FOXBORO — After any given coaching camp observe, it’s a protected wager you’ll find Mac Jones lingering on the sphere.
Sometimes, he mingles with teammates and their households. Other days, he throws. Occasionally, he’ll interact with followers.
But on Saturday, after the Patriots ran one other grueling set of sprints on Bill Belichick’s well-known hill, Jones took off. Straight down the steps, into the Gillette Stadium tunnel and out of sight. He steamed, or at the very least so it appeared.
The Pats offense had been clobbered all through observe, together with Jones’ closing stretch within the crimson zone, the place he went 2-of-6 with one sack and an interception. In all, Belichick’s protection procured seven sacks and eight move breakups from Jones and rookie Bailey Zappe. Combined, these performs accounted for one-third (!) of Saturday’s snaps in group drills, making Sunday a well-timed off day for the offense.
Here are the Herald’s full observe observations:
Attendance
Returned: None
Absent: DL Deatrich Wise, QB Brian Hoyer
Limited: RB Pierre Strong
Non-contact jersey: None
PUP: RB James White, DB Jonathan Jones, S Jabrill Peppers
NFI: DB Marcus Bryant, OL Chasen Hines, OL Andrew Stueber
Notes: Saturday’s attendance was similar to Friday’s. Wise has now missed three straight practices, and Hoyer’s sat out two straight.
Play of the Day
Kyle Dugger’s pick-six
On his penultimate snap Saturday, Mac Jones drifted proper on a designed rollout play and stopped. His eyes darted left, then proper, down the center and again proper contained in the crimson zone. Flustered, he fired.
Bad alternative.
Kyle Dugger intercepted Jones’ end-zone move meant for a sliding DeVante Parker and flew down the sideline at full velocity, dusting everybody. Dugger’s decide was the second time Jones has been intercepted throughout camp and marked a pleasant bounce-back second for the younger security, who bought beat frequently in Friday’s observe.
Player of the Day
OLB Anfernee Jennings
Jennings earned one sack within the closing red-zone interval and was within the space of two others throughout 11-on-11 play. Before Saturday, the 2020 third-round decide had not flashed in a coaching camp observe since his rookie yr. But this summer time, he’s repping frequently with the second-string unit, forward of gamers like Ronnie Perkins and infrequently Josh Uche.
Not to say his presence on nearly each particular groups unit, and Jennings is off to a wonderful begin in his third coaching camp.
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 signify every quarterback’s passing totals for coaching camp.
Mac Jones: 14/25, INT, 2 drops (62/90, 2 INTs, 2 drops)
Brian Hoyer: N/A (6/10, INT)
Bailey Zappe: 6/17 (17/31, 2 INT)
Studs
LB Jahlani Tavai
Signed final September to the observe squad, Tavai is now seeing common second-string reps at inside linebacker. He’s forward of the hyped Cameron McGrone and maximized his defensive snaps. On Saturday, Tavai sniffed out a display screen throughout 11-on-11s he would have crushed for a loss, and two snaps later earned a would-be sack of Mac Jones.
CB Marcus Jones
Jones out-fought Jakobi Meyers on the ultimate move of observe, a jump-ball fade close to the entrance left pylon. At 5-foot-8, Jones will probably be examined like that repeatedly throughout the common season, however has to date held his personal. He rotated with the starters throughout 11-on-11s and broke up a move in a gap 3-on-3 drill.
Duds
CB Malcolm Butler
Butler was considered one of seven defenders with a move deflection, however he was the one one to give up three catches and constantly yield separation to gamers just like the newly-signed Josh Hammond. He seems to be firmly entrenched behind fellow veterans Jalen Mills and Terrance Mitchell within the cornerback competitors.
QB Bailey Zappe
Zappe landed on the duds checklist on Day 1 of coaching camp and maybe unfairly since he took simply 4 reps in group drills, most of them dangerous. But his placement after Day 4 is warranted.
He frequently clung to the ball within the pocket, inviting 4 would-be sacks. He made a number of non-competitive throws contained in the crimson zone that sailed too excessive or too broad. Ball placement will probably be a significant focus for the fourth-round rookie, who, as written on Thursday, deserves time and endurance — and possibly much more than anticipated.
Offensive notes
- Mac Jones’ worst coaching camp efficiency of the summer time deserves context. For starters, he was not significantly sharp downfield within the first observe that basically allowed for deep passing.
- Jones went 3-of-11 on passes concentrating on receivers 10-plus yards downfield. His eight incompletions have been brought on by three move breakups, two drops, two overthrows and a play with debatable defensive move interference.
- Otherwise, he once more dotted most passes inside 10 yards, the place he’s accomplished 88% of his passes up to now in camp. Jones significantly thrived over the brief center, the place he was 7-of-7, in comparison with 3-of-5 on the perimeter, the place Dugger picked him and he was victimized by two different move breakups.
- The perimeter passing numbers spotlight how the protection squeezed Jones and the offense contained in the crimson zone, the place the Patriots have now practiced for 4 straight days and there’s clearly much less space to cowl. Jones
- Quiet day for the working backs, apart from Rhamondre Stevenson main off a number of group intervals. That ought to point out the teaching workers sees him – at the very least for now – as James White’s rapid successor on third down.
- Sixth-round rookie working again Kevin Harris struggled in an early 3-on-3 passing drill, dropping one move and failing to separate from most linebackers.
