Regardless of our thoughts on Bill Belichick’s final few seasons and departure, it’s truly an exciting and intriguing time in Foxborough where the unknown is oozing out the doors of windows of Gillette Stadium.
With that in mind here are a few random thoughts on Mayo’s first training camp as we embark on one of the most interesting summers on the practice fields in a long, long, long time.
1 – Mayo’s on schedule: Maybe the first if also maybe meaningless notable change from Belichick to Mayo is the training camp schedule in New England. While Belichick would keep his team’ schedule tight to the vest and at times fluid, Mayo has mapped out his first July and August for all the world to see. There are 13 practices open to the public and media. They all begin at 11 a.m., his troops getting a chance to work in the midday sun this summer. After every third practice there is a day off. No longer will players, coaches and fans have to wonder what the coming days and weeks hold. Nope. Mayo and his staff have a plan and they put it out there for everyone to see. No more silos. No more cloak-and-dagger treatment of something seemingly so innocent as the practice schedule. Mayo is doing things his way, evident before camp even opens.
2 – In the best interest of the Patriots: Speaking of the opening of camp, one of the classic video and photo highlights of past summers was fans lining up at the gates and sprinting to get good seats for practice.
Over the last two-plus decades there were some truly massive training camp crowds in Foxborough, filling the bleachers, grassy hill and at times even the ramps to Gillette overlooking the field. Given the recent on field struggles and relative lack of star power, it will be interesting to see what the interest level is this summer from Patriot Nation. Will Mayo and his rookie QB Drake Maye bring excitement to the fan base? Will the idea that it’s the first step toward a new era in New England be alluring? Or, will the significant doubts about the team’s talent and potential for success this fall manifest in a lack of attendance and fan interest in Foxborough? Time will tell.
3 – Maye-be the most interest ever: Speaking of the No. 3 overall pick Maye, he may just face the most attention and pressure of any young player in New England since….Drew Bledsoe arrived as the No. 1 overall pick in 1993. And given the explosion in media and social media, Maye is under the microscope like maybe no other player in New England history. With all due respect, no one wants to see Jacoby Brissett this summer or during the regular season. All eyes and all hope rest on Maye. Football is all about the quarterback these days at all levels. Maye has all the physical tools to be a rookie starter. He seemingly has the smile and the personality to become a fan favorite pretty quickly. But, he has to put it all together to get himself on the field. He showed a nice progression in OTAs and mini-camp this spring, but Maye has to take his development to the next level and fast track his ascension up the depth chart to really ignite excitement and hope. Every throw will be charted. Every bit of body language analyzed. Every comment dissected. Welcome to the Drake Maye Show!
4 – Off. and running: One of the biggest storylines not involving Mayo or Maye this summer is the overall makeup of the team and the expectation that the defense might be good enough to win games almost on its own. There is no question that the New England defense has more talent, upside and continuity than its offensive counterparts. Matthew Judon is a returning star. Christian Gonzalez is a budding star. There are plenty of talented playmakers and role players alike. And early on in camp the group could make life very difficult on first-year offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt and his group as it installs a new offense and tries to get up to NFL speed as quickly as possible.
Expect the defense to win more plays and more days than not in the early practice sessions. It will be interesting to see how fast an offense expected to be built around Rhamondre Stevenson can find its footing. Success on the practice field for the offense will be impressive given what the group will be facing across the ball. Maybe the defense will dominate the practice field. That’s OK. Or maybe the offense will surprise. That’s even better.
5 – Youth movement: Maye is far from the only young player worth watching in training camp. Actually, there are first- or second-year players on both sides of the ball and all over the field that should be of note to fans and media alike. Maye will be throwing to young receivers such as DeMario Douglass and rookies Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker. He’ll be protected by plenty of linemen looking to snag jobs and roles in their first or second season. The defense has Gonzalez as the No. 1 corner and maybe No. 1 star on that side of the ball. But Keion White looks poised for a big Year 2 Jump, and Marte Mapu is one of the more intriguing athletes on the roster. Even the kicking game has Chad Ryland competing for his job. Long gone are the days when you could just pencil in veteran starters and roles before training camp even begins. If you like competition and watching young players battle it out for everything they get then there could be a lot to like this summer at Gillette. Heck, even many of the coaching roles are being filled out by young or inexperienced newcomers. There is a youth movement in Foxborough, on and off the field. There is plenty of potential for success in that movement, although there’s plenty of potential for failure as well. Youthful uncertainty abounds, for better or worse!
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