FOXBORO — For the primary hour of apply Monday, the Patriots’ first in almost every week, it was clear the teaching workers needed to ease again into on-field exercise.
There have been zero aggressive drills. Plays ran at three-quarters pace. Players solely wore pads above the waist. And essentially the most intense moments have been two outbursts Bill Belichick unleashed on the chain gang amid an 11-on-11 interval targeted on situational soccer.
Then, the tempo picked up. Quarterbacks Mac Jones, Brian Hoyer and Bailey Zappe every led drives in opposition to a protection flying at full pace, earlier than Jones and Hoyer directed 2-minute drills to shut apply. The outcomes have been combined, however the Pats nonetheless achieved their goal: gear up for bodily joint practices with Carolina on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Here are the Herald’s full apply observations:
Attendance
Returned: TE Dalton Keene
Absent: OL Isaiah Wynn, CB Malcolm Butler, CB Joejuan Williams, S Cody Davis, OL Bill Murray
Limited: OT Justin Herron, TE Dalton Keene
Non-contact jersey: N/A
NFI: OL Andrew Stueber
Notes: Wynn hasn’t practiced in every week. Herron and Murray obtained harm in final Thursday’s sport. Herron and Kenne conditioned on a separate area. It’s unclear why Butler, Williams and Davis have been absent, although the Patriots signed undrafted rookie defensive again Devin Hafford on Sunday, probably to melt the blow of shedding three defensive backs to begin the week.
Play of the Day
Agholor’s 1-handed landing
Mac Jones and the beginning offense had crossed into the pink zone on their first aggressive drive of the day. Now, it was time to complete.
Working close to the left sideline, Nelson Agholor fired upfield in a 1-on-1 matchup in opposition to Jonathan Jones. He broke for the again left pylon on a nook route, however couldn’t fairly shake himself free. And but it didn’t matter, because of a nifty mid-air adjustment that allowed him to shoot his proper hand out and safe an ideal cross from Mac Jones for six factors.
Agholor later adopted with one other 1-handed seize for good measure.
Player of the Day
WR Nelson Agholor
Seeing a team-high 5 targets, Agholor turned in two 1-handed landing grabs and the one catch Jalen Mills allowed throughout aggressive intervals. Oh, and it was one other landing.
QB Corner
Note: The passing stats under have been tallied throughout aggressive, full-speed intervals of 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 solely. The stats in parentheses symbolize every quarterback’s passing totals for coaching camp.
Mac Jones: 9/15, INT (154/207, 7 INTs, 4 drops)
Brian Hoyer: 4/9 (28/49, 2 INTs)
Bailey Zappe: 4/5 (89/132, 3 INT, 2 drops)
Studs
CB Jack Jones
Jones tallied two cross deflections round a pair shut losses, but it surely’s the rookie’s consistency that earns him excessive marks. He’s repeatedly across the ball and ranks among the many group leaders in cross breakups for coaching camp.
WR Tre Nixon
Nixon went an ideal 3-of-3 together with his targets in aggressive group drills. Like Jones, he’s routinely exhibiting up in apply, a steadiness the Patriots would like to see of their receiver room.
Duds
WR Kendrick Bourne
Bourne couldn’t reel in his solely goal in group drills, one other quiet apply in a string of them. Starting on Aug. 3, Bourne has simply three catches in aggressive group intervals, lifeless final amongst extensive receivers.
QB Brian Hoyer
Hoyer went 4-of-9 in full-speed group drills and threw all three passes that resulted in deflections Monday. He additionally held the ball lengthy sufficient to take two would-be sacks from the protection.
Offensive notes
- Isaiah Wynn’s continued absence might quickly be problematic. The Patriots’ projected proper deal with hasn’t seen the sector in every week for undisclosed causes, and his alternative Monday, Yodny Cajuste, has primarily performed on the left aspect.
- Cajuste and fellow backup Justin Herron obtained banged up in final Thursday’s preseason opener, leaving the Patriots a little bit skinny up entrance heading into bodily joint practices and their subsequent preseason sport versus a gifted Carolina defensive entrance.
- On the Mac Jones entrance, he accomplished his first 4 passes after a collection of non-competitive 11-on-11 intervals. He hit Jakobi Meyers, Nelson Agholor and Jonnu Smith on beneath throws, earlier than dropping a corner-route dime to Agholor.
- As the Pats hit the gasoline for his or her 2-minute drill, Jones fell again into the habits he started creating when the offense struggled mightily final week. Four of his 5 completions have been protected no-brainers into the flat, and there was one miscommunication with Agholor that led to a protracted incompletion.
- Later, Jones hit Agholor on a picture-perfect fade throw versus Jalen Mills, whose out-stretched arm got here a few foot shy of tapping the ball away.
- Top targets in group drills: Nelson Agholor 3/5, Jakobi Meyers 3/4, Jonnu Smith 3/3, Tre Nixon 3/3
Patriots coaching camp: Weeding out the studs and duds
- Second-round rookie Tyquan Thornton went 2-of-3 in dwell intervals, together with a fade-route landing over Jack Jones and a protracted incompletion the place he beat Shaun Wade deep. The deep ball, courtesy of Brian Hoyer, would have been a landing had it not drifted out of bounds.
