Tag: 380747

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:

1. Mac’s deep ball: Spring practices are the appetizer to the main menu, and quarterback Mac Jones and the Patriots’ offense provided a tasty preview of what they hope to be cooking in 2022.

The main takeaway: There is potential for significant improvement in the deep passing game.

Jones delivered three downfield, tight-window throws in the final practice of mandatory minicamp that couldn’t have been placed any better.

There was a high-arc ball down the left sideline to receiver Nelson Agholor, who had rookie cornerback Jack Jones running stride-for-stride with him on a “go” route, so close that Jones was tugging his jersey as the ball arrived.

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Then a deep right-to-left crossing route to tight end Jonnu Smith, who hardly appeared open with safety Kyle Dugger in his back pocket, but made a diving catch.

And finally, a 50-yard bomb down the middle to receiver Tre Nixon, who somehow pinned the drop-in-the-bucket throw to his chest with his right hand, as cornerback Jonathan Jones was all over him. Jones seemed stunned at the completion based on his coverage.

They were plays that sparked celebrations from the offense, and veteran safety Devin McCourty referenced them as “haymakers” — great throws and catches against top coverage.

McCourty said the way the offense and defense traded “big-time shots” against each other this spring, with neither side dominating, is the type of sign he looks for when assessing the potential of a complete team.

Specific to the offense, success in the deep passing game could be the missing piece to becoming a complete attack.

Consider these nuggets from last season, via ESPN Stats & Information:

• 41% of Jones’ pass attempts thrown at least 20 yards downfield were over- or underthrown last season, an off-target mark that ranked 21st in the NFL (league average 36%).

• Jones ranked 24th with a 38.8% completion rate on vertical routes last season according to NFL Next Gen Stats. His completion percentage above expectation on those throws was -4.5% (26th out of 31 qualified QBs).

• Jones had his most completions 20-plus yards downfield to receiver Jakobi Meyers (7-of-16), but struggled to connect with Agholor (4-of-17, 0 TD, 2 INT).

• Patriots receivers ranked 25th with only 1.6 yards of separation on deep balls per NFL Next Gen Stats.

Jones felt “good strides” were made in practice this spring, but stressed that the work must continue.

“We want to be able to do whatever we want to do at any given time, whether that’s a run, pass, play-action — short, medium, or long. We’re trying to be able to have a little bit of variety,” he said.

2. Rookie hustle: In 2003, when safety Rodney Harrison signed with the Patriots as a free agent, he was practicing at a different tempo and popped receiver Troy Brown on one play. Nearly 20 years later, a parallel could be drawn to Patriots first-round pick Cole Strange, as on the final play of practice Tuesday, the guard got tangled up with outside linebacker Matthew Judon after a pack of players were around a loose football, and there was shouting on the field.

No hard feelings from Judon, who later highlighted something others around the Patriots have said of Strange — he’s always full-throttle (which was a Harrison staple).

“If you saw him, he was sprinting from 30 yards away,” Judon said. “Great hustle from him.”

3. Eyes on Nixon: Nixon, a practice squad receiver (seventh round, 2021, Central Florida), made two of the most impressive plays this spring, so now the question is if he can carry that momentum into training camp and make a charge for a roster spot. Agholor raved about him (“I don’t think there is anybody that trains as hard”), and Mac Jones explained that his connection with Nixon extends beyond the field. They used to drive to the stadium together last season, take their COVID-19 tests, and then enter the building with each other.

4. Kendrick’s cake: Receiver Kendrick Bourne was given an excused absence for the first practice of mandatory minicamp as part of his wedding celebration, and the team surprised him with a cake upon his return. It’s a moment that reflects the camaraderie and chemistry that can be developed at this time on the NFL calendar.

5. Draft report: First impressions of the Patriots’ 2022 class:

• G Cole Strange (first round): Plug-and-play starter at left guard

• WR Tyquan Thornton (second): Speed as advertised; work as a gunner could be his ticket to land on the 46-man game-day roster

• DB Marcus Jones (third): Still in a red non-contact jersey (shoulders); projects as a returner and sub defender

• CB Jack Jones (fourth): Sticky coverage on the outside; curious to see if he can make a push to start after looking the part

• RB Pierre Strong Jr. (fourth): Got a look as a kickoff returner, where speed stood out

• QB Bailey Zappe (fourth): Work ethic not in question; usually one of the last players to leave the field

• RB Kevin Harris (sixth): Got an earful from special teams coordinator Cam Achord for a blocking miscue on a kickoff return

• DT Sam Roberts (sixth): Tough to judge much at his position without pads and full contact

• OL Chasen Hines/Andrew Stueber (sixth/seventh): Did not practice

6. Rookie value: If Jack Jones emerges as a contributor after finishing strong in spring practices, it would highlight the financial value of receiving contributions from those playing on rookie contracts. Jones’ deal that he signed Thursday includes a $746,984 signing bonus (paid in two installments) and base salaries of $705,000, $870,000, $985,000 and $1.1 million. So his cap charges are just $891,746, $1.05 million, $1.1 million and $1.2 million.

