on Tuesday. He was on the field in full pads to start the day, but early in practice left the practice field. A few minutes later he returned but was no longer in pads, and was an observer for the rest of the session.
It’s been over a week since Judon had a showy exit from practice, with no resolution on his contract situation yet. It’s not clear whether his participation level on Tuesday was related to that, but pretty much anything he does at his point is going to be looked at through that context.
Both kickers miss
Each kicker missed a kick on Tuesday, with nine attempts in total. The first kick was a one-off, with Chad Ryland getting the attempt at the end of Jacoby Brissett’s one-minute drill detailed above.
At the end of practice both kickers got four attempts each, as has been the case more often than not at Patriots training camp this summer. The distances were 33, 39, 44, and 49 yards. Ryland went 4-for-4, while Joey Slye was 3-for-4 with a miss left from 49.
On the field goals it was recently-signed long snapper Tucker Addington on the field instead of Joe Cardona, who seemed to be limited. Addington had some issues with low snaps during this period, but holder Bryce Baringer was able to get the ball up in time, with both kicks on the bad snaps ending up good.
Hang times
Despite the wet conditions, Bryce Baringer had one of his best practices of camp. Through two team punt periods he had multiple kicks downed inside the five. Here are his hangtimes from the day, separated by session…
4.64 seconds
4.65
4.60
3.14
4.43
4.23
—
4.28 seconds
4.73
4.58
4.70
4.91
4.55
4.22
4.61
4.54
Attendance
There were no new absences at Tuesday’s Patriots training camp practice. Tackle Chuks Okorafor, defensive backs Marte Mapu and Marcus Jones, and defensive tackle Christian Barmore all remain out. Joshuah Bledsoe did return after missing a few days.
Among those limited were Matthew Judon, David Andrews, Jonathan Jones, and Tyquan Thornton.
What’s next?
The Patriots will have a closed walkthrough on Wednesday before Thursday night’s preseason opener. Coverage can be heard on 98.5 The Sports Hub, with pregame starting at 4:00 p.m. leading up to the 7:00 kickoff.
