Live from Patriots training camp: Patriots offense finally takes positive step forward

FOXBORO – Following a day filled with offensive disappointment, Mac Jones and the Patriots offense rebounded in the Day 11 of training camp. Although the pace was scaled back and the offense didn’t look dynamic, we saw a step in the right direction on Tuesday.

Up front, the Patriots offensive line blocked well enough to allow running backs to hit open holes and give their quarterback enough time to throw the ball to his targets. Neither aspect was happening on Monday when Jones was sacked four times in his first 16 pass plays and the backs had nowhere to run.

On Tuesday, the pace of practice was slowed a bit since it’s the Patriots final day in pads before their preseason opener on Thursday. The offense and defense focused several periods in the red zone. Here, we saw a difference with the offense – even if things didn’t start well. Jones’ first pass of the day was deflected at the line of scrimmage, bounced off Kendrick Bourne’s hand and went to linebacker Harvey Langi for an interception.

Thankfully for Jones, that wasn’t a sign of things to come. The quarterback completed 10-of-14 passes in full-team drills. He went 5-of-6 in 7-on-7s with the lone incompletion being a drop by Jonnu Smith. The run game looked more efficient with Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson breaking off nice runs – thanks to the holes opened by the offensive line.

Although Jones’ didn’t test the secondary much – most of his passes were short and quick throws – the day felt positive and perhaps, a confidence builder. If anything, Tuesday was a step in the right direction – which you’ll take at this moment.

Things weren’t perfect. At the end of practice, when the offense ran a simulated 2-minute drill, Jones went just 3-of-7. This drill is made for the offense to complete passes and move quickly downfield as time expires. It seemed like Jones and his receivers weren’t always on the same page here with the quarterback throwing multiple passes away.

Brian Hoyer finished 3-of-11 in full-team drills and 4-for-4 in 7-on-7s. Bailey Zappe went 8-of-11 in 11-on-11s and 5-of-6 in 7-on-7s.

Drops plagued the Patriots on Tuesday with six players dropping catchable passes – Smith, Tre Nixon, Kevin Harris, Josh Hammon, Jakobi Meyers and J.J. Taylor. On defense, Jack Jones had a solid day with two pass breakups. Devin McCourty also batted down a pass.

A fight broke out between David Andrews and Christian Barmore

After the offensive line looked beat up on Monday, it was clear that David Andrews was trying to send a message in practice.

The center was in the middle of two skirmishes before being kicked out of camp.

Andrews first locked up with an unidentified defensive lineman during a blocking drill. It was unclear what started the ruckus, but Andrews and the other player were quickly separated. Tempers boiled over later in practice. Following an 11-on-11 drill, which was a Jones pass to Hunter Henry, Andrews and defensive lineman Christian Barmore locked up and attempted to fight each other on the field.

Andrews and Barmore crashed into the ground as teammates jumped in and tried to separate the two heavyweights.

“I tried to get in there a little bit,” Jones said after practice. “It’s two guys I have a lot of respect for. At this point in camp, that’s gonna happen. I just want to make sure I can talk to both of those guys and try to stop it. At the end of the day, we’re teammates and we all know that.”

“I mean, it’s football. Things happen. Guys get heated, we’ve been out here practicing for a long time,” Davon Godchaux added. “I wouldn’t make that nothing. It’s just football.”

It’s custom in Patriots camp for players to be ejected for fighting. Barmore was sent to the locker room. Andrews was sent off the practice field, but ran on the conditioning hill as his teammates finished the day.

With Isaiah Wynn out, Yodny Cajuste stepped up

Isaiah Wynn missed his first day of training camp on Tuesday. He was out with James White (PUP list) and Andrew Stueber (NFI list). Tight ends Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene were both limited.

Wynn was limited on Monday and that was an issue for the offense. Justin Herron filled in at right tackle that day and looked overmatched by the Patriots edge rushers. It seems as though the coaches thought the same thing because on Tuesday, Yodny Cajuste was inserted at right tackle.

Cajuste looked solid on the right side. That’s one reason the Patriots run blocking and passing blocking looked improved as there didn’t seem to be an obvious weak link on the line.

Cajuste played just 81 snaps last season - starting two games and playing in seven. The 2019 third-round pick could turn into the Patriots top backup tackle if he continues to have a solid training camp.

Practice moved up due to thunderstorms

Welcome to Day 11 of Patriots training camp.

Bill Belichick moved Patriots practice up to noon on Tuesday. Camp was initially supposed to start at 4 p.m. today, but scheduled thunderstorms in the area forced the Patriots coach to move up the session. This marks the final full practice of the week before the team’s preseason opener against the New York Giants on Thursday night.

We can only hope to see some offensive improvements. That wasn’t the case on Monday. As we detailed, Mac Jones and the offensive unit struggled mightily. Prior to that practice, Belichick was asked if he was comfortable with the progress his new look offense was making.

Mark Daniels: At what point will the Patriots offense improve? For now, it's getting worse.

“Every day is a challenge,” Belichick said. “We just try to build on yesterday and do what we can do today to get better and build on it tomorrow. At different points in time we take stock of where we are and decide whether we add more in this area, or add more in that area, or whatever it happens to be. We try to do things we think are most important and most necessary that will help us win. That’s just kind of what we do.

“You can get everything in and not execute it very well, or you can get in less and hopefully do it better. That’s usually the way it works, or there’s somewhere in between. I’d say usually, we fall somewhere in between: don’t get in everything we want, but feel like the things that we can do, at least we’re doing it at a competitive level. Not saying it’s great, but at least we can go out there and do it. So, we’ll see.”

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Storms affect Patriots camp in final practice before preseason game