FOXBOROUGH - Observations from the Patriots' OTA on Wednesday, as I eschewed sunscreen and got surprisingly crispy. My dermatologist would not be pleased.
I know Bedard thought Drake Maye improved his performance since we last saw him. He didn't throw any interceptions, so that's a win. However, he was spotty with his accuracy, and I thought he had some issues with his footwork. A bad base leads to bad balls, and he had a handful of those. Maye legit nearly wiped out a team videographer after missing high for Kendrick Bourne down the far sideline.
The flip side was a couple of those off-balance throws when he put the ball where only Hunter Henry could catch it.
Overall, looks like a 22-year-old still trying to figure out the new offense and where Josh McDaniels wants him to go with the football. If this bleeds into mid-August, then we may have something to worry about. Now? It's just part of the process.
- It was an eventful day for Javon Baker. He had a couple of drops, including one during individual drills at the start of the day. The second-year pro didn't move between drills or plays with any expediency yesterday or last week when we were in attendance. For a guy who has to realize he's fighting for a roster spot, that's a hard one to gather.
That's why I wasn't surprised when Mike Vrabel got after him not once but twice during the session. The first came after Baker got squeezed on a deep ball from backup Joshua Dobbs. As the wideout slowly jogged his way to the opposite sideline, Vrabel reminded him to continue his route and play to the end of the play.
Later, Baker reeled in a ball from third-stringer Ben Woodridge and went 60 or so yards for a touchdown. There were two problems, however. The first was Baker was guilty of offensive pass interference, shoving Brandon Crossley to the ground. The entire sideline immediately reacted. The second happened after the play when Baker again took his sweet old time heading back to the opposite sideline because he was too busy yapping at the defense. Vrabel did not appreciate that and reminded him he was still in the game.
After practice ended and Vrabel addressed the team, he walked alongside Baker as they left the field. The coaching no doubt continues, albeit with a softer touch. Vrabel has emphasized the importance of building connections with his players, and Baker's talent occasionally shines through. It's worth the coach's effort...for now. But if the kid doesn't know the clock is ticking, that's on him.
“There’s 12 of us," said Kayshon Boutte. "At the end of the day, there will probably be six of us, if we’re being honest.”
- Speaking of Boutte, I found it notable that Vrabel mentioned his conditioning before practice.
"I think that he's gotten in better shape as we started to go on to the OTAs, and I think that's really started to help him as we stack plays together," he said. "In the game, you don't just take a play on and just come off and then go back and forth. Hopefully, you can string together four or five plays as we work down the football field. So, I think that he's working to do that. I like his attitude. I enjoy his willingness to continue to improve and maybe do some things a little differently.
Despite working with the ones, Boutte had a quiet day, not getting a single target during team periods. But, in contrast to Baker, I liked his energy.
- Kyle Williams had the play of the day (as Bedard detailed). You want to see that speed and savvy play, especially in what's essentially a passing camp. It did, unlike last week.
- Defensive coordinator Terrell Williams remains in Detroit, recovering from his medical emergency.
"He continues to, like our players, work hard to get back," said Vrabel. "I'm excited to have him back. Again, the communication that I see every day with him and the players in their meetings, and I know that he's excited. Hopefully, we'll get him back here sooner rather than later."
Williams meets with the team daily (via Zoom). In his absence, inside linebacker coach Zak Kuhr has assumed DC duties. The Pats are equipped for his absence, especially with Vrabel being a defensive-first head coach, but Williams has toiled for a long time to get this opportunity, and this is obviously not the way he mapped it out.
- Marte Mapu continues to get work with the linebackers. His speed could play a role there, but his limited availability since coming to Foxborough has to impact the overall level of trust.
- Milton Williams was a pain in the hindquarters all afternoon. Again, some of this is unfair to the offensive linemen. As Vrabel noted, it's like every play is 3rd and 10 this time of year. But Williams' quickness is noticeable, and the thought of him and a healthy (fingers crossed) Christian Barmore playing next to each other could give opposing offensive coordinators nightmares.
- Just as we witnessed last week, Morgan Moses led an offensive line conversation post-practice with young tackles Will Campbell, Demontrey Jacobs, Marcus Bryant, and Jack Conley. But this time, Moses brought over a couple of pass rushers (I could only identify K'Levon Chiasson; the other number was obscured) to discuss strategy. We'll see how much Moses has left in the tank - he's still rehabbing from off-season knee surgery - but he's already been a value-add for this football team.
- Heard from Jabril Peppers for the first time since being acquitted of multiple assault charges stemming from a confrontation with a woman in his Braintree home.
“I’m just happy it’s over with, and I get back to doing what I love to do,” Peppers said. “It was a learning experience. I learned a lot from it.”
The veteran safety is drawing strong reviews from the coaching staff for his work thus far, and his voice is by far the loudest on the defensive side of the ball.