HENDERSON, Nev. — Four seconds. Nine yards. One play.
Mac Jones and the Patriots have been prepared to shut Wednesday’s steamy joint follow towards the Raiders with their second 2-minute drill of the morning. Jones had coated many of the discipline with three completions, together with a good seam throw to Hunter Henry for a 20-plus yard acquire. Now, taking a snap contained in the tight purple zone, he wanted another.
Stepping again right into a roomy pocket, Jones bounced with the ball. He waited and waited. Raiders edge rushers Chandler Jones and Maxx Crosby obtained stonewalled on the line. Finally, Jones floated a excessive throw down the center, a slow-motion move that appeared to tease Las Vegas defenders because it floated over them. How lengthy would this ball keep up?
Running from proper to left alongside the again line of the tip zone, Henry had the reply. He leapt in entrance of the sector aim posts, shot each palms skyward and grabbed the ball. Touchdown.
Patriots gamers flooded the tip zone in celebration, the beginning offense joined by teammates streaming off the sideline. After two and a half hours in close to 100-degree warmth, follow was over. And after two attempting days, the Pats had discovered what they got here for: hope within the desert.
Here are the Herald’s full follow observations:
Attendance
Absent: LB Harvey Langi, WR Tyquan Thornton (clavicle), WR Kristian WIlkerson (concussion)
Limited: RB Damien Harris, OL Isaiah Wynn, WR Nelson Agholor, CB Shaun Wade, OL Bill Murray
Notes: No main modifications from Tuesday’s attendance. Harris exited after one group interval and missed the final two-thirds of follow. Agholor and Wynn sat out the second half of follow, however remained on the sideline. All three gamers noticed mingling with teammates and Raiders gamers after follow, and appeared high quality. Wade was restricted once more for unknown causes.
Play of the Day
Henry’s buzzer-beating landing
The solely, apparent alternative.
Player of the Day
WR Jakobi Meyers
Before Henry’s landing, Meyers owned probably the most memorable catch of the day. With Raiders security Tre’von Moehrig climbing on his again, Meyers cradled an ideal back-corner throw from Jones and saved possession as he tumbled out of bounds. He finally completed with a team-high 5 catches, together with two contested touchdowns.
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QB Corner
Note: The passing stats under have been tallied throughout aggressive, full-speed durations of 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 solely. The stats in parentheses symbolize every quarterback’s passing totals for coaching camp.
Mac Jones: 20/25 (202/272, 8 INTs, 5 drops)
Studs
OLB Matt Judon
The Patriots’ greatest defensive participant cemented his standing Wednesday over a 9-play interval, when he notched a sack, run stuff and batted move on the line. Judon was a nuisance to the Raiders’ run sport all day lengthy.
RB/WR Ty Montgomery
Montgomery was scorching on Meyers’ heels because the busiest and most dependable move catcher in follow. He secured all 4 targets, together with a landing to cap one hurry-up drill.
Duds
OT Justin Herron
Herron changed Wynn in group drills for the second half of follow and sometimes obtained labored in move safety. Granted, he confronted a tough matchup towards Pro Bowl defensive finish Maxx Crosby, however Crosby additionally managed to attract a maintain and bat one move down when he failed to achieve Jones.
DL Henry Anderson
Anderson went winless in 1-on-1 move rush and repped solely with the second-string protection after working with the starters in Deatrich Wise’s absence to start out coaching camp.
Offensive notes
- Holy turnaround, Batman! On a day filled with dwell 11-on-11 durations, Mac Jones and Co. bombed on their first drive with three sacks, an incompletion, one timeout known as, a brief run and two bubble screens that went nowhere over 9 snaps.
- From there, Jones went 17-of-21 in group drills, subsisting on a principally dink-and-dunk weight loss plan. That represented actual progress for an offense that went in reverse Tuesday.
- In the second 11-on-11 interval, Jones went 3-of-3 within the purple zone round three Rhamondre Stevenson runs. Stevenson took over for Damien Harris in that interval, and he and Ty Montgomery have been the one working backs to take snaps with Mac Jones.
- The Patriots known as simply 4 run performs in group drills and threw the ball on a pair of RPOs.
- DeVante Parker’s solely catch was a jailbreak display screen that opened the offense’s third 11-on-11 interval and first 2-minute drill. After Parker’s catch, Jones hit Jonnu Smith on an in-cut for his lone reception of follow, scrambled, spiked the ball, discovered Ty Montgomery within the left flat and threw the ball away to arrange a 46-yard discipline aim.
Patriots backs nonetheless don’t have any working room towards the Raiders
- Back contained in the purple zone, Montgomery and Jakobi Meyers caught three of Jones’ 4 targets, with the opposite falling incomplete at Kendrick Bourne’s ft after Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby tipped it on the line.
- Pass catchers who sometimes run secure routes — like Jakobi Meyers and Ty Montgomery — benefited most from Jones’ fast set off. No shock, they completed first and second in catches throughout group drills.
