<\/p>\n
The New England Patriots\u2019 2025 training camp is underway, with the first eight practices (two walkthroughs) already in the books. This week, that included the team\u2019s first fully padded sessions and an in-team scrimmage inside Gillette Stadium Friday night.<\/p>\n
Needless to say, our entire focus this week was on those sessions. To tie up any loose ends, welcome to our latest Sunday Patriots Notes<\/em>.<\/p>\n Patriots quarterbacks Drake Maye and Joshua Dobbs have been on the move early and often during training camp.<\/p>\n That has been by design.<\/p>\n \u201cJosh [McDaniels] has explained he wants to use our skill set and athleticism at the QB position as another way to keep the defense on their heels,\u201d Dobbs said Tuesday. \u201cAnd so obviously, situationally, when we need it, we\u2019ll be able to pull it out and make plays with our legs. But outside of that, we\u2019ll make sure we\u2019re in the right play to pick defenses apart. And definitely, we just want to have forward momentum every time we take the field.\u201d<\/p>\n Head coach Mike Vrabel added: \u201cIt\u2019s critical that those plays are available to us, and we do a good job of picking and choosing the appropriate time.\u201d<\/p>\n During New England\u2019s fully padded sessions, Maye and Dobbs have both found themselves outside the pocket. In the second period of competitive work in Tuesday\u2019s practice, Maye\u2019s first snap saw him play fake and then complete a pass to Stefon Diggs off a bootleg.<\/p>\n Two plays later, the mobile 22-year old quarterback pulled the ball out of his running back\u2019s stomach and kept it himself on the ground.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s athletic,\u201d Dobbs said of Maye. \u201cI mean, I think our entire QB room is athletic, and that\u2019s why it fits us well. We watched a couple of his tape from last year, like scrambles, making throws on the runs, and we all know the type of arm that he has. He\u2019s able to make plays outside of the scheme of the offense. I think we all bring that skill set to this offense, and that\u2019s what\u2019s really exciting.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd so now it\u2019s like, \u2018how can we use that situationally when the defense gets us, rarely, how can we make a play when something isn\u2019t there, but also take care of the football?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Though the mobile Maye was one of the more productive scrambling quarterbacks in football over his 10 starts last season, most of his 421 rushing yards weren\u2019t by design.<\/p>\n As Dobbs noted, that will change moving forward to better utilize both quarterbacks athletic ability \u2014 and they\u2019ve spent time this offseason studying Cam Newton in Josh McDaniels\u2019 Patriots offense back in 2020.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s an even balance of gaining an extra hat. You having the quarterback be able to run the football, you get an extra number. You make it 11-on-11 instead of 10-on-11,\u201d Maye said Thursday. \u201cSo, I think it\u2019s always useful and I think at the end of the day, I\u2019ll make some plays kind of off schedule anyway. But mixing in the quarterback run game is something I\u2019m open to, and I think it\u2019s always tough when a defense has to cover that and keep that in mind.\u201d<\/p>\n Still, Maye will also have to protect himself.<\/p>\n As a rookie, he was forced into the blue medical tent twice after taking hits to the helmet as a scrambler. The hit against the Jets in Week 8 then knocked him out of the game in the second quarter.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t need to run over every player on defense, nor should we try,\u201d Vrabel said. \u201cWhen they do have the football in their hands, they have to, one, be able to secure it and be able to protect themselves and use the rules to their advantage. Being able to give themselves up is something that\u2019s critical, and I get that a lot of these young players, they feel like they\u2019re fearless, and that\u2019s great, but we just have to make sure that we\u2019re making great decisions.<\/p>\n \u201c<\/strong>Just taking care of my body and being smart,\u201d Maye added, \u201cBut also knowing when it\u2019s third down, when it\u2019s near the end zone, like, I\u2019m 6\u20195 and 230 pounds, go get something.\u201d<\/p>\n While Maye will be on the move more by design, he’s made it a point this offseason to remain a passer when flushed outside of the pocket. At times last season, Maye was quick to tuck and run, perhaps passing up bigger gains through the air.