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All right, welcome into our second episode of the Patriots Training Campcast for twenty twenty four. Evan Lazar, Paul Parello, Mike. You so just got off the field for the second practice and guys, not as much fireworks today. There weren't any big plays, not a lot, you know, not a lot to really hang your hat on today, especially get excited about on the offensive side of the ball. A little bit of a blah practice, I would call it.
Maybe, Yeah, I'm trying not to overreact to these initial practices. We're not they're not in pads or really not even in shells or helmets and T shirts and shorts right now. So you don't want to sound any alarms about the offense. But some of the things that we were concerned about coming into the season on paper are showing up a little bit in this practice today where there isn't a ton going on down the field, and a lot of
the downfield throws are contested. You know, Jalen Polk down the sideline with Marcus Jones all over him, or Hunter Henry Jabriel Peppers broke up a pass for him a similar type of route down the sideline, and those types of plays are just not hitting at a high rate right now. And it's a lot of contested fifty to fifty type balls, and you just would have liked to have seen a little bit more of what we saw from Jalen Rigor yesterday, which was just running wide open
behind the defense. But it's a good defense and you're not necessarily going to see that all the time against the Patriots starters. But overall, a clunky day for the offense. But I don't think it's anything that we didn't already know about where they're at.
Yeah, I mean, I would agree. Overall, there weren't a lot of flash plays, and the ones that the feud that did happen were on the defensive side of the ball, and the ones that Evan mentioned were the ones that stood out to me. I do think there was some indications, at least that there were some other guys getting involved. Taekwon Thornton. I didn't really notice at all on opening day. He cut a handful of passes today from both Jacoby
Brissett and Drake May. We should probably add that Brissette again took the lead reps and then you know, Drake May followed little slight twist after that. Joe Milton went before Bailey Zappi. All four took reps, but I thought it was interesting that Milton went third in Zappi fourth today, but I would agree with that overall assessment. More of a defensive day today, yeah.
A little bit.
I mean, yesterday we saw Joe Milton get a little I mean, not a lot of action, but got some like mop up reps, almost completed a couple passes thrown in time looked okay, seeing almost like hey, let's give him a little bit more of a shot today. I want to talk too, though, about Jacoby Brissette, because while it wasn't outstanding, I think we all agree that there were some moments where Jacoby Brissett just looked like he was running the offense the way he need to be run,
hitting the back foot, getting the ball out. That's what That's why he's here right, so he can run the offense on time.
Yeah, there's no doubt about it that his timing and just approach to the offense in general, he's a pro. I mean, he's made forty eight starts in the NFL, so it's gonna be a little bit better in those regards to Drake May, and that might be enough at least initially for him to hold on to the starting
job going into the season. But the one thing that I consistently feel what Jakobe p said is that there's this not a whole lot of playmaking or dynamic element down the field from him, whereas with Drake May, even though it might be not as perfect in terms of the timing and all that, which I'm sure the coaches probably see even more than we do, you have that threat of on any given drop back you could have
a fifty yard bomb in there somewhere. I don't necessarily feel that way with Jacob PRIs said, but as politics to say, there was a lot a couple plays there today where it looked like a play in a game. You know that, Okay, you know three step drop balls out hit the back of the foot. Everybody runs their routes properly and we have a play right, and that happens maybe a little bit more assignment with Jakob PRIs said at this point, no, I totally understand what you're saying.
Though.
It looks like it happened on a Sunday and we had a few of those today.
Yeah, and a couple of bookkeeping things. Antonio Gibson looks like he was taking off of NFI and Girodmeo said yesterday that it wouldn't be a long term thing expecting him back. He didn't have his helmet with him. He didn't really take part in the practice, but he was in uniform out there did some lower rehab field work. So he's you know, obviously back on the field and closer to getting back full strength. That's a good sign on the flip side. Devon Godshaw, we didn't see him
for about the first hour of practice at all. He came out later, No, helmet, didn't really do a whole lot. Now there's a report, I think mass Live tweeted out that Christian Barmore might be dealing with an illness and he was limited. He didn't really do much in the full eleven on eleven work, but I don't know, maybe Godshaw's dealing with something along those lines too, or maybe it's just an indication of the contract stuff that and it's ugly head.
Yeah, we did hear from Jude On yesterday who kind of expressed, you know, he'd like a new deal. Clearly looks like it's heading down that road with gotchall Maybe he's going to do what Judon did last year, the hold in. It's the new InVogue thing to do.
Ye.
My biggest question guys is just how does this all resolve itself. We don't want this hanging over the team's head as we go into the season, especially Paul. With Judon who you know, I mean, he's a valuable player. He is, he's going to be thirty two in a few weeks, but he's got some juice and he just he's the pass rusher that they need off the edge.
Yeah, and I do think it's important, you know, because this is a new regime. You want to get off to a you know, a good start and really at least put your best foot forward, have the best personnel that you can out there. So I wouldn't advocate trading him now, Like if you were going to deal him I would have said, you know, get it done. You know, earlier in the offseason where you had a chance to sort of make a plan to replace him. Now I
would I would go into the season. Maybe, you know, if he's playing well, he's sort of a leader on that front seven and you can get going that way, and if you're not having the success as a team that you hope, then maybe you can revisit any any kind of trade possibilities you mentioned. He spoke yesterday, he said, you know, he doesn't he's not asking for a trade. He doesn't want to be traded, but the contract is definitely an issue.
I mean, I just want to highlight a couple of guys. You know, it stood out a little bit today. Started with Jahem Bel rookie seventh round pick, guy that I know you were high on, had him on your big board, but we saw him start to get a little bit involved today. Paul mentioned Marcus Jones earlier kind of active as in the slot, a guy that we kind of an unknown commodity. We know he's a returner. You know, he's been injured. We haven't seen a lot of him.
And also Taekwon Thornton, who we mentioned you know, just a little bit more active. What did you see from most of you guys?
Yeah, just started with Marcus Jones two days in a row now, where he's been the top slot corner nickel corner with the Patriots defense, and for right now, on paper, it would seem like he would be the inside track or have the inside track to being that top nickel corner and when they go through true corners, you know, not talking about big nickel or getting the safeties involved and stuff like that. He's definitely the guy in man coverage.
I feel the most confident about inside other than obviously John Jones, but you think he can play more on the outside still. So I've been encouraged what I've seen from Marcus Jones. Got a couple hands on a couple passes over the last few days as well, so he's had good coverage. We'll see if he can keep it up. And to your point about Taekwon Thorton, it's just we do we quit it or do we not? You know, like you just every day he pulls you back in and he has one of these types of days. Now,
it was a lot of underneath stuff. It wasn't anything down the field, We're not that four two eight was not on full display necessarily, but he did lead the team with four catches and team drills here today, so there's certainly something that taekwon Thornton. Every couple of days we'll have one of these types of practices that make you believe. Again, I'm not sure I'm totally there, but
we're getting there then, just quickly. But jahe Bell would stood out with to me with him was how much they were moving him around, and that was something that he did a lot in college. And if he can learn the playbook to a point where he's able to run routes from various alignments, then that will help him get on the roster.
Yeah.
Pull anybody else that caught your eye today just in terms of I mean, I know it was there's not a lot of big plays, but.
No, there weren't. And you know, I'm sort of watching that secondary to see the different you know, combinations and what I've seen most of if you guys have seen different, correct me. I've seen Gonzales and Jones with Marcus Jones in the slot in some of alex Austin, but not as much as we saw in the spring. So I wonder if like it's just it's Jonathan Jones and it's it's Christian Gonzales and then you know, everybody else's.
Marks of the World.
Yeah, like I thought there was a chance that maybe, you know, with the amount that we saw Austin in the spring, that they maybe had designs of him being on the outside and Jonathan Jones being in the slot. So far, only two days, I haven't really seen that.
Yeah, all right, well only two days. But hey, we got what do we have? Eleven more practices to go. We're just getting started here. There's obviously things moving, dude. Yeah, the trains moving, and we're expecting pads to be Monday. So we're gonna have practices on Friday, practices on Sunday, and then we'll get to hopefully a little bit ramp things up a little bit. Guys, little contact contact them on the smack of the pads, the smack of the helmets.
So be sure to stick on Patriots dot com and got you covered all through training camp.
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