The Jerod Mayo era kicked off in Foxborough with the start of training camp under cloudy skies and a few sprinkles on the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium. While the players remain in OTA mode in terms of attire, dressing in helmets and shorts, Mayo stressed the importance of establishing competition throughout camp.
"The overarching message, I would say it's about competition," Mayo explained. "It's about competition and it's also about building camaraderie and knowing what to do. I've learned a lot of principles here from Bill [Belichick], and being smart, tough and dependable is definitely something that I definitely think makes a good team. That's still part of my message to the rest of the guys, but when it's all said and done, it's about competition and going out there and beating the men across from you."
From strictly a physical standpoint that won't begin until next week when the pads come. Until then there were some signs of an increased level of enthusiasm and intensity on display. Jalen Reagor caught a couple of deep balls from Drake Maye – one in 7-on-7s and the other in full team work. The former came when Reagor got behind first-year corner Azizi Hearn and Brenden Schooler and hauled in Maye's slightly overthrown pass with one hand over his outside shoulder. The catch drew the loudest response from the Day 1 crowd.
The defense also made it's share of plays as Jonathan Jones showed tight coverage against Ja'Lynn Polk and deflected a Jacoby Brissett pass in the air. Kyle Dugger was there to corral the pass for the first interception of training camp.
"That's just Kyle doing what he does," said fellow safety Jabrill Peppers. "I don't know how he always seems to be in the right spot but he does."
As for the position everyone is waiting to hear about, Brissett maintained his role as the first quarterback in drills, as was the case throughout the offseason camps. Mayo said that decision coming out of the spring wasn't particularly difficult.
"I don't think there's any doubt Jacoby is the starting quarterback at this point in time," Mayo said. "We can look at these other quarterbacks on the roster, at the same time, it's about competition. When we get out on the field this summer, with the pads on, we'll see how it all plays out. Coming out of the spring, I think it's clear that Jacoby is the most pro-ready guy we have. He's played a lot of football."
While Mayo was emphatic in his assessment, he also acknowledged the possibility for Maye to enjoy a strong camp and change the equation dramatically.
"Look, if [Maye] -- and this goes to any position -- if he comes out here and he lights it up, once again, it goes back to the quality of reps," Mayo said. "It could absolutely happen. I'll sit here and tell you, coming out of the spring, Jacoby looks like the starting quarterback. Now with that being said, he'll have competition. Let's not forget about even Joe Milton; let's not forget about [Bailey] Zappe. All those guys will have opportunities to go out there and be the starting quarterback in Week 1."
Beyond the opening day moments, here are one man's observations from Day 1 of training camp:
*While Mayo confirmed the entire roster was present and accounted for when asked about it on Tuesday, there were a handful of players not participating to start camp. The team reported on Tuesday that Kendrick Bourne (knee), Cole Strange (knee), Jake Andrews and Sione Takitaki were placed on the active/physically unable to perform list while Antonio Gibson landed on the non-football injury list. Those players can be activated at any time and would thus be removed from their respective lists. They were the only players not spotted.
In a separate category, Matthew Judon and Davon Godchaux were both in uniform. Both have expressed the desire to rework their contracts as they are each heading into the final years of their current deals. Mayo was asked how the relationship between the team and those two stood as camp kicked off.
"The relationship is still good, at least from my perspective," Mayo said Tuesday morning. "I know that their teammates definitely respect them. Those are valuable pieces of this organization and they've done a lot for us. Hopefully we can get something done and those guys are here. I want them here, Eliot [Wolf] wants them here, the team wants them here. There is a business aspect to everything though."
On Wednesday Judon and Godchaux didn't show any overt signs of displeasure. Both were part of their position group drills and were involved. But until pads come on and true reps take place it will be difficult to ascertain their level of involvement.
Judon spoke after practice and admitted he was a bit jealous that some of his teammates were able to cash in with extensions but he also was emphatic in his desire to stay in New England, saying he was not interested in a trade.
