2022 Rookie Camp, OTAs, Mini Camp, Mandatory Mini Camp And Training Camp

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TommyD420 said:
Nobody looks at the tape. They look at the mock drafts from randos who don't watch tape, who get their information from randos who don't watch tape, but were told stuff from college coaches, and may have watched a few minutes of a senior bowl, from randos who talked to scouts, who want to spread the information they want out there, in case their team has an advantage over another team.
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Yeah, exactly. I was torn between Trey Lance and Mac Jones until I saw a series of pre-draft videos by Kurt Warner. (He does this every year.)

Here are the two of Mac Jones:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFNLPM2o6E4



View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhO-Uh30MJI


I think Warner was spot-on.
 
spacecrime said:
Yeah, exactly. I was torn between Trey Lance and Mac Jones until I saw a series of pre-draft videos by Kurt Warner. (He does this every year.)
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I'm going to be very curious to see how Lance does in SF when the bullets are real. I have respect for Shanny J, but he really rolled
the dice between the trade up and handing the job to the kid over Jimmy. You don't often see moves like that.

Still, if you saw the long bomb Lance lasered up the other night you can see big potential, even if totally unproven. He can run
and throw the ball a mile, but let's see if he can do all the other stuff.
 
Hawg73 said:
I'm going to be very curious to see how Lance does in SF when the bullets are real. I have respect for Shanny J, but he really rolled
the dice between the trade up and handing the job to the kid over Jimmy. You don't often see moves like that.

Still, if you saw the long bomb Lance lasered up the other night you can see big potential, even if totally unproven. He can run
and throw the ball a mile, but let's see if he can do all the other stuff.
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So could Rohan Davey. Just sayin' :)

I understand potential and would have been fine using a first round pick to take a flyer on potential, but to use 3 first round picks on potential...man, that's a high stakes gamble.
 
PFF's Doug Kyed says there is optimism within Gillette about the O's coaching changes and the offensive simplification no matter how bad the O has looked so far.
There's a clear plan with big goals in sight. Read it. Then read it again. There's a lot to digest.
Expect pop quizzes at any time throughout the year.
(my comments in red)

Premium Content

New England Patriots offense is a mess but optimism remains for 2022​


• The New England Patriots’ offense has been outplayed by the team's defense through the first three weeks of training camp.

• Head coach Bill Belichick prioritized giving Matt Patricia a key role on staff over keeping offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo.

• New England is blending new and old elements into their updated offense.

• One of the offense's goals is to make the offense more easily accessible for new players, and it seems to be working with WR Nelson Agholor and TE Jonnu Smith.


FOXBORO, Mass. — The lasting image from the first two weeks of New England Patriots training camp will be quarterback Mac Jones taking a snap, feeling pressure, scrambling out of the pocket, failing to find an open wide receiver and eventually tossing the ball away as he runs toward the sideline in frustration.

It hasn’t been an ideal start to the summer for an offense that should be trending upward with a second-year quarterback who is primed to take a leap after an efficient and impressive rookie campaign.

Longtime center, two-time Super Bowl champion and team captain David Andrews couldn’t hide his disappointment when he faced the media last Monday afternoon after another unseasonably hot day in the midst of a brutal New England heat wave as the Patriots’ offense continued to look outmatched and outmanned against the team's defense.

Putting on a happy face after the Patriots’ offense started 11-on-11 drills with a false start, run stuff, incompletion, another run stuff, sack, short completion, pass breakup and another sack as the defense’s celebrations became more and more bombastic would have been disingenuous.

The next day, Andrews was involved in two fights during practice and got kicked off the field — per team policy — but stuck around for conditioning work and still delivered a speech to the offense after practice. It’s not hard to guess what Andrews’ intentions were — get the unit fired up and show some literal fight. The practice, in general, was more subdued as the team prepped for its first preseason game, but the offense was able to move the ball against the defense. It wasn’t all bad on Tuesday, and backup quarterback Brian Hoyer, who’s seen it all through three stints in New England, was much more optimistic after the session, noting that mistakes had been corrected in the 24-hour span.

“Sometimes the best way to learn is to screw it up, go in, watch the film, make the adjustments and then come back out,” Hoyer said. “(Tuesday) obviously was a much better day than it was (Monday).”
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Jones felt they were “2%” away.

