FOXBOROUGH – At this point, it feels like a trend in New England.
The Patriots began their offseason workout program this spring, and once again, the defense looks miles ahead of the offense. That was certainly the case during the first open OTA session last week when Drake Maye threw four interceptions.
On Wednesday, Maye’s unit fizzled once again in the second open practice.
Although there was some progress – the starting quarterback didn’t throw an interception – the Patriots offense wasn’t nearly as efficient as one would hope. Maye finished the day completing 53% of his passes (9-of-17) in 11-on-11 drills.
The Patriots defense did all it could to disrupt Maye’s offensive unit. The combination of Harold Landry, Christian Barmore, Milton Williams, and Keion White up front was at times too much for the Patriots to handle.
Maye’s first 11-on-11 period was a run-heavy session that saw the quarterback complete three short passes to TreVeyon Henderson, Kyle Williams, and Kendrick Bourne. After that, however, Maye never completed two passes in a row for the rest of the day as the offense didn’t get into a solid rhythm.
Maye completed 2-of-5 passes in the second period and was 2-of-6 in the third. Maye threw behind multiple targets (Kendrick Bourne and Henderson) and had a pass deflected at the line of scrimmage. Tight end Jack Westover also dropped a pass.
In the final 11-on-11 period, Maye completed 2-of-3 passes. His last play of the day during competitive drills was a fumbled snap between him and center Garrett Bradbury.
Before practice, Mike Vrabel was asked if he cared about Maye’s four interception day last week.
“Well, I care. I care about every player’s performance and that we continue to improve. There has been great improvement,” Vrabel said. “Everybody’s going to have a bad day. There’s a lot of reasons that go into it. We’re not going to analyze every single practice and have explanations for things that came up. The command, the operation, all those things have continued to improve.
“… Hopefully the operation, the communication today, and the execution has got to be better. We only have so many of these opportunities. I’m hopeful that in front of us, the media, that we have a better day.”
Here are the main takeaways from Wednesday’s open practice:
Cause for concern?
Learning a new offensive system isn’t easy and that’s been seen from Drake Maye this spring.
Through two open practices, the second-year quarterback is 20-of-33 (61%) with four interceptions. Last year, in five spring practices, Maye finished 29-of-44 (66%) with three interceptions.
Is this a cause for concern?
Before practice, Vrabel noted that on Maye’s four-interception day, the Patriots were working on third-down plays. That made it easier for the defense to rush the passer and made it more difficult for the offense.
“This is hard. This is a hard time in the spring when every pass play is third-and-10,” Vrabel said. “They’re pass rushing, they’re pressuring and they’re blitzing. Which is great. We have to be able to block and see everything. It is a passing camp. It didn’t take Keion [White], K.C. [K’Lavon Chaisson], Christian [Barmore], Milt [Milton Williams], and Harold [Landry III] long to figure that out. It is what it is, which is good.”
Javon Baker’s learning moment
Javon Baker flashes potential, but it’s also very clear the receiver needs to mature.
On Wednesday, Baker found himself on the field with quarterbacks Joshua Dobbs and Ben Wooldridge. The second-year receiver played well and made a great play – jumping over undrafted cornerback Brandon Crossley for a catch on a Wooldridge deep pass.
After the play, however, Baker flexed his right arm and started to jog slowly to the sideline. That drew the ire of Vrabel because the Patriots offense was in the huddle and waiting for Baker to return. That’s when it appeared that Vrabel said something to Baker to get the receiver to run back to the huddle for the next play.
Baker’s potential shines, but it was also noteworthy that he was catching passes from backup quarterbacks. That was the case even with three receivers (Stefon Diggs, Mack Hollins, and Ja’Lynn Polk) either not there or not participating.
Maye played with four receivers on Wednesday – Kendrick Bourne, Kayshon Boutte, Kyle Williams, and DeMario Douglas.
Hunter Henry’s a security blanket
Maye completed his nine passes to five different players – Hunter Henry (three), Bourne (three), Williams (one), Henderson (one), and Antonio Gibson (one).
It’s clear that Henry is still Maye’s security blanket. All three of his receptions came after a Maye incomplete pass. That was seen plenty last season when Henry finished with 66 receptions, 674 yards, and two touchdowns.
Stefon Diggs absent
On Tuesday, a video circulated on social media of Stefon Diggs partying on a boat in Miami. Before practice, Vrabel said the team was aware of the circulating video, which saw Diggs hand an unknown substance to a woman.
Last week, Diggs was present for at least one day of OTAs. That wasn’t the case on Wednesday as the receiver wasn’t at practice.
“The message will be the same for all our players, that we’re trying to make great decisions,” Vrabel said. “Any conversations that I’ve had with Stefon will remain between him, I, and the club.”
The Patriots also had receiver Mack Hollins, cornerback Carlton Davis, tackle Caedan Wallace, and tight end Austin Hooper absent from Wednesday’s practice.
Rhamondre Stevenson returns
Rhamondre Stevenson stayed home for the start of the Patriots offseason workout program after the death of his father.
On Wednesday, Stevenson was back at practice in a limited fashion. The running back was with the team during the start of practice but held out of competitive 11-on-11 drills. That led to more opportunities for Antonio Gibson and TreVeyon Henderson. Stevenson ended practice with the offense during their walkthrough.
“I want to support him through this process the best that we can,” Vrabel said. “That’s probably a little bit more difficult. He doesn’t know us as well. His communication, I appreciated. It’s great to have him back. We’ll work him along and make sure that he’s ready to get out there.”
Defense won the day
Even when Maye wasn’t on the field, the defense won the day.
Backup Joshua Dobbs finished 10-of-16 with an interception. He was picked by cornerback Myles Battle on a pass that receiver John Jiles dropped.
Wooldridge, the third-stringer, finished 3-of-5 on the day. The defense had several players finish with pass breakups – Jack Gibbens, Craig Woodson, and Kobee Minor.
Several players limited
Several players were limited during Wednesday’s practice.
Right guard Michael Onwenu was among that group. Without Onwenu, the Patriots offensive line looked vastly different when Maye was on the field.
It’ll be interesting to see how the guard depth chart plays out this summer. Names to watch are Tyrese Robinson, Cole Strange, Sidy Sow, Wes Schweitzer, and Layden Robinson. There doesn’t seem to be a front runner at left guard with several players rotating in during two open practices.
Also limited on Wednesday were Kyle Dugger, Ja’Lynn Polk, Vederian Lowe, Jared Wilson, Stevenson, Jaquelin Roy, and Wilfried Pene.
Kicking competition
The Patriots kicking competition is in full swing.
Last week, rookie Andy Borregales finished a perfect 4-of-4 while Parker Romo connected on 2-of-4 field goal attempts.
On Wednesday, Romo was a perfect 4-of-4 while Borregales finished 3-of-4. The rookie’s miss was wide left. The Patriots have been having kickers start around the mid-30s and work their way up to 50-plus yards. Borregales missed his third attempt.