<\/p>\n \u201cI think just kind of remaining a passer longer when I scramble, I think that\u2019s big,\u201d he said this summer. \u201cI\u2019m kind of getting outside the pocket, remaining a passer longer, hoping for some big plays, scramble plays and just making the defense\u2026I feel like I had good times last year where I had some guys deep that I may have missed them or took off running instead. So, just trying to remain a passer.\u201d<\/p>\n That progress showed during New England\u2019s first week of camp, as Maye was forced out of the pocket to his right but kept his eyes downfield to connect with DeMario Douglas for a long (60ish-yard) touchdown.<\/p>\n It\u2019s part of what the offense is calling \u201cfast break football\u201d entering the season.<\/p>\n \u201cWe feel like those plays, we shouldn\u2019t take off at any time,\u201d rookie wide receiver Kyle Williams said. \u201cThose are times for us to extend the field, extend drives and everything. So when we get that, we kind of look at it as in our favor to go make some big plays down the field.\u201d<\/p>\n One of the more glaring issues throughout the first nine training camp practices have been the QB-center exchange. Working with Drake Maye, projected starting center Garrett Bradbury saw one snap end up on the ground while rookie Jared Wilson saw two poor exchanges.<\/p>\n Maye, however, is confident those issues will resolve themselves.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s camp, it\u2019s 95 degrees out here. But at the same time, you can\u2019t put the ball on the ground. Some of it\u2019s a little pre-snap, be on the same page,\u201d he said. I think other than that, it\u2019s my part to get down there and get the ball. So, it\u2019s not a big issue. I think it\u2019s something that these guys have figured out. They got a tough job.<\/p>\n \u201cThey got a, not talking football, but they got a big 350-pound guy and they\u2019re moving right and they\u2019re snapping it with the same hand and then coming up to block them. It\u2019s a tough part on them and it\u2019s just feeling stuff like that. That\u2019s pretty cool, seeing how that stuff works out and how much that stuff changes.\u201d<\/p>\n While Wilson, a North Carolina kid who Maye tried to recruit to UNC back in college, has settled in at left guard in recent practices, the rookie has enjoyed his work with the quarterback early on.<\/p>\n \u201cI love Drake,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s just gotten better every day. Anytime we make some mistakes, I always go up to him and ask him. He said, \u2018I\u2019m still making mistakes, and we\u2019re going to make them together and we\u2019re going to improve together.\u2019 So, it\u2019s really good.\u201d<\/p>\n While Stefon Diggs slots in as New England\u2019s No. 1 receiving option, a strong spring and summer from DeMario \u201cPop\u201d Douglas has put the third-year receiver ahead of the pact as the No. 2 weapon. For Douglas, one big change this offseason helped set him up for a year three breakout.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll say leadership,\u201d he shared. I\u2019ve been growing in the classroom, helping others out. I feel like that was what I needed as a part of my game. As I teach somebody else, I\u2019m learning myself. I feel like when I\u2019m out there and I see something somebody else do, I\u2019ll be like, I can coach it up now. I feel like I got in that playbook a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n Maye has taken notice as the duos chemistry continues to improve on the field.<\/p>\n \u201cThe big thing with Pop is he\u2019s lining up right. He\u2019s running the right routes. He\u2019s getting to that next level,\u201d Maye shared on the Up & Adams Show. \u201cI think that\u2019s the best thing with Pop that you\u2019re seeing going into Year 3 for him. So I\u2019m excited to keep getting him the ball.\u201d<\/p>\n Tuesday\u2019s fully padded session saw a pair of Drake Maye passes end in touchdowns to Stefon Diggs, with the receiver showing strong body control along the back on the end zone in both instances. The chemistry continues to develop between the duo, with the veteran having a simple message for his young QB.<\/p>\n \u201cHe tells me all the time, \u2018if the ball\u2019s in the air, it\u2019s going to be mine\u2019,\u201d Maye said. \u201cSo, I think it\u2019s comforting hearing that from those guys. I think that\u2019s kind of starting to become something in the receiver room, that\u2019s the mindset. When the ball\u2019s in the air, go get it. So, I think it\u2019s comfortable hearing that. And it\u2019s comfortable, a guy who\u2019s also gone out there and proved it.