- Jones’ solely downfield shot arrived within the fifth and closing group interval, a slick seam throw to Henry. Around that completion, he hit Stevenson on a checkdown, would have been sacked by Crosby, discovered Meyers beneath, fired incomplete for Bourne and lofted a landing to Henry.
- Raiders security Jonathan Abram picked a Bailey Zappe move supposed for Matt Sokol late in follow. The rookie threw a choose in each joint practices this week.
- Like Justin Herron with Crosby, left sort out Trent Brown had his palms full towards Chandler Jones, who earned an early sack of Jones.
- First-round rookie Cole Strange obtained labored in 1-on-1 move rush, a sore spot for him in coaching camp.
- Top targets in group drills: Jakobi Meyers 5/7, Ty Montgomery 4/4, Kendrick Bourne 2/4, Hunter Henry 3/3, Rhamondre Stevenson 3/3, Nelson Agholor 1/3
- Drops: None
Defensive notes
- Starting and second-string personnel throughout group durations: defensive linemen Davon Godchaux, Christian Barmore, Lawrence Guy, Henry Anderson, Carl Davis and Daniel Ekuale; linebackers Matt Judon, Ja’Whaun Bentley, Raekwon McMillan, Mack Wilson, Jahlani Tavai and Anfernee Jennings and defensive backs Devin McCourty, Kyle Dugger, Adrian Phillips, Jalen Mills, Terrance Mitchell, Jonathan Jones, Marcus Jones and Myles Bryant.
- Interceptions: None
- Pass breakups: Matt Judon, Mack Wilson, Terrance Mitchell, Jack Jones
- Would-be sacks: Raekwon McMillan, Judon, Uche, Team
- Run stuffs: Team 3, Judon
- 1-on-1 protection winners: Jalen Mills, Myles Bryant
- 1-on-1 protection losers: Jonathan Jones, Terrance Mitchell
- 1-on-1 move rush winners: Josh Uche, Lawrence Guy
- 1-on-1 move rush losers: Christian Barmore, Anfernee Jennings
- Raiders All-Pro wideout Davante Adams continued setting the Patriots’ 1-on-1 protection ablaze in group durations Wednesday, however not after Jalen Mills had his say throughout particular person drills.
- According to NESN, Mills went unbeaten towards Adams and Tyron Johnson and recorded two PBUs alongside the way in which throughout 1-on-1 drills.
- Myles Bryant additionally went 1-2 towards star slot receiver Hunter Renfrow for a second straight follow.
- Jonathan Jones put up the very best combat towards Adams throughout group durations, surviving a deep ball and fade throw in a good red-zone interval. Rookie Jack Jones wasn’t so lucky, nonetheless, surrendering an extended landing to Adams within the opening 11-on-11 interval, simply as Terrance Mitchell did towards Mack Hollins.
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- In that very same interval, Judon wrecked three performs by himself, the Patriots dealt with an inside run and survived a misfired deep move from Derek Carr to win 5 of 9 reps.
- Carr was atypically inaccurate in group drills, spraying deep passes out of bounds and out of the tip zone. He additionally appeared to carry the ball longer than common, presumably a operate of getting to decipher sure protection disguises.
- Quiet day for defensive sort out Christian Barmore. Most of the Patriots’ move rush flew off the sides.
- Defensive play-caller Steve Belichick appeared to achieve deep into his bag with a number of calls, together with a security blitz on the second snap of 11-on-11 work.
- During the Raiders’ preliminary 2-minute drill, Carr went 5-of-7 with a sack by Raekwon McMillan. The Patriots solely surrendered brief throws, the final a center completion to Renfrow that arrange an extended discipline aim.
- Over Vegas’ final hurry-up drives, Mitchell allowed three catches on 4 targets that bridged the collection earlier than the Pats buckled down.
- Carr fired three straight incompletions throughout his closing drive towards a mashup Patriots protection, together with one Jack Jones move deflection. Then, Carr discovered Renfrow downfield in entrance of a leaping Kyle Dugger, executed a quarterback sneak and hit tight finish Foster Moreau for a landing.
Special groups
- Starting punt group: Jake Bailey, Joe Cardona, Matthew Slater, Justin Bethel, Brenden Schooler, Raekwon McMillan, Jahlani Tavai, Anfernee Jennings, DaMarcus Mitchell, Cameron McGrone, Joshuah Bledsoe and Pierre Strong.
- Slater, Bethel, Schooler, Tavai and Mitchell have been additionally on the highest punt rush group, which rotated Kyle Dugger from the road of scrimmage again to a return place after a number of reps.
- Punt returners: Myles Bryant, Marcus Jones, Kyle Dugger
- Nick Folk nailed a 46-yard discipline aim to finish the Patriots’ preliminary 2-minute drill.
Odds and ends
- Wednesday’s follow was the group’s final of coaching camp. All different Patriots practices this season will likely be closed to the media past the primary couple of minutes.
Source: www.bostonherald.com