“At the end of the day, we’re going to figure it out and make this thing work,” Jones said. “We have good coaches that are laying the path for us, and we just have to see it how they see it, and come together and dominate together.”
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And within the building, it’s important to note that no one on staff seems to be panicking, as that sort of alarm is not “the Patriot way.” The prevailing thought is that once New England can start facing other opponents, the offense will look better when it can establish the run, use play-action to soften the defense and open up the dropback menu, per a source.

Nonetheless, that’s not a guarantee, and through two weeks of practice, the defense has more won more often in practice than its respective offense.

UNIQUE COACHING CONSTRUCT​

On its surface, no one should be shocked that the Patriots’ offense is having a hard time getting off the ground this summer. Ex-offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels left to become Las Vegas Raiders‘ head coach this offseason and brought along with him ex-Patriots wide receivers coach Mick Lombardi, assistant quarterbacks coach Bo Hardegree and offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo — who a source says had one year remaining on his contract in New England but was permitted to leave when head coach Bill Belichick chose to make former Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia the team’s offensive line coach.

The Patriots’ offensive line ranked fourth in pass-blocking efficiency under Bricillo last season, allowing just 20 sacks, 25 QB hits, 79 hurries and 124 total pressures across 621 snaps. New England’s offense finished ninth in EPA (expected points added) per play on run plays.

Longtime running backs coach Ivan Fears retired, and now the offensive staff is run by a defensive-minded head coach, offensive assistant/QB coach and former New York Giants head coach Joe Judge in addition to Patricia — who is officially a senior football advisor/offensive line coach — with no official offensive coordinator.

Patriots Hall of Famer Troy Brown took over Lombardi’s post with wide receivers and is being assisted by Ross Douglas, a former college defender who one year ago was a defensive assistant on staff. Vinnie Sunseri, a 28-year-old former NFL safety, is now running backs coach. Billy Yates, a former NFL offensive lineman who was working in strength and conditioning three years ago, is assistant offensive line coach. Evan Rothstein, who worked in research and analysis/coaching with the Patriots in 2021 and was “head coach assistant/research and analyst” under Patricia with the Lions, is helping Judge with quarterbacks and pays close attention to rookie Bailey Zappe.

Departing Patriots offensive coaches​

  • Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels (He will be missed if BB doesn't make the BIG play calls)
  • Running backs coach Ivan Fears (Fears all day over Vinnie Sunseri but at least our RB room has experience.)
  • Wide receivers coach Mick Lombardi (Meh)
  • Offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo (Our last coach who understudied with Scar)
  • Asst. QBs coach Bo Hardegree (Meh)

New additions to Patriots offensive coaching staff:​

  • Senior football advisor/offensive line coach Matt Patricia (I will worry IF BB names either Patricia or Judge the primary play caller. As of now I'm being told BB will call the plays, or
  • Offensive assistant/QBs coach Joe Judge script them, and take the lead in offensive game planning just as he's always done.)
  • Wide receivers coach Ross Douglas
  • Offensive assistant Evan Rothstein (In Ernie Adams' job)

Returning Patriots offensive coaches:​

  • Running backs coach Vinnie Sunseri (a former S?)
  • Wide receivers coach Troy Brown (yes)
  • Tight ends coach Nick Caley (He's been doing it for a few years)
  • Asst. offensive line coach Billy Yates (at least he played OL for us)
  • Offensive assistant Tyler Hughes
Longest tenured Patriots offensive assistant Nick Caley continues to coach tight ends, which he’s done since 2017, and the Patriots have Tyler Hughes, who was the head coach of a Utah high school prior to joining the team, serving as an offensive assistant.

It’s a surprisingly ragtag and loosely assembled group that hardly resembles the offensive staffs Belichick assembled to win six Super Bowls in New England. Patricia, a college offensive lineman, worked his way up through the coaching ranks on defense and Judge, a former college quarterback, on special teams.

Caley, who some people close to the team believe should have been promoted to offensive play-caller, has seven years of NFL coaching experience on offense. The rest of the offensive coaching staff has a combined 13 years of NFL experience coaching that side of the ball.
 
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WHO’S CALLING OFFENSIVE PLAYS?​

It’s fairly clear that things are still being worked out on the fly. In Thursday’s preseason game, Patricia called offensive plays while Hoyer was on the field to start the game before working with the offensive line during defensive series while Judge spoke with the quarterbacks. Then when Zappe entered the game, Judge called plays. Jones and the rest of the core starters sat in preseason Week 1.

