NFL Notebook: What we'll be watching for when Patriots begin offseason practices

The Patriots officially begin their voluntary on-field practice this week with sessions Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.

This starts the third and final phase of the NFL offseason. It lasts four weeks with 10 total practices, plus a mandatory mini-camp for a total of 13 days of practices (10 are voluntary).

The pertinent rules:

• No pads except protective knee and elbow pads, helmets are permitted
• No live contact
• 7 on 7, 9 on 7 and 11 on 11 drills will be permitted provided no live contact takes place

Trust me, there's contact. But without pads, it's far from being a true football evaluation.

The media is scheduled, as of now, to have access Thursday, June 2nd and June 8th, and the minicamp camp June 12-14. All are closed to the public.

As always, there will be a lot of interest in what goes on. One thing to keep in mind: teaching rules the day. This really isn't about competition.

"It's a long process here, and we've got a long way to go," Belichick said after the first practice last year. "Working a lot of people, we're doing some basic fundamental things here. Not trying to over-evaluate anything, just trying to get everybody comfortable with what they're doing. We'll have plenty of time for that here, as we go but, it's good to get out on the field ... be good to be able to see us actually go out there and work against each other a little bit. Make some corrections and teach and improve and move forward. That's where we're at today.

"Individually, we want each player to try to improve. It's an opportunity for us to work together in units and as a team, in various forms. So hopefully we can improve as units and improve as -- from a smaller unit to the bigger offensive, defense, special team units. It's all fundamentals, so, we'll work on a lot of things out there. Individuals need to get better, groups and units need to get better. We can make progress in all those areas.

"This isn't really that big of an evaluation... It's teaching, it's instructions, understanding how to do things. There will be an evaluation period and that's when we'll really see how that looks. Yeah, we're not gonna be able to do that out here for sure."

Still, there will be a lot of dissection about what we see on the field and it begins to build the story of the 2023 Patriots, a squad that is basically one big question mark as they head into the season.

We'll certainly be looking for some things over others. Here are five things I care most about, and three things I don't — and my prediction for what we will see:

1. What does Bill O'Brien's offense look like?

It's very early in the process, basically the first day of school of sorts (especially for the rookies and new additions), so it's pointless to get into the minutia or take snapshots and blow them out of proportion, but there are some big picture aspects that we'll be looking for. Namely:

• How is the communication at the line being handled? Are the QBs making adjustments? Is David Andrews involved? Obviously last season was a big departure on this front, and it was a major issue.
• Do the formations and the splits of the skill position players look similar to the Patriots' offense under Josh McDaniels, which is largely the basis I expect O'Brien to draw from, at least initially.
• How much motion and movement is incorporated early?
• Where are Juju Smith-Schuster and Mike Gesicki?

Prediction: Like I said, I expect to see a Patriots offense that gets back to the heart of what they've always done ... before last year's ... well, you know.

2. How are the quarterbacks being handled?

This will be Topic 1 for most people, but to me it's second because it's going to be an evolving situation that means more in the mini-camp and, most importantly, once camp starts.

But Belichick knows what's being said about his team, his treatment of Mac Jones, etc. So how he divvies up reps will be notable.

Not sure we'll see it in OTAs, but it's more important to me who the QBs are working with more than the number of reps.

Prediction: I expect Jones to work mostly with the starters, Bailey Zappe the backups. But I do think Zappe will get a few snaps with the starters. I'm telling you right now, that's not going to mean anything to me, but it probably will (wrongly) to talk radio.

3. How are the cornerbacks grouped, and where are they playing?

Is first-round pick Christian Gonzalez going to get thrown out there in the No. 1 spot from the first day? Is Jonathan Jones and Jalen Mills on the boundary ... or at safety ... or is Jones back in the slot? Who else is in the slot? Is Jack Jones in the doghouse? 

Prediction: I think, for the first three practices, they group the pups — Gonzalez, Jack Jones and Marcus Jones — together in a secondary group, which would be exciting and fun to watch. I think they group the vets together and start them: Mills, Myles Bryant and Jonathan Jones. Things will probably change after the first wave of practices.

4. Who's getting looks at free safety?

I expect to see Mills at free safety with Adrian Phillips and Joshuah Bledsoe. I would be surprised to see Jonathan Jones there this early. That would be something you would look at in camp if you're feeling confident in the younger cornerbacks and you don't love the group at free safety.

Prediction: I think Mills gets a long, hard look to start things.

5. What kind of blocking drills are the linemen working on with Adrian Klemm?

Under Matt Patricia, the Patriots made a huge departure from their multiple blocking scheme and dove head-first into the outside zone. Yeah, that didn't go well. Now Klemm is here under O'Brien's direction, so we'll watching that closely. We'll also be looking at who gets looks at tackle and on which side, and where the rookies are playing — especially Sidy Sow.

Prediction: Patriots will go back to business as usual with their conventional blocking techniques. To start, I think Trent Brown and Calvin Anderson will be on the left, Riley Reiff, Conor McDermott and Sow on the right.

I'm also telling you this right now: I don't care how Sow looks at tackle in underwear — whether or not he can play tackle will be determined in camp when the pads go on.

Bonus: Rookie Watch.

Of course, we'll be taking a glance at what all the rookies are doing, but especially Keion White — mostly where he is lining up to give us a glimpse at where the Patriots see him playing initially. 

WHAT I DON'T CARE ABOUT

1. Any statistics for the quarterbacks.

It just doesn't matter, unless you're horrible. I don't expect that from anyone.

2. The kicking competitions.

Will likely be determined in camp and the preseason, unless somebody pulls a Rohrwasser and starts taking out porta-potties. 

3. How good the defense looks.

The offense has a new coordinator and line coach. Most of the returners, especially Mac Jones, have PTSD from last season. The defense is running it back for about the third straight year. Everyone's back on that side. The defense better look great and make the offense look bad. Or start packing up. It says nothing about the season ... yet.

NICKEL PACKAGE

1. RIP, Jim Brown — the greatest football player, if not athlete, of his era, and he would have been star in this one too.

"My relationship with Jim [Brown] started when I was the coach at Cleveland," Belichick said last October. "I think it was the second year. I had met Jim when I was a kid and went to the Browns training camps and our family was there, and watched practice at Hiram with Coach [Paul] Brown and so forth. But that really didn't have anything to do with it. But yeah, Jim impacted me in my life a lot. Spent a lot of time with Jim and learned a ton from Jim. There's no way I could capture that in this short interview, that would be a much longer one. But Jim's presence, his ability to relate to all people, to guide people, to have leadership and perspective on so many things in life is really incredible. I would kind of put him in a class by himself there. As I think most other people would who know him well. 

"He impacted us a lot at Cleveland and the growth that we had. Obviously that didn't end too well with the team moving in the middle of the '95 season and all that. But he gave us great leadership and perspective even in tough times. Then I maintained a relationship with Jim. Jim and his Amer-I-Can program is a fantastic program. I've seen it work in many different environments. You mentioned prisons and other ones. Not just that. Even just on many other levels including, we've used Jim’s Amer-I-Can program here at the Patriots, very successfully. I think strong results, organizationally and for the specific people they work with. Anyway, Jim's impact for me and for us has been very strong. But what he's done for, really everything he's been involved with is pretty remarkable. He's a very special man. He's trained and taught so many people, who have then gone and taken his work out and just exponentially expanded all the great things that he believes in and stands for. We could go on and on here, but I'll leave it at that."

2. Much is being made of some pointed comments from Davante Adams and the trajectory of the Raiders to The Ringer. Namely:

Still, Adams has reservations about the Raiders’ vision for the offense: “[The front office] think this is the best bet for us right now to put us in a position to be urgent,” he says. “We don’t see eye-to-eye on what we think is best for us right now.”

The Raiders front office has welcomed Adams’s input on roster moves, and he says he’s grateful to be included in those conversations. Still, he knows he doesn’t make the final decisions. “I’m going to have to buy into this and try to be as optimistic as possible,” he says. “It’s not what I expected to happen, but it’s something that’s the reality now.”

This typical offseason stuff, and the Raiders still haven't declared which direction they are going, with a new QB and a rebuilt defense. So Adams' comments are understandable. But there's no issue between both sides, and he's not going anywhere. Adams was All-Pro with a new team, coach and system. Things are only going to be better for him with Jimmy Garoppolo and in a second season. They'll be fine.

3. 2019 third-round pick Yodny Cajuste was released — we were surprised he was tendered in the first place — leaving the Patriots without any members from their 2019 draft. Some of those players should have been significant players for this team. That zero are, is a huge indictment on player personnel at the time and the GM, and partially responsible (along with similar drafts from the same time) for the Patriots slipping to the middle. If you want to get into what-about-isms and defend this somehow, come on, let's get real. They had 5 top-101 picks!

4. The Patriots signed San Diego State DT Justus Tavai — the younger brother of linebacker Jahlani Tavai — as a UDFA.

I think Belichick's trolling me at this point.

Not sure how he missed out on another Tavai brother and DT, Jonah, who signed with the Seahawks.

5. Preseason dates/times for the Patriots have been announced:

• Thursday, Aug. 10 vs. Houston Texans, 7 p.m.
• Saturday, Aug. 19 at Green Bay Packers. 8 p.m.
• Friday, Aug. 25 at Titans, 8:15 p.m.