Patriots rookies Tyquan Thornton, Marcus Jones have a look at dwelling early in coaching camp
- Top targets in group drills: DeVante Parker 3/5, Tre Nixon 4/4, Jakobi Meyers 3/4, Jonnu Smith 1/4, Devin Asiasi 1/4, Josh Hammond 1/4, Hunter Henry 2/3
- Drops: Kendrick Bourne, Henry.
- Parker made two of his catches on performs the place Jones was compelled to scramble. The defensive stress was fixed up entrance.
- Three of Nixon’s 4 receptions have been on shallow crosses with Zappe at quarterback. Nixon’s inventory, coming off a terrific minicamp, has declined some.
- Smith’s follow-up to his stellar Friday observe concerned loads of dangerous luck. Mac Jones overthrew him twice and veteran cornerback Terrance Mitchel seemingly bought away with a holding or defensive move interference penalty. Smith’s solely catch was a rollout move into the left flat.
- Hammond, who signed Thursday night, beat Malcolm Butler on a deep contested catch, however failed to remain inbounds. Solid observe for him.
- Backup wideout Kristian Wilkerson, nevertheless, secured a 1-handed seize and stayed inbounds on his personal go route versus Jack Jones, who fell on the aim line whereas Wilkerson scored. That was the Catch of the Day.
- Veteran working again/broad receiver Ty Montgomery took snaps at each positions. He was 0-of-1 on targets, with Jalen Mills breaking apart his solely move.
- Along the offensive line, Trent Brown took his second penalty lap of coaching camp for a false begin on the outset of the final group interval. Backup sort out Yodny Cajuste changed him on Mac Jones’ blind aspect.
- For the second straight observe, Isaiah Wynn took a number of reps at left sort out throughout a walkthrough 11-on-11 interval, the place the teaching workers repeatedly shuffled gamers out and in of most O-line positions.
- Newly returned middle David Andrews didn’t snap in 7-on-7s, the place undrafted rookie Kody Russey took over. But Andrews did take part in some 11-on-11 drills and snapped to Jones on the aspect throughout a 1-on-1 pursuit interval.
Defensive notes
- Starting and second-string personnel throughout group intervals: 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, Malcolm Butler, Terrance Mitchell, Marcus Jones and Joshuah Bledsoe.
- Interceptions: Dugger
- Pass breakups: Mills, Butler, Mitchell, Bethel, Williams, Jack Jones, Marcus Jones
- Would-be sacks: Team 3, Jennings, Tavai, Cameron McGrone, Jeremiah Pharms Jr.
- Excluding Dugger’s interception, the move deflection of the day belonged to Joejuan Williams, who dropped off an in-breaking route close to the entrance proper pylon throughout a red-zone interval and batted away a deeper nook throw meant for Devin Asiasi. Solid route recognition from the 2019 second-rounder.
- Early within the morning, fourth-round rookie Jack Jones smothered a comeback route by fellow rookie Tyquan Thornton, simply earlier than Justin Bethel did the identical protecting a curl from Nelson Agholor. Thornton and Agholor have been invisible many of the day.
- Midway by means of observe, McCourty ran with the second-team protection throughout a red-zone drill, which allowed second-year nickelback Shaun Wade to run with the starters. Wade had an uneven day, together with two intervals spent with the scout group.
- Once the Patriots broke into 11-on-11s, second-year security Joshuah Bledsoe and rookie corners Marcus Jones and Jack Jones additionally noticed reps with the beginning protection.
Patriots LB Mack Wilson raves about working with Jerod Mayo
- Bentley and McMillan are monitoring to start out at inside linebacker, the place Mack Wilson has been rotating because the group’s protection linebacker, significantly in dime packages with six defensive backs.
- Up entrance, Anderson changed Deatrich Wise but once more for group intervals. The Patriots appear intent on deploying a conventional defensive lineman at one edge and Judon on the opposite of their base protection.
- Outside linebacker nonetheless stays a query mark, as Uche took snaps with the scout-team protection for an 11-on-11 walkthrough interval, as did inside linebacker McGrone. Second-year edge rusher Ronnie Perkins cut up his time in that interval between the highest group and scout-team unit.
- But do not sleep solely on Anfernee Jennings, whose impressed along with his move rush, as did a number of defensive tackles; particularly Christian Barmore and reserves Jeremiah Pharms Jr. and Daniel Ekuale.
Special groups
- Kick returners: Kyle Dugger, Marcus Jones, Tre Nixon, Ty Montgomery.
- Through 4 practices, there’s little proof that implies kicker Nick Folk or punter Jake Bailey are at risk of shedding their beginning job.
- Starting kick return unit: Dugger, Justin Bethel, Cody Davis, Jonnu Smith, Adrian Phillips, Josh Uche, Raekwon McMillan, Mack Wilson, Ronnie Perkins, Devin Asiasi, Anferee Jennings
- Jennings has emerged as a core particular teamer to date, enjoying on kickoff, kick return, punt group and the sphere aim unit.
- Undrafted rookie security Brenden Schooler drilled off to the aspect with Matthew Slater and Cody Davis throughout choose intervals, an indication of his standing on the roster as a core protection participant.
Odds and ends
- An overflow crowd compelled the Patriots to open the stadium ramps for followers to look at observe from on excessive.
- Monday will carry the primary padded observe of coaching camp.
Source: www.bostonherald.com