The Patriots concluded their first of three joint practices earlier Tuesday. The team battled it out against the Indianapolis Colts on the practice field behind Gillette Stadium for two hours.
Offense-heavy day:
If you like offense, Tuesday’s joint practice was the one for you. Both teams torched each other's defenses for most of the day, and neither unit showed much resistance.
From the moment Patriots wide receiver and Colts defensive back one-on-one drills started, it was clear who the better unit was. Wide receiver A.J. Brown started the day off by dropping Colts standout cornerback Sauce Gardner and hauling in a short hitch route. The tone was set from that point on.
Efton Chism, Cameron Dorner and DeMario Douglas were among the other Patriots receivers who made Colts defenders look silly. Chism beat Rob Carter Jr. off the line of scrimmage, and when Carter caught up to him, the second-year pass catcher lost him again. Chism finished the play off with a diving catch.
Dorner, similar to Brown, dropped a Colts defender on a hitch route, but the Colts defender in coverage put “facemask to turf,” as Dorner brought in the easy completion. Unlike Dorner, Douglas had to go up and over cornerback Justin Walley to come down with his highlight catch. It was among the most impressive catches I've seen the 5’8 slot receiver make in his Patriots career.
As for the Colts offense, quarterbacks Daniel Jones, Riley Leonard and Anthony Richardson torched the Patriots secondary in Red Zone seven-on-sevens.
New England let up 11 straight completions, which included six touchdowns from the trio of quarterbacks. The run ended on a Marcellas Dial pass breakup.
Before you press the panic button for the Patriots defense, it is always harder for the cornerbacks in one-on-one and even seven-on-seven reps. Not to mention the teams’ top two corners, Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis were not participating.
Christian Gonzalez: Holding out?
Cornerback Christian Gonzalez was not present for Tuesday’s joint practice, and his absence marked the first time he has not been a full participant this summer.
With Gonzalez in the midst of an ongoing contract negotiation, there were questions as to whether or not the standout corner would be participating throughout training camp. Those questions were answered, as Gonzalez had been out there and fully participated in the first thirteen of the teams’ practices. Despite this, Gonzalez was a no-show at joint practices.
With the Patriots facing off against another team, the risk factor of a potential injury ticks up a notch. There is a scenario where the former Oregon Duck decided this far too big of a risk.
It’s also worth noting that the All-Pro cornerback landed hard on an attempt to break up a pass intended for Romeo Doubs in Monday’s practice. According to beat reporter Greg Bedard, the aforementioned ‘hard landing’ was the reason for Gonzalez’s absence.
“I was told Gonzalez's absence was due to the minor injury sustained at the end of Monday's practice,” Bedard shared via X.
It can be assumed that Gonzalez will not play in the team’s preseason game, but it is still unclear whether or not he will be a full participant the next time the team takes the practice field, Saturday, August 15.
Raridon Continues to Impress:
Rookie tight end Eli Raridon continued to build off his strong camp with another quality practice. Raridon, once again, took a decent amount of snaps with the starting offense and cashed in on a few opportunities with the second team.
Raridon was on the receiving end of a Tommy DeVito touchdown pass. The Patriots backup quarterback stepped up to avoid a Colts rusher and fired a strike to Raridon in the back of the end zone. The former Notre Dame tight end also made a diving catch on a throw from Maye over the middle of the field.
Mike Vrabel and the rest of the Patriots coaching staff have noticed Raridon’s impressive summer, and while I wouldn’t write Raridon’s name as the starter just yet, starting tight end Hunter Henry took significantly more second team reps than in previous practices.
Henry, who signed a two-year contract extension Monday, was running with the Patriots' second team offense more than ever. It was very unusual to see Henry take snaps with Patriots backup quarterbacks each of the past two seasons and earlier this summer. Today, it was a common sight.
One-Minute Drill Chaos:
Tuesday’s joint practice ended with both teams’ top two offenses being placed a little behind the 50-yard line with the task to operate a successful “two-minute” drill, or in this case, a one-minute and twelve-second drill.
Maye and the Patriots’ starting offense came out of the gates hot, as the quarterback completed twice to Douglas. The drive then went backwards, as a member of the Patriots’ offensive line jumped early.
It didn’t get any better for the Patriots, and when targeting Douglas on a seam route, Maye’s pass was underthrown and intercepted by safety Camryn Bynum. Maye did not throw another pass.
The Colts’ starting offense, led by quarterback Daniel Jones, drove down the field on the back of a few Jones to Tyler Warren connections. The drive was capped off by a Josh Downs touchdown reception. Downs easily beat cornerback Macus Jones on a whip route.
The Patriots’ second offense wasted no time in striking back, on the very first play, DeVito found wide receiver Mack Hollins for a long score. They then followed it up by converting the two-point conversion when DeVito hit Raridon in the back of the end zone.
The day ended after a Riley Leonard pass was batted up in the air and intercepted by safety John Saunders Jr. Saunders has had a sneakily good camp.
What they said:
Patriots safety Dell Pettus stepped up to the podium and was asked how Christian Gonzalez’s absence affected the team.
“I mean, as great as Gonzo is, we have an expectation, just on our team in general, that there is no drop-off,” Pettus said. “Everybody is expected to be able to come in and compete at the highest level…”
The Patriots will take on the Colts, Thursday, August 13, in their first preseason contest of the season.