When asked if Belichick knew who would call plays during the regular season, the head coach told a reporter, “Don’t worry about that.”

“We'll work it out,” Belichick said.

Patricia has been the primarily “play-caller” in practice.

Months ago, Michael Lombardi, Mick’s father and a longtime Bill Belichick confidante, dismissed the notion that Patricia would call offensive plays because Lombardi couldn’t figure out how Patricia would take on those duties without speaking to the quarterback between series. Belichick showed a willingness to attempt that coaching construct Thursday.

It’s not unprecedented for a quarterback to meet with a coach other than the offensive play-caller between offensive series. Some offensive coordinators call plays from the booth, but it’s certainly rare for a quarterback to meet with a QB coach while the offensive play-caller is 10 feet away working out issues on the offensive line.
(The most worrisome part to me. Losing Bricillo, the last coach with ties to Scar, may hurt more than losing Josh McD. I won't worry about Patricia becoming the play caller until I'm convinced BB won't have a big share of those duties and, as of now, I'm still told BB will be heavily involved in playcalling.)

WHAT DOES THE ‘NEW’ OFFENSE LOOK LIKE?​

The Patriots’ offensive line has been a weakness in training camp, and it’s at least worth wondering if it's due to Patricia’s attention being split while Yates is just too inexperienced. Another complication is the Patriots installing new schematics into their offense. Hoyer said this week that there are elements that are similar to what he ran with the San Francisco 49ers under head coach Kyle Shanahan in 2017.

“But I think there’s also elements of what we’ve done always here,” Hoyer said.

A source described the updated offense this way: There’s been an early shift to new elements, but it’s going to end up being a blend rather than wholesale changes.

In practice, the Patriots have utilized outside-zone run concepts that are popular in Shanahan-style schemes and hosted Arizona head coach Jedd Fisch, who worked under Sean McVay with the Los Angeles Rams in 2018 and 2019 before a brief stop in New England as quarterbacks coach in 2020, as a visitor this spring.


Belichick has said the offense is “streamlined.” Wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, who’s been with the Patriots since 2019, recently said he’s had to learn “new terminology and remember what means what.” There were whispers that the Patriots could add Alabama elements to the offense this offseason, and Crimson Tide offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien was another visitor this spring.

Ultimately, [two] of the goals are to simplify the offense and make it easier for newcomers to learn, per a source with knowledge of the situation.

BRIGHTER DAYS AHEAD?​

There have been early dividends in that regard. Rookie second-round pick Tyquan Thornton has made early strides at wide receiver that previous young wideouts struggled to attain. Thornton has earned first-team reps in the Patriots’ offense, and he impressed in New England’s first preseason game. The team felt he was open frequently, and he caught two passes on two targets for nine yards and a touchdown.

The Patriots also feel schematic changes have helped 2021 free-agent additions wide receiver Nelson Agholor and tight end Jonnu Smith feel more comfortable and make second-year leaps in the offense.

The Patriots don’t have an exemplary set of playmakers on offense, but they certainly possess enough overall talent and depth around Jones. Starting offensive linemen Trent Brown, David Andrews, Michael Onwenu and Isaiah Wynn all earned 74.4 or better PFF grades last season. Starting left guard Cole Strange was a first-round pick, albeit a controversial one. Agholor and fellow veteran wide receivers Meyers, Kendrick Bourne and DeVante Parker all have loads of starting experience in the NFL. Thornton is a second-round pick, and wide receiver Kristian Wilkerson will garner interest around the NFL if waived after a strong 2022 preseason debut. Smith and fellow tight end Hunter Henry are among the highest paid at their position. Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson both graded as top 10 running backs last season. And Jones was the league’s best rookie quarterback in 2021 with an 80.0 grade.

