By A soggy day in began with an appearance from Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla and ended with Patriots quarterback getting drenched by rain during his media availability. Both Jones and spoke after practice, giving an update on where they feel the offense stands as the Patriots head into their first preseason game. With the Houston Texans coming to town on Thursday, the Patriots continued to add more game-like elements to practice.
This time, there were yard markers on the field, and referees in attendance. Here are ten takeaways from the action. Wearing a navy blue Patriots windbreaker, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla had a conversation with Bill Belichick while players were warming up.
It’s the second year in a row the Rhode Island native has found time to stop by Patriots training camp. Mazzulla has made a habit out of taking inspiration from other Boston sports teams, whether it’s a trip to Foxborough or showing ESPN’s “Four Days in October” documentary about the 2004 Red Sox to the Celtics during the Eastern Conference Finals against Miami. Ensuring that Matthew Judon doesn’t have an issue with his contract seems like a win-win for both Judon and the Patriots.
Judon gets more guaranteed money and the Patriots get a veteran leader who was top-5 in the NFL in sacks last year and has said he wants to finish his career in Foxborough. “Yeah, any time we sign a contract, then we were happy with it, they were happy with it, and it’s done,” said Belichick. Jonathan Jones was not available to practice, which meant that Jack Jones got reps opposite Christian Gonzalez during scrimmages.
It was a bit of a bounce-back day for Jones, who left practice early on Thursday and watched the remainder of it from the sidelines. Today seemed to go more smoothly for him. Belichick said he didn’t have any comment about what happened on Thursday.
Veteran center David Andrews practiced on Monday after missing a pair of practices with a concussion. It was a welcome sight for the banged-up Patriots offensive line who continue to miss starting guards Cole Strage and Mike Onwenu, along with left tackle Trent Brown. A rookie who has come on strong lately after a relatively slow start is sixth-round pick Kayshawm Boutte from LSU.
He had a leaping one-handed catch on a pass from scout-team QB Malik Cunningham that drew ooohs and ahhhs from the crowd. Cunningham, who played quarterback at Louisville, has been mostly working with the Patriots as a receiver. But, he got some snaps at quarterback today and was able to show off his wheels.
His sideline-to-sideline speed is unlike any other quarterback on the roster. “It’s awesome, man. He’s very athletic,” Mac Jones said.
“He’s a smart kid; he works hard. He doesn’t get a lot of reps, but you can see when he’s in there that he’s a little bit of a playmaker. Maybe I can take some of his running ability and add it to my game.
” Offensive lineman Kody Russey is listed at 6-foot-2, 295 pounds. During a rep in one-on-one drills, Christian Barmore made moving him look easy. “Yeah, I picked him up off his feet,” Barmore said.
“That’s my guy, but that’s a move I want to learn, how to pick people up more. Really, he’s short. I had a wrist and then I carried it with me.
He had me, so I had to work on a counter. ” While there weren’t necessarily any highlight plays from this matchup today, watching Marcus Jones cover DeMario Douglas in the slot in a speed-on-speed matchup has to be one of the most fun matchups to watch during training camp. Both are explosive, shifty with their feet, and quite short compared to the other receivers and defensive backs.
Jones said earlier in camp that he’s still preparing for some touches on offense, in addition to his defense and special teams duties. But, having another speedster who can make people miss and watching him go match up against Jones in practice, can’t hurt. Trent Brown has been at practice, but not participating in scrimmages.
Although he’s not wearing a red non-contact jersey, Brown said on Monday he hasn’t been able to participate fully because he is injured. He scoffed at a question about him potentially sitting out because of an issue with his contract. Mac Jones went 10-14 in the rain, and credited some rainy days this offseason for helping him prepare.
“It’s harder, right? You have to expect it to be harder,” Jones said. “And it’s not going to be perfect. There’s going to be some missed throws, some dropped balls, it is what it is.
But you’ve just got to keep finding a way to win. ” Get breaking news and analysis delivered to your inbox during football season. Be civil.
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From: bostonglobe
URL: https://www.boston.com/sports/new-england-patriots/2023/08/07/patriots-training-camp-takeaways-day-11-joe-mazzulla-matthew-judon-mac-jones/