7. Fight On! As Jack Jones was answering questions from reporters last week, Agholor interrupted by calling out “Fight On!” It was a reference to USC’s fight song, as Agholor came out of the school in 2015 and Jones began his career there in 2016 before finishing up at Arizona State. They had a few notable battles on the Patriots’ practice field in recent weeks and then shared smiles about their Trojan ties afterward. “I knew Nelly before I got up here; I used to see him around SC,” Jones said. “I love competing with him. We make each other better.”

8. Belichick and Banda: Coach Bill Belichick has been hands-on with the offense, but in the team’s final minicamp practice, he was noticeably hands-off. He spent the majority of the workout twirling his whistle on the sideline and talking with Utah State defensive coordinator/safeties coach Ephraim Banda. Belichick’s time is valuable and the extended chat with Banda had me wondering more about his background and what might have piqued Belichick’s interest.

9. Health check: Defensive tackle Byron Cowart and rookie offensive linemen Hines and Stueber are among those to monitor medically when the Patriots return for training camp in late July. They haven’t practiced this spring, making them candidates for the physically unable to perform list if they don’t make strides in the next month. Meyers, running back James White, rookie defensive back Marcus Jones and tight ends Dalton Keene and Hunter Henry were limited, so they have some ground to make up as well.

10. Did you know? Receiver DeVante Parker, who hauled in a deep pass from Mac Jones last week while leaping over cornerback Jalen Mills, has the most receptions on tight-window throws in the NFL over the past five seasons (69), according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Julio Jones (63) and Mike Williams (62) are next on the list. Tight-window throws are defined as less than a yard of separation as the pass arrives.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The question of who calls the plays for the New England Patriots‘ offense lingers, but when it comes to who has taken ownership of the unit on the field, receiver Jakobi Meyers is emphatic.

It’s quarterback Mac Jones.

“Has he taken control of the offense? That’s a capital YES, exclamation mark, exclamation mark,” Meyers said Thursday at the conclusion of the Patriots’ mandatory minicamp. “He’s the real deal. We’re all trying to catch up what’s in his mind, his vision.”

Asked if he feels ownership of the offense in his second season, Jones said: “Yeah, I think that’s the whole point of the quarterback, to lead the guys around you, get them the ball.

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“I have the ball every play and I have to make decisions to help the team win. You have to stop from losing before you can win. That’s the goal — do that even better this year.”

Coach Bill Belichick seems to like the progress at this point, as evidenced by his canceling the final practice of mandatory minicamp Thursday and the final two voluntary organized team activities scheduled for next week.

That has been commonplace in recent years, with Belichick rewarding the team for its work, with the belief that a foundation has been established leading into training camp in late July.

Jones, in particular, has made some impressive throws in recent practices. On Wednesday, he had multiple tight-window deliveries down the field — to receivers Tre Nixon and Nelson Agholor, and tight end Jonnu Smith — that had members of the offense celebrating.

Meyers took note of Jones’ command, saying: “I know him and the coaches have been doing a great job of just relaying information to us, but ultimately when we’re out there, he tells us. And we ask him, ‘How do you want it? Where do you want us to be? When do you want us to be there?’

“He’s been really adamant about what he says. He has a clear vision in his mind … we just have to catch the ball he throws.”

Agholor, who had rookie cornerback Jack Jones draped all over him on a “go” route on his long hookup with Jones, added: “He does a great job of communicating, and is working to be the best version of himself.”

Jones’ ownership of the offense was also noted by running back Damien Harris, who was also his teammate at Alabama.

“He’s an incredibly hard worker, that’s what I appreciate about him the most,” Harris said. “Coming out here, seeing the way he leads, [he] works his butt off to be his best in order to help all of us as his teammates be our best.”

As for who will call the plays into Jones, it’s been notable to several players, including the quarterback himself, how involved Belichick has been with the offense. At one point Wednesday during a drill aimed at running backs and how they need to get through the line of scrimmage, Belichick actually snapped the ball to Jones as a center.

“He’s very hands-on. Last year, he was more with the defense. But now, it’s like, ‘OK, let me show you this’ and he’s kind of coaching us,” Jones said. “I feel like we’ve made a lot of growth together as an offensive unit with him.

“He’s seen the most amount of football of any of our coaches. He’s seen defense, offense and special teams, so having his input is always going to be very beneficial to me, because he knows what puts stress on the defense.”

Assistants Matt Patricia (offensive line) and Joe Judge (quarterbacks) have also had leading roles at times.

All of this has taken place after Belichick said the offense has been “streamlined” this offseason, similar to what he did with the defense in 2019-20. In essence, the Patriots have simplified things, with Jones saying it’s aimed at playing faster.

Jones was asked to describe his comfort level with the coaching setup now that there have been a handful of practices to assess.

“The most important thing is getting on the same page, speaking the same lingo, between the players, the coaches, and we’ve done a good job of that,” he said.

“I definitely think we made pretty good strides there in the past couple weeks. You can’t be done with OTAs and let that fall off. You have to carry that through the season, that’s the most important part. We understand that for training camp. We have to keep communicating and keep talking.”