Player2021 grade
QB Mac Jones80.0
RB Damien Harris86.6
RB Rhamondre Stevenson81.1
WR Jakobi Meyers74.7
WR Kendrick Bourne77.8
WR DeVante Parker72.8
WR Nelson Agholor64.8
WR Tyquan Thornton82.9*
TE Hunter Henry72.0
TE Jonnu Smith58.5
LT Trent Brown74.4
LG Cole Strange86.3*
C David Andrews79.6
RG Michael Onwenu86.7
RT Isaiah Wynn74.9
*College grade (past history tells me to subtract 10-12 points to get an estimate of 1st year NFL grades)

The Patriots’ offense probably couldn’t continue to function at a high level with the same system predicated on mastery and timing without an experienced play-caller like McDaniels running it. And Belichick wasn’t willing to pry O’Brien away from his friend Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban at Alabama. So, some change was needed, and the scheme needed to be tweaked. Sources around the NFL are torn on whether Patricia and Judge are the men to run it, but within the walls of Gillette Stadium, the staff is confident that the offense will jell in time for the season.
 
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chevss454 said:

WHO’S CALLING OFFENSIVE PLAYS?​

It’s fairly clear that things are still being worked out on the fly. In Thursday’s preseason game, Patricia called offensive plays while Hoyer was on the field to start the game before working with the offensive line during defensive series while Judge spoke with the quarterbacks. Then when Zappe entered the game, Judge called plays. Jones and the rest of the core starters sat in preseason Week 1.

When asked if Belichick knew who would call plays during the regular season, the head coach told a reporter, “Don’t worry about that.”

“We'll work it out,” Belichick said.

Patricia has been the primarily “play-caller” in practice.

Months ago, Michael Lombardi, Mick’s father and a longtime Bill Belichick confidante, dismissed the notion that Patricia would call offensive plays because Lombardi couldn’t figure out how Patricia would take on those duties without speaking to the quarterback between series. Belichick showed a willingness to attempt that coaching construct Thursday.

It’s not unprecedented for a quarterback to meet with a coach other than the offensive play-caller between offensive series. Some offensive coordinators call plays from the booth, but it’s certainly rare for a quarterback to meet with a QB coach while the offensive play-caller is 10 feet away working out issues on the offensive line.
(The most worrisome part to me. Losing Bricillo, the last coach with ties to Scar, may hurt more than losing Josh McD. I won't worry about Patricia becoming the play caller until I'm convinced BB won't have a big share of those duties and, as of now, I'm still told BB will be heavily involved in playcalling.)

WHAT DOES THE ‘NEW’ OFFENSE LOOK LIKE?​

The Patriots’ offensive line has been a weakness in training camp, and it’s at least worth wondering if it's due to Patricia’s attention being split while Yates is just too inexperienced. Another complication is the Patriots installing new schematics into their offense. Hoyer said this week that there are elements that are similar to what he ran with the San Francisco 49ers under head coach Kyle Shanahan in 2017.

“But I think there’s also elements of what we’ve done always here,” Hoyer said.

A source described the updated offense this way: There’s been an early shift to new elements, but it’s going to end up being a blend rather than wholesale changes.

In practice, the Patriots have utilized outside-zone run concepts that are popular in Shanahan-style schemes and hosted Arizona head coach Jedd Fisch, who worked under Sean McVay with the Los Angeles Rams in 2018 and 2019 before a brief stop in New England as quarterbacks coach in 2020, as a visitor this spring.


Belichick has said the offense is “streamlined.” Wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, who’s been with the Patriots since 2019, recently said he’s had to learn “new terminology and remember what means what.” There were whispers that the Patriots could add Alabama elements to the offense this offseason, and Crimson Tide offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien was another visitor this spring.

Ultimately, [two] of the goals are to simplify the offense and make it easier for newcomers to learn, per a source with knowledge of the situation.

BRIGHTER DAYS AHEAD?​

There have been early dividends in that regard. Rookie second-round pick Tyquan Thornton has made early strides at wide receiver that previous young wideouts struggled to attain. Thornton has earned first-team reps in the Patriots’ offense, and he impressed in New England’s first preseason game. The team felt he was open frequently, and he caught two passes on two targets for nine yards and a touchdown.

The Patriots also feel schematic changes have helped 2021 free-agent additions wide receiver Nelson Agholor and tight end Jonnu Smith feel more comfortable and make second-year leaps in the offense.

The Patriots don’t have an exemplary set of playmakers on offense, but they certainly possess enough overall talent and depth around Jones. Starting offensive linemen Trent Brown, David Andrews, Michael Onwenu and Isaiah Wynn all earned 74.4 or better PFF grades last season. Starting left guard Cole Strange was a first-round pick, albeit a controversial one. Agholor and fellow veteran wide receivers Meyers, Kendrick Bourne and DeVante Parker all have loads of starting experience in the NFL. Thornton is a second-round pick, and wide receiver Kristian Wilkerson will garner interest around the NFL if waived after a strong 2022 preseason debut. Smith and fellow tight end Hunter Henry are among the highest paid at their position. Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson both graded as top 10 running backs last season. And Jones was the league’s best rookie quarterback in 2021 with an 80.0 grade.

Player2021 grade
QB Mac Jones80.0
RB Damien Harris86.6
RB Rhamondre Stevenson81.1
WR Jakobi Meyers74.7
WR Kendrick Bourne77.8
WR DeVante Parker72.8
WR Nelson Agholor 64.8
WR Tyquan Thornton82.9*
TE Hunter Henry72.0
TE Jonnu Smith58.5
LT Trent Brown74.4
LG Cole Strange86.3*
C David Andrews79.6
RG Michael Onwenu86.7
RT Isaiah Wynn74.9
*College grade (past history tells me to subtract 10-12 points to get an estimate of 1st year NFL grades)

The Patriots’ offense probably couldn’t continue to function at a high level with the same system predicated on mastery and timing without an experienced play-caller like McDaniels running it. And Belichick wasn’t willing to pry O’Brien away from his friend Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban at Alabama. So, some change was needed, and the scheme needed to be tweaked. Sources around the NFL are torn on whether Patricia and Judge are the men to run it, but within the walls of Gillette Stadium, the staff is confident that the offense will jell in time for the season.
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Excellent article, thanks for posting this along with your commentary.

I'm curious though why you would worry if Patricia or Judge calls the plays? Bill has developed all of his OCs and both Patricia and Judge have years of experience in the Patriots overall system. It doesn't seem to be a leap of logic that Bill could have whomever he thinks is the best fit to call the plays up to speed by the time the season begins.
 
DarnSyd said:
Excellent article, thanks for posting this along with your commentary.

I'm curious though why you would worry if Patricia or Judge calls the plays? Bill has developed all of his OCs and both Patricia and Judge have years of experience in the Patriots overall system. It doesn't seem to be a leap of logic that Bill could have whomever he thinks is the best fit to call the plays up to speed by the time the season begins.
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It’s not unprecedented for a quarterback to meet with a coach other than the offensive play-caller between offensive series. Some offensive coordinators call plays from the booth, but it’s certainly rare for a quarterback to meet with a QB coach while the offensive play-caller is 10 feet away working out issues on the offensive line.
 
I highly doubt Bill calls the plays. He has too much else to manage. There is another few weeks to go to see if Patricia or Judge can secure the responsibility.
 
chevss454 said:
It’s not unprecedented for a quarterback to meet with a coach other than the offensive play-caller between offensive series. Some offensive coordinators call plays from the booth, but it’s certainly rare for a quarterback to meet with a QB coach while the offensive play-caller is 10 feet away working out issues on the offensive line.
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This only applies to Patricia.
I'm pretty sure that Bill will consider this when weighing his decision; and when Bill said that it's a process I think that he's implying that it's not just one guy talking over for Josh as if it's in a vacuum, and that it's a collaborative process that would include Yates being able to step up a bit if Patricia takes over.
 
Roberto71 said:
People still look with biased eyes. They see someone who appears skinny or small and they dismiss him. Despite the league having these kinds of 'small' players since the league began. Welker, Jules, Steve Smith SR, Sproles, Woodhead, Tolbert, Boldin etc. Too many coaches and scouts think the game is played by robots so a WR has to be 6-2, 220. If a WR or RB is not the perceived size needed, they're just dismissed. Character and actual physical strength are ignored! It's amazing. Time and time again we've seen that you cannot judge a book in the NFL by its cover. Physical strength and power can be deceptive.
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Boldin isn't small... :coffee:
 
Hawg73 said:
I'm going to be very curious to see how Lance does in SF when the bullets are real. I have respect for Shanny J, but he really rolled
the dice between the trade up and handing the job to the kid over Jimmy. You don't often see moves like that.

Still, if you saw the long bomb Lance lasered up the other night you can see big potential, even if totally unproven. He can run
and throw the ball a mile, but let's see if he can do all the other stuff.
Click to expand...
Somewhat similar to Kermit...
 
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