FOXBOROUGH — The New England Patriots took the practice field one last time before Thursday's preseason opener against the New York Giants.
Here are four observations from Tuesday's practice.
Observations from Patriots' final practice before preseason opener
The offense looked much better
If you've followed the news out of Patriots training camp through the first two weeks, you've likely heard that the offense hasn't been sharp, especially since the pads were put on.
Monday was arguably the low point. The offensive line largely struggled, allowing Mac Jones to get “sacked” (still no tackling) four times. The unit also allowed the running backs to be stuffed numerous times as it learns a new zone blocking scheme.
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Tuesday's practice didn't get off to the best start. In the first 11-on-11 session, the Patriots' top offensive unit appeared to have short gains, at best, on five of the seven rushes. All of those rushing plays were to the right side, where right tackle Isaiah Wynn would typically be. However, he was out for Tuesday's practice and backup Yodny Cajuste was in there instead.
However, as practice went on, the offensive line started to create good openings for the Patriots' running backs. Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson each had multiple rushes where they were able to get what would've been decent gains against the top defensive unit. Backup running back Ty Montgomery had a slick cut at the line of scrimmage for a good run during Tuesday's practice. There were still some runs that likely would've gone for short gains, but the ground game wasn't as stuck in the mud on Tuesday as it was last week.
In addition, the offensive line held its ground in the passing game. The quarterbacks weren't pressured much and all of the throwaways came after the quarterback held the ball for a few seconds, which is more a sign of a receiver not getting open. The defense didn't record a sack until that last play, either, which came against Bailey Zappe as the offense ran a hurry-up offense.
Mac Jones didn't take many chances
Part of the reason why the defense might have had many pressures was that the offense didn't really allow them to get home. All of Jones' passes during the 11-on-11 session prior to hurry-up were intermediate throws, with several being quick tosses.
Jones' first pass of the day in 11-on-11 action was actually intercepted. The quarterback appeared to run a run-pass option (RPO), with his pass getting tipped at the line and tipped again when it reached receiver Kendrick Bourne. Backup linebacker Harvey Langi ended up with the ball in his hands.
When it was time to go against the starting defense, Jones played it safe for the most part. He ended up going 10-of-15, connecting with Harris and Hunter Henry multiple times. Nelson Agholor and Jakobi Meyers also received targets on slants, while tight end Jonnu Smith caught a quick strike from Jones on a play-action pass.
Jones connected with receiver DeVante Parker on a deep pass during the hurry-up portion of 11-on-11s. Parker made a leaping grab more than 20 yards down the field over Jonathan Jones. However, the defense was able to force a turnover on downs a few plays later, with Jones missing receivers on three of those passes.
Fight!
Things got a bit chippy at Tuesday's practice.
When the offensive line and defensive line practiced against each other, a skirmish broke out. No player was tossed and tackle Justin Herron appeared to be a part of it. Herron got into a scuffle with linebacker Josh Uche during last Friday's practice.
That set up for arguably the moment of the day.
After Jones connected with Henry for a short toss during an 11-on-11 drill in the red zone, emerging defensive tackle Christian Barmore and center and offensive captain David Andrews got into it. Jones tried to pull Barmore off Andrews, but to no avail. Practically every member of the team came running over to separate the two players.
“I tried to get in there a little bit,” Jones said, laughing when asked about the moment. “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.”
While fights are commonplace during training camp, Devin McCourty wasn't a fan of the timing of Tuesday's scuffle.
“It's a little late for all of that,” McCourty said. “…We're playing a game in two days. That's what it's all about.”
Both players were tossed from practice, though Andrews remained on the field while Barmore was escorted to the locker room.
Under-the-radar receivers, running backs stepped up
Former Saints receiver Lil'Jordan Humphrey has had a quiet training camp up to this point, working mostly with the bottom offensive unit and not getting many targets. Tuesday was different for him. Humphrey was the Patriots' top receiver of the day, catching six passes on eight targets.
Not only was Humphrey targeted often, he also got some work with the first-string offense. Jones targeted Humphrey twice, completing a pass.
Montgomery received a lot of work with the Patriots' top unit again on Tuesday. He got numerous rushes and Jones connected with him on a short toss. With James White on the physically unable to perform list for the foreseeable future, Montgomery appears in-line to be the Patriots' third running back.
Reciever Tre Nixon also had a big practice on Tuesday. Working with the second unit, Nixon caught five passes during the full-speed 11-on-11s and had another reception during the hurry-up portion of practice.
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