Scatterbrained Saturday: Watching my beloved Patriots
Reporting from an exciting Friday at training camp.
Welcome to Scatterbrained Saturday, where we deviate from our mainline posts for less-serious write-ups. Today’s subject: my hometown football team, the New England Patriots.
The New England Patriots held a private in-stadium scrimmage for local residents and season ticket holders Friday evening, and I attended with some friends. Here’s what I saw:
The team was divided into two squads: blue and white. Practice was at thud tempo, which meant no tackling. That didn’t mean limited physicality, however—we still saw a few massive hits sprinkled in throughout the day, especially on inside runs.
Both teams alternated drives, gaining points for different actions (such as touchdowns or turnovers). From what I saw, the blue team’s offense featured Drake Maye under center, Rhamondre Stevenson at RB, and wide receivers Stefon Diggs, Kyle Williams, and Efton Chism. The white team featured Joshua Dobbs at QB, rookie TreVeyon Henderson in the backfield, and wide receivers Pop Douglas, Ja'Lynn Polk, and Kayshon Boutte.
Given its unusual location, the crowd’s energy was noticeably different than past training camps I’ve been to. There were enough people to fill about a quarter of the seats in the lowest sections, but they got quite loud whenever a big play occurred. Overall, the environment was very relaxed—one that made it easy to study players up close.
Maye Day
Drake Maye broke his training camp interception-less streak, as he turned the ball over twice. Overall, he looked shakier than in previous outings, though it didn’t help that he was constantly harassed by the defense.
His first pick came on his second drive of the day. Opening with great passes to Diggs outside and deep, Maye tried to go back to the well with a shallow pass to his top wideout across the middle. But his throw was behind the sprinting receiver, forcing Diggs to turn his shoulders and reach for the ball. It bounced off his hands and into those of linebacker Robert Spillane (I couldn’t see who picked it off first-hand, relying on other sources for this one).
The second interception was uglier. In a two-minute drill situation at the end of the day, Maye looked left for Kyle Williams on a short curl, and cornerback Alex Austin jumped the route—leading to an easy pick-six.
That’s not to say all was bad for Maye, though. He started practice with a great drive punctuated by an electric, trick-play touchdown to Williams. More on that in a moment.
Defensive Dominance
It’s not fair to solely blame Maye for his turnovers, so let’s pivot to the defense. They looked excellent. The few plays that each side got burned on were either tight throws into double coverage or trick plays. Overall, they extracted at least five turnovers from both sides combined: four interceptions and a Rhamondre Stevenson fumble.
I’d like to single out safety Jaylinn Hawkins for particular praise. He had two interceptions yesterday—one cutting in front of a trick pass to the front right pylon from Pop Douglas, and the other on a batted ball from third-string quarterback Ben Woolridge. He seemed to be everywhere on the field and was a key contributor for the blue team.
McDaniels’ Craftiness
One of the big reasons why I’ve been so excited about Josh McDaniels’ return as offensive coordinator this year is because he brings an arsenal of trick plays to the offense. His inventive scheming was on full display yesterday.
That touchdown that Maye threw to Kyle Williams? It was a flea-flicker play: Maye handed the ball off to Rhamondre (I think), who lateraled it back to the QB, who heaved the ball downfield to a streaking Williams for a beautiful 40-yard touchdown. I was impressed with Maye here because he hit his target right in the numbers, and the receiver was moving quick. It was a great play all around.
But then there are the lesser trick plays that McDaniels pulls out of his bag from time to time. It felt like there was a jet sweep or double reverse every drive, and these switch-ups seemed to confound an otherwise-dominant defense (with the lone exception of Hawkins intercepting Pop Douglas). It’s unclear how often these plays will show up during the season, but I have no doubt they will keep opposing defenses on their toes.
Penalties Abound
Finally, there was no shortage of penalties on both sides of the ball. A series of early false starts by the blue team’s offensive line were followed by some pass interference calls. At one point, there might have even been a delay of game. The Patriots will need to continue cleaning up their act if they want to avoid the close losses they suffered last season, and it still seems like they have a long way to go.
Other Players of Note
Pop Douglas was all over the field, interception aside. He looked speedy on the inside and might have caught every ball thrown at him. He constantly got open on slants and even some deeper routes. I suspect he’s going to have a huge leap this year, especially with better talent around him.
Andres Borregales continued to shine as a kicker. He didn’t miss a single FG all day, and even nailed one from 50+ yards out. A far cry from the dark days of Chad Ryland.
Kendrick Bourne looked shaken up on after a deep pass midway through practice and was slow to get up. He had a slight limp as he made his way off the field, but was able to walk under his own power. At this time, his status is unclear.
Overall, it was a good practice. I have a feeling our defense will be nasty this year, especially when Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis return to action. I’ll be looking forward to the Patriots’ first preseason matchup against the Washington Commanders next Friday at 7:30 pm. Have a great weekend!