FOXBOROUGH - There has been movement on the Jacoby Brissett/Drake Maye front, but not nearly to the extent some have portrayed it. Since saying Friday morning that this was still a competition, Jerod Mayo has not given the rookie a single competitive snap with the first team. How exactly is he supposed to show what he can do with the same personnel if he doesn't get to run with that personnel?
Yes, Maye has seen more snaps with guys like Mike Onwenu, Sidy Sow and Chuks Okorafor as the Pats are still seeking a) who their best five up front are and B) who fits best where; the snaps the first-rounder took at Sunday's practice all came from third-string center Liam Fornadel (second-stringer Nick Leverett has not practiced since playing Thursday night). Later, as Mayo and Alex Van Pelt ('head coach, offense') scripted a two-minute drive for Brissett at the end of practice, Maye did not get a similar opportunity as he had in prior sessions.
It feels like the coaching staff has given Maye more to chew on but also to quell some of the noise around him. I know. I know. Everyone should be taken at their word, including a coach who says it's a competition, but I've been here and done this before. Competition gives guys equal opportunities with and against the same players in the same situations. That's not happening consistently - hell, barely at all - through 16 days of training camp practices.
That said, Maye is looking more comfortable, and it goes back to what I had been yammering about since before the first preseason game - letting him play the way he knows how and stop trying to make him be something he's not. This offense might not be an ideal fit for someone with his skill set and experience (lack thereof), which is why the reliance on being in shotgun against the Eagles was - to me - a sign of Van Pelt and company grasping that idea. GM Eliot Wolf backed up the notion of letting Maye loose when I asked him how - at times - the 21-year-old has looked like he's over-processing and overthinking.
"Drake's very conscientious," he said. "He takes all the coaching points. He's trying to do everything perfect. It was really nice to see him the other night go out there and just play ball rather than think about those things."
LOW(E)DOWN
Speaking of Wolf, when he talked about his offensive line this off-season, he mentioned believing that Okorafor and rookie Caedan Wallace could play left tackle, even though neither had any real experience doing it. Both got cracks at the position the first week of training camp, but since then, it's been Vederian Lowe with the starting unit, and even as the Pats have started rotating some linemen in and out, Lowe hasn't been one of those guys. He says he's not surprised to be in this position, but...
"(I'm) really comfortable," he said post-practice. "You know, that's where I've made the most stride(s) in my game at that position. I've always known that being a swing tackle is how I'm going to make my mark and stay around in this league, but, you know, I've really been able to kind of hone in on my abilities and everything on that side. So that's just where I'm at right now with it."
Lowe is 6'5" and has 35-plus-inch arms. Before this year, taking advantage of his length and hand size wasn't something the former Illinois lineman had done consistently. But, in the eyes of Wolf, that's changing right before our very eyes.
"Vederian's done a really nice job," he said. "He's steadily improved. We said it last year, if he could just learn that he has really good length to get his hands out, then he would have a chance to ascend to that starter level. He's really started to do that this year, and it's been impressive to watch him progress. We're excited to continue working with him."
Lowe can see and feel a difference in his technique as well, becoming another player in that unit to give praise to offensive line coach Scott Peters.
"I think working with Coach Peters has definitely improved (it) a lot, for sure.," he said. "Coach Peters really preaches on the strike system, being very direct and precise with your hands, and it plays really right into my game. It's really helped me develop since he came, and, you know, I've really learned a lot from him."
Lowe says the technique being taught isn't that different from the coaching he's received before, but it does play into what should be his strength. That didn't prevent him from getting beat for a sack Thursday. However, there was a miscommunication between him and running back Kevin Harris, who essentially directed the rusher (Nolan Smith) away from Lowe's set. Lowe said the two players talked it over on the sideline to ensure it doesn't happen again. I have previously talked with some tackles who would prefer not to get that assistance. Lowe is not one of those guys.
"This is NFL," he said, smiling, "There are so many great rushers. Everybody's a good athlete. The more I can get help trying to stop a guy who runs a 4.4 and could jump 40-inch vert, then, yeah, please go ahead."
Lowe's performance from week one of the preseason to week two showed growth, but as to whether or not he can get to a level where the Pats feel comfortable with him being the left tackle in the short term and not needing help in the longer term is a bridge too far at this point.