6 rings: Mac Jones shines in Day 7 Patriots training camp
The acquisition of offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien was dubbed one of, if not, the best move the Patriots made this offseason. Better than any signings, any draft picks, or any other assistant coaches they decided to either let go or bring back in.
Said acquisition was felt on Wednesday.
The 9:45 a.m. practice was the offense's best showing to date, and was a major sign of relief following last season's antics. Here's everything that stood out during the session:
First on the field, player arrivals
The Patriots rookie specialists, Chad Ryland and Bryce Baringer, were the first on the field on Wednesday.
Following the kicker and punter was quarterback Mac Jones, who drew a loud roar from the crowd.
Kyle Dugger’s aura is something else.
Notes and Storylines: Offense
- Tackle Trent Brown, who was present but a relative non-participant on Tuesday, was the same on Wednesday. He arrived in full pads, but did not practice.
- Running back Ty Montgomery and guard Cole Strange were absent from practice. Both are dealing with lower leg injuries. Montgomery was spotted on the lower conditioning field, and Strange ended up watching the end of practice in a jersey and shorts.
- Tyquan Thornton also made his way to the conditioning field today. He was a de facto non-participant for the entire practice.
- Rhamondre Stevenson worked on the lower conditioning field for the majority of practice, but made his way back up with the team for a two minute drill to finish the session.
- In the everlasting offensive line shuffle, Kody Russey saw some time at left guard, with rookie Atonio Mafi moving over to the right.
- Demario Douglas continues to shine, making arguably the play of the day. He shook Marcus Jones during 1-on-1s before having to readjust to a bad pass and mossed him. He drew a loud crowd roar.
- Fellow rookie Kayshon Boutte made a great back-shoulder catch against Jonathan Jones in 1-on-1s.
- With Tyquan Thornton not practicing, Boutte saw his first first-team reps on Wednesday, and he made them count. He beat Christian Gonzalez during 11-on-11s and Mac Jones found him for a chunk gain.
- Pierre Strong Jr. ran a clean wheel route against arguably the Patriots’ best coverage linebacker in Mack Wilson during 1-on-1’s.
- Today was by far Mac Jones’ best day of the summer. You’ll read more on why below.
Notes and Storylines: Defense
- Matthew Judon was technically present at Patriots practice, but wasn’t wearing pads and quickly made his way down to the conditioning fields to continue his “ramp up”.
- Rookie linebacker Marte Mapu remains in a red non-contact jersey. During 1-on-1’s, the hybrid defender showed off his coverage skills by blanketing tight end Matt Sokol for a pass breakup.
- Linebacker Terez Hall, who was involved in the collision that injured running back Ty Montgomery last week, was absent from practice.
- Jack Jones, who continues to warrant meaningful reps, was opposite Christian Gonzalez at boundary cornerback to start Patriots practice.
- During 11-on-11’s, the Patriots used Marcus Jones ad a boundary cornerback opposite Christian Gonzalez, with Jonathan Jones in the slot.
- Second-round pick Keion White saw some run on the EDGE with New England’s first team during 11-on-11s.
- Wednesday was Christian Gonzalez’ first tough performance. He got beat several times by Parker, and couldn’t keep up with Boutte in 11s.
- he defense’s one positive was a stout goal line session to end practice. Kyle Dugger’s strength as a run-stopper was on full display.
Notes and Storylines: Special teams
- I kept a keen eye on a drill Joe Judge ran with some specialists that included Joe Cardona, Chris Board, Jourdan Heilig, and Ameer Speed among some others. Fans should be confident with Judge running the operation. He wasn’t cut out for offense, but he knows what he’s doing on special teams.
- An interesting special teams note. As Bill O’Brien has done, he once again brought a group of tight ends and receivers to the opposite field while special teams took focus on the main field. During said rub-route drill, Mike Gesicki was running scout team kick return instead. I found this odd.
Player of the Day
Mac Jones.
Wednesday was, by far, Jones’ best day of the summer. The quarterback caught fire during 11-on-11s, completing 13 of 14 attempts and finding DeVante Parker and JuJu Smith-Schuster on highlight-reel touchdowns. He, once again, showed confidence in O'Brien's system, and was unaffected by their lackluster offensive line play.
No competition here.
Media availability
We spoke with Kyle Dugger, Ja’Whaun Bentley, Bryce Baringer, Kayshon Boutte, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Rhamondre Stevenson following practice. Here’s what stood out:
“It’s a lot of different things,” Dugger said of the Patriots new-look offense, commanded by Bill O’Brien. “Not making everything look the same.” He added that their confidence has been great to compete against.
Dugger also spoke about how their defense is adjusting to Devin McCourty’s retirement, saying that they’re over-communicating in his absence.
Bentley was asked who the team’s best trash talker is. After some deliberation, he went with Mac Jones, but said his “griddy” dance needs work.
Boutte, who was second to only Mac Jones as Wednesday’s player of the day, said having a practice like he did “gives [him] a lot of confidence. He also spoke about his relationship with Demario Douglas, New England’s other sixth-round rookie receiver, saying that “it’s been great. We’ve gotten close as time’s gone on…. We’re like brothers.”
“That dude, he’s a spark,” said JuJu about his quarterback Mac Jones. “It starts with him.” Smith-Schuster also said that he believes all of the Patriots pass catchers “can be No. 1 receivers.”
Baringer, the rookie punter, had a fascinating quote about holding for place kickers: “I take a lot of pride in it. Like a golfer, I try to be like the caddy for the kicker.”
Stevenson said that he’s taking it slow during camp because he’s “going to be banged up at the end of the season”, but is itching to get back out there. he also clarified that it isn't his decision, "Honestly, you've got to ask Bill Belichick why I'm not practicing."
Wrap-Up and Takeaways
It was incredibly refreshing to see that dominant of a performance from a Patriots offense. It’s something we havent seen since 2021, Jones’ rookie season. Despite lackluster protection up front, the unit was smart, decisive, and had their way with New England’s defense - one many view as top five in the NFL.
The team is back at it on Thursday morning before an in-stadium practice on Friday night. We’ll have you covered for all of it here at WEEI.com as the Patriots continue on through training camp.
Make sure to follow Mike on Twitter @mikekadlick, and follow @WEEI for the latest up-to-date Patriots and Boston sports news!
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