- While Thornton saved ascending — even taking first-team reps Monday — DeVante Parker and Kendrick Bourne went catch-less. Parker did not see a goal. He’s been boom-or-bust all through camp.
- No main shakeups within the backfield for the primary apply of the post-James White period. It went Damien Harris, Rhamondre Stevenson, Ty Montgomery, J.J. Taylor after which rookies Pierre Strong and Kevin Harris.
- Strong’s finest play was adjusting to a display screen cross from Bailey Zappe that obtained tipped virtually instantly after it was launched. Strong was the one working again to see a goal Monday.
- In tight finish information, Jonnu Smith continues to gobble up targets in protected areas, fourth-string tight finish Matt Sokol posted up Jack Jones for a pleasant landing and Hunter Henry dedicated a false begin that led to a penalty lap.
- With Herron sidelined and Cajuste at proper deal with with the primary group, the second-team offensive line went from left to proper: Arlington Hambright, Drew Desjarlais, James Ferentz/Kody Russey, Will Sherman and Yasir Durant.
- Hambright held up at left deal with, a serious shift for him after he spent many of the first two-plus weeks at proper guard and nudged his approach right into a rotation with starter Mike Onwenu. Wynn had been splitting second-team snaps at left deal with with Cajuste.
- The Patriots proceed to include RPOs into their offense at a charge not seen underneath Josh McDaniels.
Defensive notes
- Starting and second-string personnel throughout group intervals: defensive linemen Davon Godchaux, Christian Barmore, Lawrence Guy, Deatrich Wise, Henry Anderson, Carl Davis and Daniel Ekuale; linebackers Matt Judon, Ja’Whaun Bentley, Raekwon McMillan, Mack Wilson, Jahlani Tavai, Josh Uche and Anfernee Jennings and defensive backs Devin McCourty, Kyle Dugger, Adrian Phillips, Jabrill Peppers, Jalen Mills, Terrance Mitchell, Marcus Jones, Jonathan Jones and Myles Bryant.
- Interceptions: Jabrill Peppers
- Pass breakups: Jack Jones 2, Terrance Mitchell, Shaun Wade
- Would-be sacks: Team 2, Henry Anderson, LaBryan Ray
- As of Monday, the Patriots’ prime three cornerbacks look like Jalen Mills and Jonathan Jones outdoors with third-round rookie Marcus Jones masking the slot.
- Jonathan Jones has caught outdoors for greater than every week now, indicating the teaching workers is more and more comfy with their longtime nickelback transferring to the perimeter.
- However, at 5-foot-9, Jones has additionally been victimized in jump-ball conditions and on performs like Agholor’s landing, the place he had tight protection but could not cease a completion. Something to observe.
Patriots position-by-position roster breakdown: Who’s in, who’s out
- The different piece of secondary information was at security, the place Jabrill Peppers was a full apply participant for the primary time this summer time. He repped with the second and third-team defenses for many 11-on-11 intervals, then obtained a promotion to the highest unit for Mac Jones’ 2-minute drill.
- Peppers capped his day by intercepting Jones on an end-zone cross supposed for Hunter Henry that Henry tipped to him. It was a very good day for No. 3, who tasks to be a rotational field security in apparent passing conditions.
- Devin McCourty referred to as indicators for the second-team protection, one thing he is accomplished on and off throughout camp. McCourty’s presence retains the second-string secondary coordinated for aggressive group intervals, and his absence permits Kyle Dugger, Adrian Phillips, Myles Bryant and others to cycle via the three security spots.
- Ja’Whaun Bentley and Raekwon McMillan have been the Patriots’ beginning inside linebackers for 3 straight weeks now, even throughout 2-minute protection.
- That defensive lineup: Bentley, McMillan, Matt Judon, Christian Barmore, Deatrich Wise, Jalen Mills, Jonathan Jones, Myles Bryant, Kyle Dugger, Jabrill Peppers and McCourty.
- Outside linebackers Josh Uche and Anfernee Jennings and inside linebacker Mack Wilson have additionally seen vital time in pass-rush packages.
- Earlier in apply, Bentley additionally noticed a couple of reps on the sting, the place backup linebacker Jahlani Tavai has stunned.
Special groups
- Kick returners: Ty Montgomery, Marcus Jones, Kyle Dugger, Pierre Strong
- Starting kick returner unit: Matthew Slater, Justin Bethel, Brenden Schooler, Kyle Dugger, Adrian Phillips, Josh Uche, Raekwon McMillan, Mack Wilson, Jahlani Tavai and Kevin Harris.
Odds and ends
- Director of participant personnel Matt Groh visited apply after a protracted journey final week visiting varied faculties.
- The Patriots’ remaining coaching camp practices will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday outdoors Gillette Stadium. Both are joint classes with the Carolina Panthers.
Source: www.bostonherald.com