After a light day of work on Friday, Mike Vrabel turned up the intensity a bit Saturday morning as the Patriots went through their most vigorous workout of camp thus far. The players are still in shorts and helmets, so there was no contact to judge. But the two-hour long workout featured extended team periods plus a 7-on-7 segment, marking the most reps the offense and defense have taken against one another this summer.
In terms of performance, there were likely several aspects of the reps that had each side both excited and disappointed. Offensively, Drake Maye showed great mobility and threw the ball well for the most part. Many of his attempts were of the downfield variety, so the completion percentage did not approach his near-perfect numbers from the first two days. But the degree of difficulty on some of the connections was also much higher.
A case in point came on what was likely the play of camp thus far. Maye got immediate pressure that forced him to scramble out of the pocket to his right. DeMario Douglas recognized his quarterback had extended the play and raced downfield past Christian Gonzalez and Kyle Dugger. Maye's bomb hit Douglas in stride for the would-be touchdown.
It was exactly the kind of play Maye discussed earlier in the week when asked about the things he felt he needed to work on the most.
"I think just kind of remaining a passer longer when I scramble, I think that's big," Maye said on Wednesday. "I'm kind of getting outside the pocket, remaining a passer longer, hoping for some big plays, scramble plays and just making the defense … I feel like I had times last year where I had some guys deep that I may have missed or took off running instead. So, just trying to remain a passer and just keep trying to work on footwork."
He and Douglas executed that to perfection, and the offense got a big play as a result. It was one of several catches for Douglas, who continues to work with Stefon Diggs and Kayshon Boutte at the start of each team period. The third-year wideout made some catches on quick-hitters to the outside, one converting a third down, as well as an impressive grab near the sideline where he settled into a soft spot in the zone and high-pointed the ball in traffic.
Rookie TreVeyon Henderson also looks like he could be a potential weapon in the passing game. He was used on some screens, swings and downfield on both wheel routes and an impressive double-move that caught Marte Mape by surprise for a long touchdown from Joshua Dobbs.
"The biggest thing is [offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels] loves to get the playmakers out into space. And so, I feel like that's one of my strengths of my game, getting out into space in those one-on-one matchups," Henderson said. "I'm looking forward to that."
There were plenty of positives on the defensive side as well. The front continues to make life difficult on the offensive line as the group of Harold Landry, Milton Williams, Keion White and K'Lavon Chaisson spent a lot of time in Maye's face. There were a handful of would-be sacks spread among that group.
Also, Robert Spillane showed some range in coverage with a pair of pass breakups on consecutive plays, and Gonzalez was tight on Diggs on a couple of occasions near the sideline.
Beyond the passing work, here are one man's observations from Day 4 of training camp.
*No changes to the attendance list as Mack Hollins, Vederian Lowe and Austin Hooper (PUP) and Josh Minkins (NFI) remain out. Ja'Lynn Polk also missed his fourth straight day to open camp. ESPN reported that the second-year wideout was dealing with muscle soreness but he's missing valuable practice time in what figures to be a difficult fight to earn a roster spot. Carlton Davis was on the field and was seen riding a stationary bike near the training area behind the far end zone of the left field but did not take part in practice. Vrabel indicated on Friday that Davis' absence on Thursday was part of a maintenance plan for the cornerback.
*Rhamondre Stevenson and Morgan Moses were not present at the start of practice but joined their teammates following the positional drills. They spent time warming up with trainers, then when the first team period got underway both were part of the offense. Stevenson got some carries in the 11-on-11 work and Moses took his normal reps at right tackle.
*The offensive line that opened the first team period remained the same – from left to right, Will Campbell, Cole Strange, Garrett Bradbury, Mike Onwenu and Moses. Trey Jacobs rotated in for Moses while rookie Jared Wilson took reps at all three interior line spots.
"As an offensive lineman if you play one of the interior spots you have to be able to play all three," Wilson said after practice, adding that he trained at guard with offensive line guru Duke Manyweather in the offseason.
*Former Patriots linebacker and 1994 Mr. Irrelevant Marty Moore was spotted in the stands. He spent some time chatting with former teammate Ted Johnson, who works as a radio talk show host on WEEI in Boston. Moore played for the Patriots from 1994-2001.
*There seemed to be an emphasis on getting the running backs in space downfield in the passing game. During the 7-on-7 drill, Antonio Gibson raced past Spillane on a wheel route, but Maye's bomb was slightly overthrown and glanced off his fingertips. Henderson also got loose on a wheel, but Dobbs similarly misfired. Henderson later was able to make the grab when he shook loose with a nice stop-and-go move for a big play.
*On the play before Dobbs hit Henderson, the defense did some nice work to force a turnover. Linebacker Jack Gibbens blanketed rookie Lan Larison and deflected Dobbs' pass into the arms of Jabrill Peppers for the pick-six. The defense spent some extra time celebrating the big play in the end zone.
*The special teams work focused on kickoffs/returns. There were three pairings back deep as Gibson and Henderson led off, followed by Larison and Trayveon Williams and then Douglas and Kyle Williams. Henderson admitted the different kickoff rules in the NFL will take some getting used to.
*The kickers also got some field goal work in and while it can be difficult to definitively make the call from the media's vantage point it appeared as if Andy Borregales missed his first attempt from PAT distance and may have squeaked his second one just inside the left upright. He nailed his remaining two with the latter coming from long range. Parker Romo appeared to be perfect on his four attempts.
*Practice ended with some conditioning runs for the entire team, which once again took place on the field to the right rather than on the hills toward the back.
*Rookies were on tap for the media on Saturday as Campbell, Henderson, Borregales, Wilson, Larison and Kyle Williams chatted with reporters. Gibbens spent some time with the media as well.
*The Patriots will have their first day off of camp on Sunday but will be back on the field in Foxborough Monday morning with practice set to begin at 10:30 a.m. The workout is available to the public with gates opening at 9:30 a.m. and the team expected to be in full pads for the first time.
DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer
