Observations from Day 2 of Patriots training camp: Defense wins day -- but still had to do push-ups
FOXBORO -- The second day of Patriots training camp is in the books, as the team did more red zone work on the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium on Thursday morning.
And with more red zone work comes more touchdowns. The offense ruled the day on Wednesday, but it seems like the defense caught up on Thursday. That didn't keep the D from having to do some pushups after the session, but the defense was a lot better than it was to kick off camp.
Here are some of the observations from Foxboro as the Patriots continue to lay the groundwork for the 2022 season:
Quarterbacks
Mac Jones had himself a fine day on Wednesday, but was a little more human on Thursday. He was perfect in 7 vs. 7 drills, but struggled at the end of the 11 vs. 11 session.
Mac Jones finishes 11/18 in 11v11s and 6/6 in 7v7s. He ended practice going 1/7.
— Mark Daniels (@MarkDanielsPJ) July 28, 2022
Bailey Zappe goes 5/12 in 11v11s and 3/6 in 7v7s.
Defense won the last three periods for sure.
Mac Jones was an efficient 12-for-13 in 7-on-7s but just 5-for-11 in 11s as the Patriots' defense stepped up.
— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) July 28, 2022
Rookie Bailey Zappe continued to be erratic: 6/10 in 7s, 2/7 in 11s.
No competitive reps for Brian Hoyer today.
Parker continues to impress
But Jones' strong connection with newcomer DeVante Parker continued, as the two hooked up on another red zone touchdown during the 7 vs. 7 drills.
DeVante Parker just opened red zone 7-on-7s with another leaping TD catch over Jalen Mills (who is wearing pads on his hands so he can’t grab)
— Chris Mason (@ByChrisMason) July 28, 2022
Loudest cheer of practice so far: Mac Jones to DeVante Parker, back-shoulder throw, front left pylon in red-zone drill.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) July 28, 2022
TD.
Jalen Mills, wearing mitts as part of a coaching technique to avoid grabbing, with tight coverage on tight-window play.
That's an interesting note about Jalen Mills too. If he is going to be the team's top corner, he's going to have to play extremely disciplined football. Apparently, playing with a couple of oven mitts on will help with that.
Defense was better -- but still had to do push-ups
The offense dominated on Wednesday. On Thursday, the defense responded with a much better practice session.
Defense is dominating right now. Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe are a combined 0/10 between three red zone periods. Jones was 16/17 before
— Mark Daniels (@MarkDanielsPJ) July 28, 2022
But the offense won the final session of the day, leading to more push-ups for the defense.
Defense just dominated red zone 11-on-11… but the offense got the last one (Hunter Henry) so defenders did push-ups for the second day in a row.
— Chris Mason (@ByChrisMason) July 28, 2022
Ending the day on a sour note will probably have the defense really fired up to hit the field on Friday.
Big day for Bledsoe
It's been a while since a Bledsoe had a big day in Foxboro. But safety Joshuah Bledsoe -- a sixth-round pick in 2021 -- had his on Thursday with multiple plays in the secondary.
Safety Joshuah Bledsoe has three pass deflections today after finishing with two yesterday 👀
— Mark Daniels (@MarkDanielsPJ) July 28, 2022
Joshuah Bledsoe is having a nice start to camp. Been competitive in coverage against TEs. Had a PBU against Jonnu in the end zone during last 7s period. #Patriots
— Evan Lazar (@ezlazar) July 28, 2022
Swung by #Patriots training camp again today. No. 24 S/SCB Joshuah Bledsoe is an early standout. I've seen him involved in five forced incompletions in two days. 2021 sixth-round pick out of Missouri.
— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) July 28, 2022
The Patriots are extremely deep at safety, but the secondary overall will take all the help it can get.
Patricia shared the walkie-talkie
It was a pretty big deal when Matt Patricia was radioing plays to the offense with a walkie-talkie on Wednesday. On Thursday, it was Joe Judge who had the walkie-talkie during 7 vs. 7s.
Patricia, however, handled the walkie-talkie duties the rest of the day, so it looks like he's got the inside track to handle the offensive play-calling this season.
Joe Judge radioed in plays with a walkie-talkie during the first 7-on-7 period, but since then, it's been Matt Patricia. Patricia also appeared to be the primary play-caller yesterday. Looks like the clear favorite to handle those duties this season.
— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) July 28, 2022
Agholor's new gig?
Veteran receiver Nelson Agholor tried his hand at returning kickoffs on Thursday, something he hadn't done with the Patriots.
J.J. Taylor, Rhamondre Stevenson and Nelson Agholor returned kickoffs today. Believe that's the first time we've seen Agholor in that role.
— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) July 28, 2022
He hasn't returned kickoffs in a while, actually. He has five kickoff returns for his career, all of which came in 2016 while Agholor was on the Eagles.
With a pretty stacked depth chart at receiver, it appears the veteran is doing everything he can to stay involved -- and prove his worth to the team.
What's next?
The Patriots have two more sessions this week -- Friday and Saturday -- before they get a day off on Sunday. Then on Monday, they'll put on pads for the first time.