The 4 defining trends of Patriots training camp

The truth is in the trends.

Through nine training camp practices, there’s precious little that can be said about the 2022 Patriots with certainty. Most players and position groups have experienced ups and downs on the field, the natural flow of camp. But what is consistent can be counted on, at least heading into Thursday’s preseason opener against the Giants.

So far, five trends have sustained from Day 1 of training camp through the team’s last practice on Friday. This is the truth, as it stands now, about the Patriots.

1. Yes, the offense is new

The Patriots did not throw out their old offensive playbook.

But you better believe the 2022 edition has a new cover, prologue and a couple different chapters.

The offensive staff, starting with Bill Belichick, Matt Patricia and Joe Judge, has been empowered to change the system Josh McDaniels left behind. They’ve installed a new foundation: a zone run game paired complemented by a bootleg, play-action passing attack. They’ve relabeled old concepts and simplified the traditional dropback passing game.

As veteran wideout Jakobi Meyers told the NFL Network on Friday: “We understand we did things a certain way before, but it’s not about that anymore.”

The initial hallmarks of this offense are base personnel groupings of 11 personnel (one running back, one tight end) and 12 personnel (one running back and two tight ends). The Patriots used their two-tight end package on just 14% of their offensive snaps last year. Based on their practices today, that could more than double this season.

The wide receivers are also aligning closer to the offensive line, a schematic shift that should allow them to separate more easily against man coverage. The Patriots were the second-most pressed team in the NFL last season, with defenses unafraid of playing their wideouts 1-on-1. At least now, Meyers and Co. can crisscross their routes off the line to create traffic for defenders and head right, left or straight upfield instead of aligning outside the numbers, where their route tree is limited by the sideline.

2. The run game is stalling

Of all the Patriots’ offensive woes in team periods – and they are several and significant – the run game is most concerning.

The starting offense was stuffed on more than 40% of its attempts in padded practices last week. Last season, the Vikings offense finished with the highest stuff rate at 23.8%. The Pats’ problems run deeper than a new scheme.

Right guard Mike Onwenu is already rotating with longtime backup James Ferentz and third-year reserve Arlington Hambright during team drills, a sign of the staff’s disappointment in his play. Onwenu’s fit in a zone-style scheme has also come into question as a 350-pounder blocking plays that historically have thrived with quicker, lighter linemen. Isaiah Wynn is also experiencing some obvious growing pains as he transitions to right tackle.

3. There is no No. 1 receiver – yet

Meyers leads all pass catchers with 21 receptions in competitive team drills. If you watched the past two seasons, that shouldn’t be surprising, given Meyers led the team in catches in 2021 and 2020.

But after DeVante Parker’s arrival and the selection of second-round rookie Tyquan Thornton, there was hope a No. 1 wideout might emerge. So far, it’s Meyers, again, by a hair.

Tight end Jonnu Smith ranks second with 18 catches on a team-high 26 targets. He and Meyers gobbled up targets last week, when Jones repeatedly found them for short gains as he trid to generate any positive momentum against the starting defense. Former seventh-round pick and minicamp darling Tre Nixon has 17 catches on 23 targets, most of them from rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe.

After them, Parker has caught half of his 20 targets in team drills, as he continues to win mostly in contested-catch situations. The former Dolphin is not a natural separator. Lastly, Kendrick Bourne, the steadiest of the team’s receivers, hit a dry spell last week with two catches in his last three competitive practices.

4. The rookies are involved

First-rounder Cole Strange has taken every starting rep at left guard. Third-round cornerback Marcus Jones repped with the starting defense in Friday’s scrimmage when Belichick divided the roster into starters and backups. Fourth-round corner Jack Jones has two pass breakups, the same number as Malcolm Butler.

If Butler can’t pull ahead of current starters Jalen Mills and Terrance Mitchell, while Marcus Jones and Jack Jones perform at a similar level, there’s a chance he could land on the chopping block. Of all the positions, the defensive backs seem fast-tracked for a youth movement, thanks largely to their rookies.

Even the undrafted rookies are making an impact.

Safety/special teamer Brenden Schooler is drilling with veterans Matthew Slater, Justin Bethel and Cody Davis off to the side like the staff has decided he’s already made the team. Former Alabama five-star recruit LaBryan Ray, an edge rusher, is tied for the team lead with three sacks during team drills. Undrafted Purdue linebacker DaMarcus Mitchell, another potential core special teamer, earned a sack on Thursday.

Thanks mostly to Mac Jones, the first and second-year players on this team will carry the Patriots as far as they can go. So far, the rookies are holding up their end of the bargain.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/lEfbdam