\u201d<\/p>\n The return of offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels seemed to be good news for Kendrick Bourne, who had a career-year under the coordinator back in 2021. But through the first two weeks of training camp, Bourne has exclusively repped with the second-team and has not caught a pass from Drake Maye in competitive full-team work before the split squad scrimmage \u2014 which the receiver then left early with an injury.<\/p>\n With Mack Hollins returning and immediately joining the first-team offense in Thursday\u2019s walkthrough, Bourne\u2019s future in New England appeared to get even harder to envision. Add the fact that New England has a trio of younger options behind him (Ja\u2019Lynn Polk, Javon Baker, Efton Chism) and a release\/trade would free up significant cap space both this year and next, and Bourne\u2019s days could be numbered in Foxboro.<\/p>\n After dealing with injuries over the last two seasons, running back Rhamondre Stevenson transformed his body this offseason in order to stay healthier as he joins rookie TreVeyon Henderson atop New England\u2019s backfield. That included dropping 10 to 11 pounds.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just a better weight, though,\u201d Stevenson said on NFL Network. \u201cA lot of lean muscle on me now. I\u2019m trying to unlock breakaway speed. I\u2019m trying to get to that second level and not get caught or anything like that, and it\u2019s just a long season, so just keeping my body fresh and the most healthy condition I can.<\/p>\n Despite his defensive background, head coach Mike Vrabel has spent the majority of his time this offseason on the offensive side of the practice fields. The reason? To help continue to learn Josh McDaniels\u2019 offensive system.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s probably a way for me to continue to learn this system so that I can coach it and be an asset, I think, and try to help just as we install,\u201d Vrabel explained. \u201cI\u2019m very familiar with what we\u2019re doing defensively and then try to give a defensive perspective to what we\u2019re doing offensively. I try to get around as much as possible. I think that group period just gives me a chance to kind of see how things are running.<\/p>\n \u201cThe defense may have other things that they\u2019re doing and adjustments, but that\u2019s kind of what I\u2019ve done, I would say, in the past. I think that\u2019s probably consistent. But I do try to get them to be everywhere and to see every position or talk to every position. That may change, but, I mean, I think it\u2019s probably consistent.\u201d<\/p>\n After a strong spring from rookie Andy Borregales, in which he made 19-of-20 field goals in five open practices, Parker Romo has closed the gap this summer in New England\u2019s kicker competition.<\/p>\n In camp, Parker Romo has struck the ball well and appears to be a perfect 19-of-19 (one kick a close call over the right upright) \u2014 plus two extra points \u2014 while Borregales checks in at 18-of-21 (one additional extra point). Following makes of 42 (twice) and 53 in Friday\u2019s scrimmage, the rookie has now made 13 straight since his 2-of-4 outing last week.<\/p>\n New England also has worked in different formats for these kicking periods, with each kicker alternating some days and other days having one handle all the attempts. According to Romo, that format helps build in rest days to their schedule.<\/p>\n A busy week upcoming for the Patriots after the weekend off. Following a return to practice on Monday, where the expectation is for a fully padded session with the focus on situational football, and Tuesday, New England will welcome the Washington Commanders to town for a joint practice and their first preseason game of the year \u2014 where the team will also unveil the 12-foot tall Tom Brady statue beforehand.<\/p>\n Their full schedule for this week currently looks as follows:<\/p>\n Notes and thoughts on the Patriots\u2019 training camp, Drake Maye\u2019s summer, Kendrick Bourne\u2019s status, and more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":29557,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29556","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-new-england-patriots"],"yoast_head":"\nMaye\u2019s mobility<\/h2>\n
QB-center exchange<\/h2>\n
Pop\u2019s growth<\/h2>\n
Diggs\u2019 mentality<\/h2>\n
Bourne on the bubble<\/h2>\n
Slim Mondre<\/h2>\n
Offensive focus<\/h2>\n
Kicking update<\/h2>\n
Setting up the week ahead<\/h2>\n
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