Letters from Patriots Camp 2023: Volume 2
Today was the perfect day to get back to Patriots training camp. One, because it was the first practice of the offseason to feature full pads. And two, as part of my elaborate plot to hide out inside the walls of Gillette like Clive Owen in Inside Man for 36 hours and slip into Beyonce's entourage, once and for all. I figure at the very least I can join her onstage for a Destiny's Child number or two.
Anyhoo ... a few random observations:
--A practice in full pads is a bit of a mixed blessing. On the one hand, you obviously get a taste of the controlled violence that gives meaning to life as a fan of tackle football. On the other, days such as these are precious and few, and the coaches aren't about to squander the chance to focus on the more mundane fundamentals. Blocking, tackling, hitting and so on. With all due respect to the noble men who make their living in the trenches, inside dives and powers aren't what makes people fill the bleachers on a hot summer day.
--But the run game was featured heavily in 11-on-11s. At least more than it has the rest of camp so far. A lot of stretch runs, motions by the running backs and so on. And when they did throw the ball - without the defense on the field - there was an emphasis on swing passes and screens to the backs. Some time ago Bill Belichick was asked where he thinks the game has evolved lately and where it's headed, and he specifically mentioned passes behind the line of scrimmage, and we saw quite a bit of those. And even when there were deep shots, they tended to be off of running back motions and play actions.
--To that end, Rhamondre Stevenson is being given light duty. Probably as a health maintenance thing, since he had double digit carries for eight straight games early last season and only 14 combined over his last two. So the workload was carried by Kevin Harris, Pierre Strong Jr. and JJ Taylor. And interestingly enough, the fullback duties where handled by Jalani Tavai. So look for him to play that limited Elandon Roberts "We like fullbacks but not enough to waste a roster spot on one" two-way player role.
--And for more on the health maintenance front, both Matthew Judon and Trent Brown spent the day down on the lower field working out on their own. Then toward the end of practice, they came up without pads on to watch from the sideline. Which could mean they flunked the conditioning run at the beginning of camp. Or it might be, like Stevenson, a sign they ran out battery power late in the season. Or it could be that they're just getting a veteran benefit of the doubt. Regardless, the chances it's got to do with being unhappy with their contracts is seems pretty minimal. These are not the actions of a player or a franchise in the heated throes of a nasty negotiation.
--While the fundamentals that were worked on today aren't the sexy ones crowds turn out for (there were Bey Hive-level cheers for passing touchdowns against non-existent defenses), at least this one had the elements you'd recognize as an actual football practice if you ever played or coached. The trench warfare players were taken down the far end of the second field by the equipment shed to hit the blocking sled. The O-linemen worked on double teams using the hand-held pads. The D-tackles hit the sled to work on their hand punch, their get off, keeping their feet churning and shedding blocks. And finally that staple of every practice ever conducted at any level that didn't involve a Players Association Collective Bargaining Agreement: Oklahomas. Rookie DE Keion White against Rookie OL Sidy Sow. S Brandon Schooler on TE Anthony Firsker. All Funny Namer TE Johnny Lumpkin facing LB Anfernee Jennings. It felt like every late summer youth football practice in America.
--With one exception. When the line groups are all together in the padded helmets, it looks like a bunch of guys at a ComicCon dressed like Toad from Mario Brothers. But other than that, hitting drills make the whole enterprise seem familiar, at least.
--And with the pads, we got some of that other familiar aspect of a full contact practice: Injuries. Cole Strange had to get examined after a blocking drill, replaced by 5th round rookie Antonio Mafi. As did depth WR Jalen Hurd. Plus former D-lineman who has fully transitioned to O-lineman Bill Murray, on the last play of the practice no less. DB Brad Hawkins had to be helped off the field. And a couple of others went down as well. Which is less than ideal. And deserves to be noted as we have a national debate on the question of whether limiting contact reduces injuries or increases them, because players aren't used to it. Even a handsome genius like me doesn't know the answer. But hopefully it'll be a major issue in the elections next year.
--One guy who stands out when the pads come on is Christian Barmore, who dominated both in the individual blocking drills and the line of scrimmage in full squad plays, repeatedly plugging up the middle and giving backs no holes to slip through. Next offseason I'll be stunned if he doesn't get the coveted second contract:
--I've sort of buried the lede, here, but I'll probably make up for it by giving the man his own blog in the next couple of days. But the breakout star of camp so far has been Demario Douglas. Not only has the 6th rounder (210th overall) out of Liberty added about 20 pounds since he was listed as 5-8, 170, he's been taking the field with the first unit since camp began. He's been on the receiving end of more targets than veterans like Mike Gesicki, Kendrick Bourne and Tyquan Thornton. They gave him the ball on a Jet Sweep. Have had him in the punt return rotations. And even stood out while blocking upfield on a few of those aforementioned screen passes. Stay tuned for further posts about this guy.
--As far as the quarterbacks, the limited passing plays on this one make it hard to evaluate how well they're doing. There were more touchdowns in the red zone than there have been so far. Probably owing to the threat of full speed run plays. And there should've been more, as Douglas had his man beaten deep on a seam route, but Baily Zappe overthrew him. (To be fair, he's 5-8, so that's not hard to do.) Zappe also had an end zone pass for Thornton broken up by Isaiah Bolden,. and overall completed about half his throws. Mac Jones on the other hand, was on target all day, particular when it came to hitting Juju Smith-Schuster, who is his favorite target of camp so far. But even there, you can't read too much into it, since a lot of his completions were behind the line or checkdowns. And Trace McSorely continues to look like the guy who'll play every down of the final preseason game to protect Jones and Zappe. He completed a pass to an unoccupied part of the field in 11-on-11s, then picked off in the red zone when he threw it flat-footed after side-stepping pressure. He seems destined to end up in whatever league is next to go bankrupt.
--The most memorable, noteworthy part of the day was Belichick blowing his whistle, demanding everyone huddle up around him, and talking to the whole squad for about five minutes. At least it was by my time. For the ones who had the misfortune of standing within earshot of him, it probably felt like millennia. I mean, I have no idea what he was saying, and I'm just speculating. But it's a safe bet he didn't interrupt practice just to say, "I called this meeting because I want you all to know I care about you as human beings and I cherish the time we get to spend here. Thanks for all you're doing on this journey of personal discovery for us all." And it wasn't long after that everyone was sent to the hill down back to run gassers. Since this is the first of a scheduled six straight days of practice, they'd better pick it up to his liking or I think they're in for the first half of Full Metal Jacket in the days to come. Stay tuned.