Jul 29, 2022; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones (10) calls a play during training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
FOXBORO — When Mac Jones and the Patriots offense compete in 7-on-7 drills, they look pretty much unstoppable. But when the lines come on the field for 11-on-11, Jones simply hasn’t looked like the same player.
It sounds like there are a lot of factors at play with the Patriots’ offensive struggles at training camp so far. But at times, the issues have led to Jones taking off with the ball instead of throwing, which is rarely going to be ideal. As Jones himself suggested during his press conference after Tuesday’s practice in Foxboro, they’ve had a hard time getting all 11 guys to execute properly at the same time. That’s obviously the key to American football, the ultimate team sport.
“I think we have a lot of room to grow here,” Jones said. “The goal for me is to not run the ball and throw it so, I think our offensive line is doing a good job, and we just have to get on the same page.”
The problem is, the offensive line hasn’t entirely done a good job. On Tuesday alone, multiple defenders were credited with “sacks” or “tackles for loss,” sometimes breaching the offensive line untouched. Jones has had good-enough protection at times, but he’s also had a couple of miscommunications with his receivers. His red zone accuracy has been spotty. Plays have been made, to be certain, but the consistency definitely isn’t there yet.
But Jones’ comfort is evidenced by the smooth operation of the offense that we’ve seen in 7-on-7 drills. Ditto 1-on-1 plays between the receivers and defensive backs, often with deep balls. Rookie Tyquan Thornton and Nelson Agholor made back-to-back one-handed catches in those drills. Agholor, in particular, had his best day of camp. Jones has also clicked early with off-season addition DeVante Parker.
“He’s a great receiver and he’s played a long time in this league and he understands how to attack the football,” Jones said of Parker. “We got a lot of guys who do a lot of different things. My job is to hit them in the hands and they’ll make the plays. So, that’s what we’re going to try to do.”
The problem is, it’s just not as crisp when it jumps to 11-on-11, especially when it’s starters vs. starters. The individual talent jumps out more and more by the day, but even with schematic changes expected, the Patriots still need to be on point with their timing and protections in order for Jones to succeed.
Jones has seemed sped up or indecisive when he has a pass-rush coming his way, but it could also be a case of the receivers not going where he’s expecting. That’s what it looked like when he threw a gimme interception to cornerback Terrance Mitchell, as Thornton appeared to run the wrong route upfield, while Mitchell sat in his zone and received the ball like he was the intended target.
Jul 29, 2022; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones (10) throws the ball during training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
Leftover Notes…
Jul 29, 2022; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones (10) throws the ball during training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
— Don’t be surprised if the Patriots incorporate Thornton as a rookie by giving him a handoff here and there. That’s one way to utilize his speed out of the gate. Thornton made a one-handed grab against Jalen Mills during 1-on-1’s and looks more and more like a legit candidate to start Week 1.
— The Patriots ran what I like to call the “slappy drill.” It’s a ball-carrier attempting to run about half the width of the field against two defenders trying to knock the ball loose. The only fumble came from Agholor, and it looked like an as-yet unannounced new player wearing No. 36 who made the play. According to Mike Reiss, it’s former Notre Dame defensive back Jalen Elliott. Marcus Jones was the other DB in on the play.
— The run game couldn’t get much of anything going in the first day of full pads, but gained a little more traction on day 2. They were able to open a few holes inside. Damien Harris had a nice run to the left edge as left tackle Trent Brown took Judon for a ride. Call it 1 percent better. But like the passing game, we have yet to see a big jump.
— The punt returners on Tuesday were cornerback Myles Bryant, running back J.J. Taylor, and Marcus Jones. The latter should end up returning punts eventually. Safety Jabrill Peppers, who returned from PUP on Monday, was present for this session, but only observed. He figures to get some actual looks as a punt returner in the days ahead, as the team eases him back in.
Mac Watch, Day 5: Patriots offense has a 'meh' first day of full pads
Jul 29, 2022; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones (10) throws the ball during training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
FOXBORO — If you were hoping for a step forward from Mac Jones and the Patriots offense in their first fully padded practice, you might want to be more patient.
