It’s finally here! On Wednesday morning the 2023 New England Patriots team will take the field for the first time in front of fans, at the team’s first training camp practice of the year on the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium.
For those who don’t know, training camp practices in Foxborough are free and open to the public. Fans in attendance get to watch the entirety of practice from bleachers or the hills surrounding the practice field.
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Training camp is always a fun time (I started going as a fan when I was a little kid and it was still at Bryant College – I still remember nearly getting trampled by a rush of fans trying to get Tom Brady’s autograph in 2002). Still, for fans trying to pick up on the X’s and O’s of what’s going on and learn about the team – especially those who haven’t been before – it can be a little overwhelming.
A question I get asked quite a bit this time of year is for tips and tricks for watching a training camp practice through the eyes of somebody trying to evaluate the team. It’s harder than it sounds, and definitely something that only comes with experience.
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With training camp practices beginning today, the ‘evaluation period’ begins for the Patriots’ coaching staff. Heading to Foxborough and want to try to figure out what the staff is thinking? Here are some suggestions for those going to Gillette Stadium over the next couple of weeks who want to take a more analytical approach to watching training camp.
Come prepared
FOXBOROUGH, MA – JULY 29, 2021: Fans watch players on the New England Patriots perform drills during training camp at Gillette Stadium on July 29, 2021 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)
Preparation is key. There are a few things you’ll want to have on hand.
First off, binoculars are very useful. The practice will be stretched over two football fields, and little details can get lost when looking 150 yards away.
Having a numerical roster (those are usually handed out at the entrance gate) obviously helps, but make sure to have a fully charged phone too. There will be things about players you’ll want to look up that won’t be included on the paper roster.
And, of course, sunscreen. There’s not a lot of shade at the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium, so be ready to sit in the sun.
Know what kind of practice and drills you’re watching
Jul 30, 2022; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones (10) lines up behind center David Andrews (60) at the Patriots training camp at Gillette Stadium. Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports
When trying to evaluate what’s happening on the field, not every training camp practice carries the same weight. The same can be said for individual drills within a practice. How do you know when the stakes are at their highest?
First, the kind of practice. Padded practices are more telling than unpadded practices, because they’re closer to real football. Joint practices are usually the most valuable for information, but all of the Patriots’ joints this year are taking place on the road.
Within the practice drills will almost always fit into one of four categories – instructional, 1-on-1s, 7-on-7s, and 11-on-11s. Instructional drills are non-competitive – it will usually be just the offense or just the defense with nobody lined up on the other side of the ball. These are typically walkthrough periods.
1-on-1s are the start of competitive drills. 1-on-1s can include offensive linemen versus defensive linemen/pass rushers, wide receivers versus cornerbacks, and ball carriers versus tacklers. These drills can often feature highlight plays, but don’t have as much practical application.
A 7-on-7 period – sometimes called ‘skeleton’ – is a passing drill that has the quarterback and his pass catchers facing the secondary (and sometimes linebackers depending on the package – with no blockers or pass rush. These periods are used by the team to work on the nuts and bolts of the passing game (spacing, timing, route combinations) and can be a good chance to watch pass catchers and coverage players. However, they’re usually a little less telling for quarterbacks, who aren’t facing a live rush.
Finally, there’s 11-on-11, or full team drills. These are the most valuable periods in camp, and are a close to live football as we’ll see before the preseason.
There are other ways to tell if the coaching staff is giving a drill any more weight. Do they have yardage sticks out, and are moving the ball? Is the ball in the red zone? Is there loud music playing to simulate crowd noise? These are all things to keep in mind when deciphering when the intensity in practice is being raised.
What helps is that a member of the Patriots’ staff usually calls out each drill before it starts (each drill is on a clock, which is visible from the stands, so you know when to expect the next period to begin). That should give you a clue as to what you’re about to watch.
Decide what you’re going to watch before the play
Jul 30, 2022; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots defensive back Terrance Mitchell (39) covers wide receiver Tyquan Thornton (51) at the Patriots training camp at Gillette Stadium. Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports
There are certainly times when you can just follow the ball while watching practice, but try to vary what you’re watching as well. For instance, if watching the ball all the way through and waiting for the action to happen you’ll see a wide receiver catch the ball but you won’t see the route that got him open. Or, you may see a pass rusher get to the quarterback but you won’t see the move he used to beat the blocker.
Switch it up a bit during practice. Take a play and spotlight a specific player at a position other than quarterback. There are certainly players worth taking time out to watch in this camp, with Tyquan Thornton, Mike Gesicki, Matthew Judon, Kyle Dugger, and Christian Gonzalez being a few that stand out.
This is also where it helps to know what kind of drill you’re watching. If it’s 7-on-7, watching the quarterback won’t tell you as much. Or if you hear the coaching staff call out for a run period, don’t bother watching the receivers. Focus on a lineman instead.
Watch what the coaches are watching
Jul 30, 2022; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick checks his notes at the Patriots training camp at Gillette Stadium. Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports
O.K., so that’s a lot of how to watch, but not so much what to watch. The reality is, that’s one of the hardest parts of watching training camp. You don’t know what’s going to happen until it does, so it’s hard to know where to look.
One trick that is usually very helpful is to find coaches – especially guys like Bill Belichick, Bill O’Brien, Jerod Mayo, Steve Belichick, or Cam Achord – and look at what they’re looking at. Odds are if they’re watching something – a drill, a certain player, etc., it’s important and worth you having your eyes on too. Plus, it’s a good way to pick up on which players are getting extra coaching attention.
Don’t let one play dictate your opinion of a player
Mike Gesicki of the New England Patriots runs during a drill with quarterback Mac Jones during 2023 minicamp in Foxboro. (Matt Dolloff/98.5 The Sports Hub)
At training camp, you’re going to see some players make really good plays and some players make really bad plays. Make sure to focus on the big picture rather than individual examples. Even Tom Brady would throw an occasional pick during training camp. But in the end, he always had (many) more good plays than bad.
For example – let’s say one cornerback gets beat bad on one play by like 10 yards, but is right there with the receiver contesting at the catchpoint the rest of the day. Another cornerback is in the vicinity whenever he gets targeted, but is always one or two steps behind whoever he is covering. Yes, one corner had the worse individual play, but he probably had the better day overall.
Is a player regularly getting beat? Regularly running laps? Often out of position? That’s usually not a good sign. If a guy has one bad play, it’s still notable but it’s not as big a part of the evaluation. Something the Patriots’ often preach this time of year is that mistakes will happen, it’s about learning from them. Making a mistake once isn’t the problem, it’s if the same mistake continues to be made without being fixed.
The same is true the other way around. One great play isn’t going to make a player’s day if they’re not consistent.
When we give our analysis during camp, it’s usually based on this idea. A player “had a good day” doesn’t always mean he made a bunch of highlight plays. He may have just had a solid, mistake-free day even if he didn’t pop into the spotlight.
