The 2021 Patriots' Preseason Camp

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Channel 88 is the NFL channel on Sirius. They'll be talking about the Patriots this afternoon

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Evan Lazar on the Patriots practice today. Good day for both QBs

Let’s empty the notebook from day five of Patriots training camp:

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Lazar’s Notebook: Cam Newton Gets Starter Treatment, But Mac Jones Has Strong Practice - CLNS Media

FOXBORO, MA -- The Patriots held their fifth training camp practice in shorts and shells on the field behind Gillette Stadium on Monday morning. On the final day of non-padded practices, Cam Newton was clearly the leading man for the first time in five practices. Newton finished the session...
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1. QB Cam Newton Gaining Ground as Pats’ Starter​

The reps with presumptive starters were distinctly in Newton’s favor at Monday’s practice. Cam is throwing the ball with much better timing and accuracy this summer than what we saw last season. But there are still times when he holds the ball too long, waiting to “see it” before throwing it to an open receiver. In one instance, Newton missed an open Jonnu Smith up the seam because he was late to it. He was also picked off by linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley when Bentley got underneath a Jakobi Meyers dig route. Cam did finish strong with a nice anticipatory throw to Meyers on a slant. I’ve seen more good than bad from Newton, and as the incumbent starter, he has done enough so far to keep the job.

2. QB Mac Jones Has Strong Practice, Still in the Mix​

Despite Newton leading off drills, Jones had arguably his best practice of camp on Monday and saw a string of 16-straight reps in the middle of practice. Jones finished 21-of-28. The deep-ball dime to Zuber was the highlight, but how the rookie operates in Josh McDaniels’s quick game is where he has the advantage over Newton. Jones made several “leverage” throws to his tight ends, and fellow rookie Tre Nixon, where he read the inside defenders’ positioning and threw his receiver into the open void. Those are the types of hit the top of the drop and get-it-out throws that we’ve seen for 20-plus years in New England. It’s too early to call it for Newton until padded sessions, joint practices, and preseason games. It’s certainly trending in that direction, and it would take a monumental push from Jones for head coach Bill Belichick and McDaniels to trust the rookie, but the Pats’ first-round pick makes great throws in every practice.
 
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Patriots training camp notebook: Mac Jones wins the day

New England’s fifth practice of the week is in the books, and Ryan Spagnoli tells you what happened.
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Takeaways​


Quarterbacks: It was a heavy rep day for Mac Jones on Monday morning despite Cam Newton primarily running with the starters for the majority of practice. Although Newton had the lighter day in terms of throwing, it may have been Jones’ best day in camp so far. The Patriots got away from a lot of red zone work and started to expand the field a bit more. It was a lot of underneath work and check downs but Jones did throw a 45-yard dart in tight coverage to Isaiah Zuber for a touchdown.
Jones, at one point, got 16 straight reps and completed 12 of his 14 passes through that span. It was encouraging to see Jones finish practice strong as throughout the first few days, he would start out hot and sort of fizzle out towards the end. With the pads coming on tomorrow, the Patriots’ quarterback competition is just getting started.

Mac Jones’ pocket work: Despite no contact just yet, Jones has lived up to the hype in terms of his pocket awareness. Several times in camp we have seen the rookie get out of his three-step drop, and deliver the ball quickly and on time. He’s also made some nice plays on the run and stepped up in the pocket to elude pressure to make plays down the field — something we saw again on Monday.
It was one of the things that made Jones such a fit in Josh McDaniels scheme and Jones has certainly shown his pocket awareness is advanced despite being a rookie.

Raekwon McMillan’s hot start: Prior to practice, Bill Belichick praised newly acquired linebacker Raekwon McMillan for “his intelligence and work ethic.” McMillan has been one of the guys in the middle of the defense who's always communicating and making sure everyone is at their assignments.
He made a diving play over the middle in a 7-on-7 series on Monday, breaking up a pass from Cam Newton intended for Kendrick Bourne. With a crowded front seven, McMillan has certainly helped make a name for himself both in the middle of the defense and on special teams.

J.C. Jackson’s best day: Jackson is viewed as the Patriots No. 1 cornerback while Stephon Gilmore remains on the physically unable to perform list. With both Gilmore and Jackson set to be free agents following the season, the Patriots likely have a decision on their hands on who to pay CB1 money.
Jackson has had a solid camp throughout so far, but he had his best day on Monday. The former undrafted free agent stopped Jakobi Meyers on an out-route from the 5-yard line before Meyers could get into the end zone. A few plays later he made a great pass breakup on a fade to Nelson Agholor in the corner of the end zone on a pretty ball from Mac Jones. With Gilmore sidelined, Jackson continues to prove that he can be viewed as a legitimate number one corner.
 
Through five practices, Newton is 57 of 92 (62.0 percent) with three interceptions in team drills. He is 23 of 48 (47.9 percent) with an interception in 11-on-11s against the starting defense. As noted Saturday, Newton has exclusively worked with the starting offense during those higher-intensity reps.

Jones is 58 of 95 overall (61.1 percent), including 17 of 40 (42.5 percent) in 11-on-11s against the starting defense. However, Jones has also worked with a mixture of starters and backups – particularly on the offensive line – during those periods.

Both quarterbacks have clearly cleaned up against the scout team defense. Very curious to see if there will be a point in camp when there’s an increased emphasis for the starting offense to work against the starting defense. That’d be a better chance to assess the quarterbacks as they jockey for position on the depth chart. Jeff Howe
 
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