FOXBOROUGH – Alright, let’s just get to the pads at this point.
After a walkthrough on Monday, the Pats did ramp things up a bit on Tuesday in front of another packed crowd outside Gillette Stadium. Still, with the first scheduled padded practice set for Thursday (keep an eye out for weather announcements, it may end up closed to the public), there’s a clear need to start gauging things with the physicality involved, otherwise we’re still just talking about an extended minicamp.
Here’s what stood out during the muggy, almost-two hour session:
AJ Brown & Drake Maye still struggling to get on the same page
It’s what you’re going to read and hear everywhere else too, but it’s the truth. Yes, Brown is adjusting to a new offense, but it’s almost as if he and Drake Maye have taken a step back from where they were in minicamp. That was just a two-day clip with Brown literally just arriving, but we all saw some legitimate chemistry – particularly in the red zone – when the team did do some competitive work.
That just hasn’t been the case at all.
Maye missed Brown on a crosser the very first snap of the day in 11-on-11 work. On the next series, he did connect with Brown on a quick little out (I believe just their second competitive connection so far), but missed him high on a comeback on the third series. Coming out of their own end later on, Brown stopped on a dime on a little in-and-out route, planted and turned up field, burning Kindle Vildor. There was a late slant to Brown as well, but fans – and everyone involved – would obviously like to see more consistency develop between the two.
Boutte continues Rockin’ Everywhere
If you regularly read our stuff or watch/listen to The New England Football Show (presented by PlayerAQ), you know that I’ve thought Kayshon Boutte should remain here all along, despite trade rumors galore surrounding him all offseason.
The chemistry with Maye is still there and he was fantastic again on Tuesday. An early sliding catch over the middle was a segway for the third series, where Maye hit him in stride for a deep ball TD against Kevin Byard (dime from Maye). He’s done everything fans were hoping to see Brown do early on and at this point, the idea of him with Brown, Dobbs, Hollins and Hunter Henry must be insanely enticing for Josh McDaniels.
Borregales impressive again despite first blemish
After going 6-6 during the first ‘live’ kicking period on Sunday, Andy Borregales went 5-6 on Tuesday with kicks ranging (both hashmarks and down the middle) between 35-50 yards. The one miss was a duck wide left, but there may have been a bit of a bad snap, it was tough to see perfectly from the media tent. All in all, it’s going to be really nice knowing there’s such a reliable option back there unless something goes haywire suddenly for the second-year kicker out of Miami.
Good day for the D-line; some positives for the O-line
Drake Maye was under duress often (again, as much as you can be without pads on) and could have taken a few sacks on Tuesday if things were live. Christian Ponder would have had one. Christian Barmore almost had one and affected a throw to AJ Brown. Milton Williams was in his face a few times. There was also a slightly scary moment where Will Campbell finished a play on top of Williams (side note: probably a good sign for Campbell) and took a little bit to get up before remaining on the field.
The O-line is definitely improved already with the addition of Alijah Vera-Tucker and Jared Wilson in his natural spot at center, but this was a good day for that D-line. Caleb Lomu has also been impressive when repping at right tackle for Morgan Moses. He had one excellent pickup of a speed-rushing Dre’Mont Jones during a series.
First injuries
The PUP guys and Gabe Jacas were the only absences, but both Carlton Davis III and Charles Woods both left practice early.
Franklin’s first catch
Former BC tight end and recent signee Jeremiah Franklin made his first catch of camp Tuesday, reeling in a bullet from Bheren Morton on the final offensive snap of the day.
Looking ahead
The Pats have their first day off on Wednesday before that first ‘real’ practice with pads on Thursday. It’s scheduled for 10:15 with gates opening at 9:15 for fans, but as mentioned above, keep an eye on any announcements the team makes regarding weather. Practice could be moved inside the practice bubble if things are bad enough.