Jones went 10-of-15 with an interception overall in team drills during Monday’s practice in Foxboro. He went 5-of-9 with the INT in 11-on-11 drills, which is where the offense has looked notably shaky, as compared to 7-on-7. It’s not all on Jones – the coverage has generally been tight and DBs have been making plays on the ball – but the second-year quarterback certainly has room to improve upon what he’s shown.
Fans and media in attendance finally got to see Jones take more deep shots down the field, including a fairly competitive 1-vs-1 session between wide receivers and cornerbacks. Nelson Agholor, DeVante Parker, rookie Tyquan Thornton, and Tre Nixon all completed catches from Jones, while Jakobi Meyers had one clang off his hands.
Jones’ deep balls appeared to travel about 50-55 yards when he took shots near the end zone. It’s possible he added a yard or two to his arm, based on that drill.
Easily the highlight of the next 11-on-11 period, and the practice overall, was a deep shot from Jones to DeVante Parker that the receiver reeled in after toasting cornerback Malcolm Butler in coverage. Parker has made some plays with his hands and body control in the red zone so far in camp, but Monday was the first glimpse at his 1-on-1 ability in the deep part of the field.
Parker told Evan Lazar of Patriots.com after practice that the Patriots’ offensive terminology is “about the same” as 2019 in Miami, when he played for Brian Flores. It sure seems to have been a plus for him. Parker looks like it’s already clicked for him and he’s ready to make dynamic plays for the Pats’ deeper receiving corps.
Jul 29, 2022; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones (10) walks onto the field before training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
Final Thoughts
Jul 29, 2022; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones (10) walks onto the field before training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
Five practices into camp, Jones has shown vast improvement in terms of his knowledge of the offense and comfort running it … in 7-on-7. The biggest difference between those drills and 11-on-11 is the presence of a pass-rush. So Jones has plenty of room for improvement standing in the pocket and delivering accurate balls, on time, when he has defenders bearing down on him.
One thing I’ve noticed, and this could simply be a coincidence, is that Jones’ throws to the corner of the end zone were at times overthrown last week, but underthrown on Monday. Butler nearly picked Jones off on an underthrown fade intended for Thornton. It seems like Jones is working on getting the right touch on those throws. Plenty of time to figure that out, but that’s one particular area of the offense that is worth monitoring at practice in the days ahead.
Two areas where Jones has shown noticeable improvement are deep balls and throwing on the run. He got good air under the ball in the 1-on-1 drills, and the play of the day was a deep shot to Parker. Jones will have no shortage of big-play threats between Parker, Thornton, and Agholor. But it feels like Parker is the only one who’s consistently on the same page with him.
Communication issues have occasionally popped up in team drills, but they seemed to be more on the receiver than Jones. They’ll need to work those kinks out in order to avoid potentially back-breaking mistakes in real games.
Leftover Notes…
Wide receiver Tyquan Thornton during Patriots training camp on July 28, 2022. (Syndication: The Providence Journal)
— Thornton continues to rotate in with the first team offense, a good sign overall for the rookie’s potential to contribute meaningful snaps to the offense in his first year. He posterized cornerback Joejuan Williams, who seems to be on the roster “bubble” at best, in a 1-on-1 drill, contorting and falling backward to reel in a deep ball from Jones in the back corner of the end zone.
— Ty Montgomery continues to get looks as a third-down back and kick returner. Montgomery, Nixon, Stevenson, and Kyle Dugger appear to be competing for the kick returner role.
— Joe Judge is officially listed as the quarterbacks coach for the Patriots, but he was spotted working closely with pass-catchers during a drill practicing what looked like wheel routes and screens. Mac Jones threw the ball in this session. Receivers coach Ross Douglas, receivers/returners coach Troy Brown, and offensive assistant Evan Rothstein were also present during this period. It’s certainly been a collaborative coaching process on that side of the ball.
— Cornerbacks Jonathan Jones and Myles Bryant, and safety Jabrill Peppers all returned from the physically unable to perform (PUP) list.