FOXBOROUGH – Apologies for not posting our Day 10 nuggets on Monday, I was deathly sick and only caught the last 35-40 minutes of practice.
Anyway, there were more encouraging signs on Tuesday, which was the final practice before the first preseason game at home against Carolina on Thursday night.
Here’s everything from the soggy hillside behind Gillette…
-Surprisingly decent crowd given the weather, it was bigger than some of the warmer days so far this camp.
-Matt Judon was in a helmet and pads for stretching, left the field and then came back without them at one point. The sideshow continues and it’s getting more and more annoying by the day. The team should cut bait as soon as possible, he’s not worth the money or the headache.
-Spotted a fan in the 2001-2019 home jersey and I miss them. The ones with the silver stripe on the arm were so much better than what the team is wearing now. I’ll always be an advocate for the royal blues of the 90’s being the throwback jerseys too, after all, that was 30 years ago now when they were introduced.
-First team period at 11:39 after another lengthy indy period (where Javon Baker had a sick one-handed grab)…for the second straight day (they did this last year too), the D-line only rushed on one side where the play/read for the QB was designed to go…
*Brissett drive – swing to Stevenson, PBU on the right sideline for Dugger against Austin Hooper, crosser to Henry, crosser for JuJu, incomplete to Baker (ball behind), run for Stevenson, bad snap for David Andrews, Anfernee Jennings sack.
*Maye drive – Kevin Harris fumble, throwback to Mitchell Wilcox, run for JaMycal Hasty.
*Zappe took next reps but didn’t do much aside from an out to JuJu on the left sideline.
-Open field angles/special teams period right around noon. David Wallis, Ja’Lynn Polk, KJ Osborn and Jalen Reagor returning.
-The next red zone 7-on-7 period may have been the most encouraging and entertaining of the entire camp…
*Brissett – PBU for Peppers in the end zone vs. Henry, incomplete for Osborn high, incomplete wide for Hooper, TD to Reagor on a fade in the back left corner against Gonzalez.
*Maye – PBU for Joe Giles-Harris against Hasty, absolute dime to Boutte for a TD in the back right corner against Alex Austin, exact same throw to Jaheim Bell against Dugger (he may have only had 1 foot down, but it’s worth giving him the TD for the sake of this), TD to Pop Douglas on a little hitch inside the five.
*Milton – Two straight short completions outside to Polk, JuJu drops a TD, incompletion to Henry on a hitch at the goal line.
-Team red zone period at 12:15, but oddly only Brissett took the snaps…
*Brissett – Unreal diving catch by Baker on the left sideline of the end zone against Gonzalez for a TD that was arguably the best play in camp so far, nice little shifty TD run for Stevenson, incompletion low, would-be sack for Deatrich Wise.
-Full field team period up next. Maye goes first here…
*Maye – hand off, screen to Reagor, comeback to Reagor, hand off, comeback to Reagor, Oshane Ximines run stuff, throw away.
*Brissett – Stevenson outside run, comeback for Polk, scramble, check down to Stevenson, check down to Hasty. Bathroom break for me here so missed the next five minutes or so, but the Baker TD was all anyone needed to see at this point in the day.
-Right around 12:30 the team went situational with a 1:00 drill (with 58 seconds on the clock)…
*Brissett – Short pass to Pop, incompletion, Peppers comes flying down and around the edge for a sack, deep in for Osborn. Now, people have been fawning over him doing the ‘griddy’ dance after a great grab, but this was actually absurdly dumb and inexcusable for a vet when the drill SPECIFICALLY calls for guys to stay mentally engaged and save time. Marte Mapu – a 2nd year guy who hasn’t played yet in camp – was yelling at him to get back to the LOS…short pass to Jaheim Bell, clock, Ryland misses a 53-yard FG with six seconds on the clock.
*Maye – Tip ball pick for Marcellas Dial Jr., two incompletions, bad snap by Antonio Mafi, Pettus stops Wilcox for no gain on a short pass.
-Light walkthrough for a few minutes before alternating kicks for Ryland and Joey Slye to close out the day. Roughly between 35-50 yards, Ryland went 4/4, Slye went 3/4. Barring a collapse in actual game situations or an injury, it’s Ryland’s job.
-Mayo calls the team up at 12:58 to officially close out the 11th practice.
The Patriots are off on Wednesday before the matchup against Carolina at 7:00 on Thursday night. Before Tuesday’s session, Mayo said everyone who is healthy enough to play will play, and given the fact that it’s Jacoby’s team for now, we should see a ton of Drake Maye and Joe Milton.