For those beginning to fear that the 2024 Patriots will be a disaster, you can relax. For those who want nothing but sunshine and hyperbole about the newest iteration of the Pats blown in the general direction of your posterior, you may need to look elsewhere.
The outlook for and future of this team will ultimately lie somewhere in the middle. And if the most recent practices are any indication, there will be peaks, and there will be valleys. There will be ups, and downs. Struggles and triumphs. Most importantly, the team and fans need to see the ship is pointed in the right direction. But it’s gonna take a while to get the new captain and crew acclimated as they turn the ship around.
Day 6 of Pats camp under sweltering conditions outside of Gillette Stadium in front of fans who were sunbaked into submission offered more of what we’ve seen to date. There were some nice passes from the QBs, though nobody cemented their place in Canton on this day. There were some excellent catches from the young receivers, and also some signs that the pro game requires more effort and focus than they’ve experienced. The defense, particularly the secondary, made their share of plays, too, though at times the receivers helped their cause.
Maybe it was the heat. Sometimes your secondary wins. Sometimes the receivers make plays. It’s a balancing act for sure. But there’s a lot of work to do.
The main attraction (Maye-N? Probably a stretch) is rookie QB Drake Maye, who fared better than Monday, which was his first padded practice in the NFL. He still looks to be thinking more than reacting, which makes sense given how much he’s trying to digest as he adjusts to a new scheme on the pro level. He had some very nice throws to Ja’Lynn Polk, a connection that is growing over camp, but also some hesitations and a few ill-advised passes into traffic that he’d like to have back.
Jacoby Brissett continues to be…fine. Never sensational, never terrible. Definitely still the Week 1 starter until further notice, as he told Kay Adams when she and her show from FanDuel TV visited the camp . Though he did have a pre-snap mistake which caused the offense to have to run a lap (like to see some old school football every now and again).
Joe Milton gives the fans what they want: highlights! Not that he’s taking the QB1 mantle by any stretch, but he’s a longer term prospect than Maye. Still, fans love the Bazooka Joe arm, backflips and the swag that comes with throwing a TD in 11-on-11s to JuJu Smith-Schuster and, upon releasing the ball, turning around like Larry Bird at a three-point contest with a finger raised in the air.
The receiver room continues to show it won’t be like it was in years past, with more improvement than regression. Rookies Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker have their moments, with Polk perhaps the steadiest pass-catching presence.
Baker looked like he might have emptied the tank recently and the heat got the best of him on Tuesday. Tyquan Thornton still wants us to take the bait and believe this is #TyquanSZN with speed and slick moves…but will it translate when they get up to game speed? And everyone’s favorite speedster on the outside, DeMario Douglas, was in a non-contact red jersey again.
The running game star, Rhamondre Stevenson, met with the media afterward. The biggest takeaways were that he likes the new run scheme implemented in Alex Van Pelt’s offense, and he’s not a fan of his Madden ‘25 rating of 81. “I don’t like it,” the fourth year vet said.
The defense showed up and out on a number of fronts, with the secondary (which featured a visit from three-time champ Devin McCourty) leading the way. Christian Gonzalez blanketed his men at times, and Jonathan Jones made some nice plays on KJ Osborn and others to knock balls free as he ranged from cornerback to safety (remember there’s no definitive starting free safety on the roster). On the defensive front, which is currently down its two best players in Matthew Judon and Christian Barmore (out indefinitely after a blood clot diagnosis), Keion White is taking full advantage of his opportunity to demonstrate he is ready for a sophomore standout season.
And if you’re that kind of fan who loves offensive line talk? They were OK today, not as good as Monday…again, a work in progress and missing their anchor at center. Though it was nice to see the O-line starting to settle otherwise, with Chukwuma Okorafor at right tackle and rookie Caedan Wallace at left tackle for a fourth straight practice.
Absent most notably were center David Andrews, out for a second straight day…safety Jabrill Peppers, who seemed to tweak his left leg/calf Monday and had Tuesday off…and defensive end Matthew Judon, whose infamous “conversations” with coach Jerod Mayo and director of player personnel Matt Groh on Monday seemed to lead the team to keep Judon away Tuesday. Nothing is confirmed as to whether it was discipline, or a fine was levied.
This situation is getting more intense and uncomfortable by the day, the first true test of Mayo’s mettle. A resolution might be needed sooner than later as an almost palpable air hung over the crowd and practice at large. We were asked over a dozen times, “Where is Judon?” and “Are they trading Judon?” These are the types of distractions a young team in development does not need. Not that anyone does, but not this squad especially.
The Pats are off Wednesday, which after two days of heat and hits will be welcome, before they get back to it Thursday, which will represent just a week until their first preseason game at home against the Carolina Panthers.
Breathe, in, breathe out, Pats fans. Everything’s fine. It’s not great…yet. But it’s fine! It’s training camp, not perfection camp. They have time before people need to proclaim the season’s over and so and so is a bust. Trust the process…which the team is still figuring out themselves.
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