FOXBOROUGH - Practice No. 7 of 2024 is in the books; let's run down all you need to know: all the stats, 3 up/down, and odds and ends:
TWO THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
Matthew Judon was back: He was an active participant in practice from start to finish and repped with the first team for a majority of the day (he did sit out one shorter team period). We heard from Jerod Mayo before practice about what has transpired since Monday. He insisted he had a "great' conversation with Judon and that they preferred to keep things in-house (Umm, about that...). Mayo added, "I'll tell you this. First-time head coach and first time in pads, I'll always remember what happened that day."
Drake Maye was better today than he was Tuesday: It still needs improvement, don't get me wrong, but there was better presence, quicker decisions, and at least one play that stood out (read further down).
TAKING ATTENDANCE
Physically unable to perform list: C Jake Andrews, WR Kendrick Bourne, LG Cole Strange, LB Sione Takitaki
Non-football injury list: None.
Red non-contact jerseys: CB Shaun Wade, WR Demario Douglas.
Returned to practice: David Andrews.
Out: DT Christian Barmore, S Marte Mapu, TE Jaheim Bell, S Jabriill Peppers (leg). Tyrone Wheatley Jr. T
New injuries: I don't know if it qualifies as new, as Wade is already in the red non-contact jersey, but he exited practice later in the day.
DRESS CODE
Shells (helmets, shoulder pads)
LENGTH OF PRACTICE
2:05. IT WAS BLAZING HOT.
QB STATS
Team periods
Jacoby Brissett: 5 of 8, sack, TD (2 of 3; 2 of 4, TD; 1 of 1, sack)
Drake Maye: 5 of 6, TD, sack — (3 of 3; 1 of 2, TD; 1 of 1, sack)
Bailey Zappe: 1 of 4, TD
7 on 7 in the red zone
Brissett: 2 of 4, TD, sack (yes, a sack. He held the ball too damn long before completing a TD to Thornton. Others will give it to them. I will not)
Maye: 2 of 4, scramble, 2 TDs
Milton: 3 of 5, 2 TDs
7 on 7 in the red zone
Brissett (5 plays)
- He rolls right, waits, and fires wide of Thornton, who does get his hands on it, but he wasn't catching that rocket.
- Incomplete on seam ball to Douglas. Jon Jones was all over it.
- Squeezes ball to Henry. Tight window between Josh Bledsoe and Jaylinn Hawkins. Just short of the end zone.
- Hits Henry in the right flat. Quick play. Henry scores and hits us with a finger roll.
- Sack. He held the ball forever. He's not doing that behind the line the way it's been played so far. Anyway, after all that dancing and traffic directing, Thornton finds himself working the back end line. Alex Austin covers him for at least five seconds, but Thornton catches the pass.
Maye (5 reps)
- Fires high for Osborn in the back left corner of the end zone. Incomplete.
- No one is open. Scrambles.
- Finds La'Michael Pettway in the back left corner versus safety Dell Pettus. Good ball. TD.
- Rips a seam shot to Douglas, but the ball forces the WR to twist, and Jon Jones eventually rips it out. Incomplete.
- Scrambling to his right, Maye may have thrown a no-look, or damn near no-look, rocket to Osborn in the back of the end zone. TD
Milton (5 reps)
- An absolute laser beam to Kayshon Boutte near the goal post. Fit it between two defenders, including safety Brenden Schooler. TD.
- Pettus breaks up a pass for Jacob Warren in the curl/hook zone.
- Quick throw to Ja'Lynn Polk in the left flat.
- Boutte spins Azizi Hearn like a top with an inside-outside move that creates ample space. TD.
- After the defense took a lap for not enough men on the field, Milton rolled to his left, waited, and fired incomplete to rookie David Wallis.
Note: I do not have the number of reps that some other writers have because I do not count when the offense is "working off cards." Those are plays when an assistant coach literally brings out a play on a card and shows it to one side of the ball. They are not running their own plays so since there are so many x-factors — including the receiver running the right route, and blockers executing correctly — so I do not count those reps.
ONE ON ONES
I didn't get every rep, as there were dueling banjos (if you will), with double-barreled action on both fields.
Red Zone
(Brissett)
Dugger PBU on Austin Hooper
Stevenson shimmies and shakes his way past McMillian. Unfair. TD.
Hunter Henry loses Hawkins with a strong release. TD.
Gibson jukes LB Christian Elliss. TD.
(Maye)
Wilcox beats Victor to the corner. TD.
Kevin Harris tries to run an option route out of the backfield on Joe Giles-Harris. Giles-Harris didn't bite. Pass was still complete but it wasn't going anywhere.
Warren with a dominant rep against a defender who's number I didn't see. TD.
JaMychal Hasty beats Jahlani Tavai toward the post. TD.
(Zappe)
Pettway over Bledsoe. TD.
Deshaun Fenwick wins against LB Steele Chambers
Hooper makes a terrific diving grab vs. Dugger, but Brian Belichick is standing on the end line and rules Hooper out of bounds.
(Maye)
Incomplete to Boutte in back corner of the end zone. Good coverage by Austin
Wallis beats Bolden.
Bad throw
Incomplete to Baker on crossing route. Baker slowed. Might have been grabbed by unidentified DB
(Brissett)
Incomplete to Polk on return route. Wade was on it.
Thornton gets Christian Gonzalez with an inside fake before breaking toward the sideline. Nice rep.
Incomplete to Osborn. Jon Jones was all over the route, playing it physically.
Overthrows Reagor on a fade.
(Maye)
Incomplete to Boutte on the back end line. Rookie Marcellas Dial was in coverage.
Hearn with a pass breakup on a throw to Kawaan Baker.
Bolden blankets Polk. Incomplete.
Misfire on a slot fade to Baker. Had Victor beat.
MAYE REPORT
Dialing down on the top draft pick in team periods.
This was Maye's series in the first team session:
Play action: With Raekwon McMillian in his face, he hits Hunter Henry on what looks like a tight-end screen.
After Calvin Anderson ran a lap for jumping out of his stance, Maye completed a short crosser to Polk.
A high throw to Douglas on a slant. The little man goes up and makes a nice catch with cornerback Isaiah Bolden trailing.
Second series, red zone:
Hits Warren in the right flat. But what was most impressive about the play was that Maye checked out of what they were originally in, and the change — a blitz beater — resulted in Warren being open in the flat with a pair of blockers in front of him. This would have been a TD. Brissett ran over to Maye to give him some love.
Misses Douglas in the right flat. Ugly throw.
Antonio Gibson gets jiggy with it, hitting the defense with a couple jump cuts and likely scoring via the ground.
Third series (from their own 30):
Off-play action, he hits Mitchell Wilcox on a mid-range out. The ball was thrown perfectly in rhythm.
Handoff to Gibson.
Almost immediate pressure takes Maye off a potential deep shot and into self-preservation mode. He scrambles away.
HANDS TEAM
Drops: JuJu Smith-Schuster
Pass breakups: Jon Jones 2x, Marcus Jones, Mikey Victor, Pettus, Dugger
Interception: None.
Sacks: Josh Uche. Team
TOP PLAYS
And the nominees are...
Brissett for wisely diagnosing an all-out blitz and hitting Thornton on a hot route.
Milton, for that seed he threw to Boutte in the back of the end zone.
Maye for the red zone throw to Osborn.
THREE UP
WR Pop Douglas: The offense just looks better when he's on the field. It was his first participation in team drills as he works his way back from the hand injury.
Kayshon Boutte: Two TDs is two TDs. He appears on the outside looking in for the wide receiver picture right now, but a day like today can only help.
Jon Jones: He's been the team's best cornerback through the first week, and with how he's running, you'd never guess he's on the wrong side of 30.
THREE DOWN
JuJu Smith-Schuster: Largely invisible out there.
Calvin Anderson: Working with the second unit and getting hit with a false start will not help his cause as a potential swing tackle.
Deitrich Wise: I came away from today's practice not recalling anything he did.
QUICK HITS
- There was a lot of kick-return work today. The first deep pairing was Jalen Reagor and Gibson. The second was Marcus Jones and Osborn. The third was Polk and Douglas.
- It was a quiet day for Javon Baker as a pass catcher, but I did spy him working with the punt return team.
- On that note, several guys worked as punt returners in the early stages of practice: Osborn, Douglas, Polk, Marcus Jones, Wallis, and Reagor.
- There was not a ton of run game work today, but Polk told us post-practice that Mayo said they're going to be a "running team."
- Vederian Lowe was today's starting left tackle. He was alongside Sidy Sow, David Andrews, Mike Onwenu, and Chuks Okorafor. The second-line group featured (from left to right) Caedan Wallace, Michael Jordan, Nick Leverett, Layden Robinson, and Anderson.
- Near the tail end of practice, the Pats had Brissett and Maye attempt to draw the defense offsides before Mayo blew the whistle. I'm not sure this group is at the point where I'd be wasting time worrying about that.
- The team announced the signing of veteran DT Mike Purcell. He spent some time in NE in 2017 and was most recently with the Broncos.
- Chad Ryland continues to outduel Joey Slye. Today, Ryland hit all four of his kicks, while Slye went 3-for-4. The updated numbers have Ryland 12-of-13, while Slye is 10-of-13.
SCHEDULE
Friday: 11 a.m. (in full pads)
Saturday: 11 a.m. (full pads)
Sunday: OFF