Last season, Judon wasn't really part of much of the full team work until he received a bump in pay, and it would not be surprising to see a similar situation unfold this summer. Same could be said of Godchaux, who is set to earn $7.5 million in 2024 but has expressed a desire for an extension. Again, we'll see how that looks next week in pads.
"It's always the expectation if you're here, you're going to go out there and practice and you're going to compete. That's what it's all about," Mayo said. "We're going to do everything possible to keep those guys. I think it's good for the organization and hopefully it works out."
*DeMario Douglas did not appear to be at full strength as he spent most of his time running sprints in the far end zone while the remainder of the team did 7-on-7s and 11-on-11s.
*On Day 1 the offensive line featured, from left to right, Chuks Okorafor, Sidy Sow, David Andrews, Mike Onwenu and Calvin Anderson. Rookie Caedan Wallace worked as the right tackle with the second group. Mayo stresses the importance of not reading anything into depth charts at this time of year so keep in mind that the lineups are quite fluid in the summer.
*Maye executed a play that will surely be a part of the Alex Van Pelt offense during early 11-on-11 work. He used a hard play-action off a boot to his right and fired a dart to JuJu Smith-Schuster on a deep crossing route. Maye's athleticism was apparent on the throw and it's one of Van Pelt's staples when hunting for explosive plays.
*The Patriots made a slight shift in practice times from what had become the norm in recent years. While Belichick preferred to kick things off earlier in the morning around 9:30 a.m., Mayo has opted to push things back to 11 a.m. for each of the 13 days the team is currently scheduled to practice.
"I thought it was important that we had adequate meeting time in the morning, before we touch the field," Mayo explained. "I think the guys appreciate that. They want to make sure they tighten all the screws and know exactly what to do on the field so their athleticism can take over. That was the mindset.
"When you have those earlier practices, look, we're in New England, we're not in New Orleans or anything like that. But when you look at those earlier practices, it just takes a lot of time the night before, and you don't know if those guys really retain it the next day. I wanted to give those guys the opportunity to brush up before they went on the field."
While Mayo joked that New England's climate isn't necessarily known for consistent steamy conditions in the summer, he did say he expects there to be some fluctuation in the duration of practices and stressed the importance of preparation for the players.
"It's all about hydration, we take various measures all the time," Mayo said. "We'll have the icebox outside. We always have people tracking real-time data throughout practice. Honestly, it's my job, if those guys are looking like they're about to die, there's no problem of cutting practice.
"I will say this; practice won't be two hours every day or two-and-a-half hours every single day. I believe in undulating the practice schedule, continuing to confuse the body. We'll have an hour and 30 practice, but it's going to be high intensity. Or, we'll have a two hour and 10-minute practice where there will be some slower periods in those. I think it's important to do that and change it up, break up the monotony a little bit."
*We're always looking out for any changes or additions to the training camp practice routine and the Mayo regime brought one for the quarterbacks. As was the case in the spring, the passers took reps firing passes into targets hanging from a portable structure situated between the hashes at the 5-yard line. The quarterbacks took drop backs and attempted to land their passes into the nets hanging around each rectangular target.
Also, there were two dummies adorned in white practice jerseys, one with the No. 70 and the other No. 74. The offensive linemen protected 70 at the back of the far end zone while pass rushers used 74 as a would-be tackle and practiced their techniques working off its inside shoulder.
*Special teamers spent time early working on punt rushes. Players split through a double team of coaches with pads before arriving in the backfield where they would knock down volleyballs that were underhanded by equipment staff trying to simulate punts.
*After Brissett, Jonathan Jones, David Andrews and Ja'Whaun Bentley spoke with the media on Tuesday, Peppers, Judon, Deatrich Wise, Reagor, Rhamondre Stevenson, Hunter Henry and Onwenu were among those chatting after practice on opening day.
*The Patriots will be back at it on Thursday for Day 2 of camp, which once again will begin at 11 a.m. and feature players in helmets and shorts. Practice is open to the public with gates set to open at 10 a.m.
DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer
