Just two days after their impressive performance in the preseason opener Friday night the Patriots were back on the practice field Sunday and went through a pretty intense workout in shorts and shells. Mike Vrabel stressed the importance of situational work and despite the 48-18 trouncing of Washington he focused on some areas that weren't quite up to speed.
The defense was the area that he mentioned, specifically near the goal line, and that's where most of the work took place on Sunday.
"We didn't get a stop defensively in the red zone [against the Commanders]," he said before practice. "We did a nice job offensively in the red zone, but defensively it wasn't very good. So, again, we like coming off these days off in the red zone. Shorter space for the players, but it's still a critical area where you need precision and speed, it's just not maybe long speed."
Whether Vrabel was issuing a challenge or not, the guys wearing the blue jerseys seemed to get the message. Things did not go well for Drake Maye and the offense, whether it was 7-on-7 or full 11-on-11 work. Maye's timing never materialized, and he seemed to lose his accuracy on a couple of occasions. He was nearly picked at least twice but Christian Elliss (7-on-7) and Craig Woodson (11-on-11) couldn't hold onto the errant throws.
"It's never as good or as bad as you think," cornerback Alex Austin said after practice. "We'll have to go back and look at the tape and see how it went."
In three full team periods, the last of which was a late-game situation starting at the 40, the offense didn't manage many completions let alone touchdowns. Marcus Jones was able to knock away a throw to the inside of a streaking Mack Hollins to prevent one touchdown, and Carlton Davis had tight coverage on Kayshon Boutte on another attempt. On the positive side, Davis took part in plenty of team reps as he appears poised for a full-time return. Vrabel said before practice that the veteran corner is expected to be with the team in Minnesota.
Boutte did end that period with a touchdown off a quick out, but even that was highly contested as the wideout was forced to quickly turn and reach the ball out just past the goal line as he hit the ground.
The hurry-up attempt was controlled by the defense. With 1:05 on the clock, the first play would have ended in a K'Lavon Chaisson (who returned after missing several practices with an undisclosed injury) sack as he ran untouched off the left side as Will Campbell blocked down to pick up a blitzer. A bobbled snap ensued on second down, and with 43 seconds left Chaisson again applied immediate pressure. It was tough to tell whether or not Maye avoided the sack by stepping up, but Boutte made a terrific catch while adjusting his body in midair to haul in the pass. Maye then scrambled out of bounds with 22 ticks left before sprinting out to connect with DeMario Douglas for a first down.
With the clock down to 10 seconds, Maye tried to hit Hollins twice only to overthrow his fade and then watch his jump ball attempt batted down by Jones and Miles Battle, who blanketed the wideout. On the final play with one second left, the offense probably had one of its best plays of the day, but Stefon Diggs dropped a touchdown off a quick hook in the end zone. Diggs did beat D.J. James along the back line of the end zone for a touchdown in an earlier period.
Joshua Dobbs and the second group enjoyed much more success, especially when Efton Chism was involved. The rookie started to emerge in practice leading into the Commanders game, then caught six passes for 50 yards and a touchdown in the opener. Sunday saw him continue to build momentum, first with a terrific route to convert a third down when he beat Austin quickly on a short out. Later he high-pointed a ball over Jones in the end zone for a touchdown. Dobbs also hit Hollins for a pair of touchdowns and tight end Cole Fotheringham for another.
Austin then got his revenge on Chism by tightly covering the rookie before knocking away Dobbs' fourth-down attempt in the end zone.
Beyond the strong work by the secondary, here are some observations from Day 13 of training camp.
*Christian Gonzalez, Ja'Lynn Polk, Josh Minkins, Lan Larison, Rhamondre Stevenson, Jahani Tavai and Kendrick Bourne did not practice. Vrabel said before practice that Gonzalez would join the team in Minnesota but would not practice while adding that Polk would not be going to Minny. Larison was seen in a walking boot after the Washington game and various reports indicate he is headed to injured reserve. Tough break for the rookie who was looking for a roster spot in the backfield.
*D.J. James and Marcus Bryant left practice early and did not return. James was reaching for the back of his left leg as he drew some attention from trainer Jim Whalen.
*In addition to Davis and Chaisson, the Patriots welcomed back Sidy Sow and Caedan Wallace. Both missed multiple practices last week and the offensive line depth took a hit as a result. Also, Morgan Moses, who has been on a pitch count of sorts most days and did not participate in the joint practice or game against Washington, took a lot of reps at right tackle in the team periods.
*Former Patriots defensive coordinator Dean Pees was on hand for practice. Former tackle Marcus Cannon also was seen on the fields.
*Craig Woodson's usage was on the rise during Sunday's practice. He appeared to receive some of the reps that normally go to Kyle Dugger, who worked mostly with the second group. Woodson took reps with both units but opened some of the team periods with Jabrill Peppers and Jaylinn Hawkins on the back end.
*The kicker battle continues to be tight as Andy Borregales made 3 of 4 while Parker Romo was perfect on his four attempts. Borregales missed wide left from 38 yards out while Romo squeaked his last attempt from 43 just inside the upright. Both have been solid all summer.
*Alex Austin, Javon Baker, Garrett Bradbury, Will Campbell, Jack Gibbens, Joshua Dobbs and Craig Woodson were among those who spoke to the media after practice.
*Sunday was the final open practice of training camp as the remainder of the Patriots summer work in Foxborough will be closed to fans. The joint practices in Minnesota on Wednesday and Thursday will be open, and the media will be allowed to attend practices in Foxborough through August 27.
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