NFL Notes: 7 early takeaways from Patriots training camp

Four Patriots practices down seven takeaways Let s dig in Who is the offense built for The answer should be Drake Maye Right He s the quarterback the one holding the ball every play and by extension the fate of the franchise Then again the perks of having a quarterback with limitless talent include running whatever offensive system you want Every concept play and formation is available If you can draw it on the whiteboard he can take it to the field An offensive coordinator s dream Except on the field is where limits crop up fast for Josh McDaniels The Patriots inarguably own one of the least proven and talented pass-protecting offensive lines in the league Their weapons are average at best and their the bulk dangerous receivers Stefon Diggs and DeMario Douglas do their best work within - yards of the line of scrimmage All of which is to ask if McDaniels doesn t expect Maye to have much time in the pocket or numerous viable targets deep downfield is he already playing in a box Maye did not attempt a single pass beyond yards Thursday a practice dedicated exclusively to first-down plays base concepts that reveal what an offense is and how it wants to move the ball But then of Maye s passes traveled more than yards Saturday when the gang incorporated more third-down plays in -on- periods including a bomb Maye threw to DeMario Douglas Overall of Maye s passes have targeted the intermediate or deep levels Of unit four practices is a pint-sized sample size and the Patriots haven t put pads on yet But the question remains what will the offense s identity be On Friday new center Garrett Bradbury relayed what a multitude of first-year Patriots have discovered for years upon diving into McDaniels playbook it contains answers to any and every defensive trouble All the film we ve watched from this offense are the glory years here right Bradbury noted And you see how Tom Brady played with such quickness he knew where he was going with the ball because he mastered the system And you can understand that once you master this system you ve got all the answers to the book And so once Maye gets that I think we ll be in a good place The rub is that even if Maye arrives at mastery the nature of his position makes him both the majority influential and dependent athlete on the field And while Maye has the physical ability to unlock all parts of the playbook his teammates do not Meaning even if McDaniels tailored the offense to Maye s largest part powerful skills deep passes movement plays and middle-of-the-field throws that vision may not be realized because the Patriots talents don t complement their quarterback s And even if McDaniels designed an offense for everyone around Maye and the quarterback manages mastery is he at years old able to trigger a quick passing meeting after spending the past two seasons looking long and extending plays out of necessity Brady s most of underrated skill over his years in New England was his malleability the mental discipline and flexibility to lead a spread offense one season a two-tight end attack the next and play-action-powered passing games late in his career Can Maye do the same What will McDaniels ask of him Diggs Douglas and New England Patriots wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Kayshon Boutte warm up before a company practice Thursday at Gillette Stadium Mark Stockwell Boston Herald Maye has two favorite targets so far at training camp Neither should come as a surprise Diggs has caught five passes from Maye in gang drills through four practices while Douglas has seven Diggs has worked exclusively with the starting offense while Douglas has taken scant reps with the backup units Both players are far ahead of all other wideouts Ideally third-round rookie Kyle Williams would complement them as the No receiver a speedster who can serve as the fulcrum of their deep passing match So far Williams the bulk triumphant routes have all been out-breakers a reflection of how corners feel threatened by his deep speed Williams even beat Christian Gonzalez an All-Pro candidate on a comeback direction during his first training camp practice Wednesday Otherwise the Pats are left with draft pick disappointments Ja Lynn Polk and Javon Baker and steady-eddy veterans Mack Hollins and Kendrick Bourne Hollins remains on the Physically Unable to Perform list while Bourne has primarily repped with the second-team offense Undrafted rookie Efton Chism has had a quiet start to camp Stock up WR DeMario Douglas He s been the the greater part consistent and productive receiver in training camp OLB Harold Landry A would-be sack machine in crew drills where he s often pulling up and peeling away from Maye after creating a path to the quarterback for himself OL Jared Wilson the Georgia product has taken first-team reps at left guard and center The coaching staff seems intent on giving him a shot to unseat either Cole Strange or Garrett Bradbury Stock down WR Javon Baker He owns the lowest catch rate of all pass-catchers in group drills thanks partly to a missed deep ball on Thursday He did however snag one Saturday OLB Anfernee Jennings So far the one-time Patriots starter has been as invisible as any edge-rusher in camp Jennings does not appear to be a scheme fit for the new defense RT Morgan Moses Chalk it up to rust or lack of pads but Moses has been victimized for an allowed sack on multiple days The Patriots are now slow-playing it with Moses hoping to keep the -year-old upright and available for the entire season Christian Wilkins intersest FILE - Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Christian Wilkins warms up before an NFL preseason football meeting against the Minnesota Vikings Saturday Aug in Minneapolis AP Photo Charlie Neibergall File Fitness is the big question here for the in the last few days published Wilkins whose foot injury was at the heart of the Raiders shocking decision to release him this week The -year-old Massachusetts native has ranked among the best defensive tackles in the league but couldn t reach an agreement with squad doctors about how best to proceed with his recovery So less than a year and a half after signing him to a four-year million deal Las Vegas cut bait and the squad is hoping to void more than million in remaining guarantees Wilkins has appealed While both parties await a decision Wilkins is in search of a new unit Vrabel approved Friday that the Patriots will weigh whether to make a run at him Well I mean I think we ll have a conversation he mentioned I mean this is pretty new so I don t have all the information on where Christian is I know Christian recruited him when he was up here in the area in Connecticut going to high school So I m sure we ll have a conversation The Patriots made a real run at Wilkins in when the Herald communicated the front office was big competition hunting heading into free agency that offseason Wilkins was atop their list but like multiple free agents opted for a more stable situation than what the Patriots could offer Since then the Vrabel-led Pats have added ex-Eagles defensive tackle Milton Williams who has already grown into a locker-room leader and should form one of the best interior pass-rushing duos in the league next to Christian Barmore Do the Patriots want to make that a trio The view here is go for it Eyes on Doug Marrone Last season according to stats pulled by Underdog Fantasy s Hayden Winks the Patriots ranked second in quick pressure rate allowed and third in unblocked pressure rate Translation not only did their offensive line stink so did their protection schemes Related Articles Where Patriots rookies stand in first week of training camp Patriots rookie Kyle Williams Blessing to play with favorite receiver Patriots rookie class feeling fortunate for veteran free-agent addition Patriots new pass-rusher could bolster Mike Vrabel s defense with breakout Patriots training camp Day Drake Maye rips long TDs on roller-coaster day That puts more pressure on McDaniels and new offensive line coach Doug Marrone to paper over the squad s largest part obvious weakness by providing the right answers and making the right call more than their counterparts on the opposing sideline A longtime former head coach with the Jaguars and Bills Marrone was an ideal hire based on his resume But that doesn t mean it will translate directly to a group that must rely on younger players namely Will Campbell and third-round rookie Jared Wilson to find success Marrone not only has to connect with the younger players almost years his junior but get them to play like veterans Vrabel s servant leadership Do you know what Mike Vrabel has been doing through the first minutes of the bulk practices Serving as a ball boy For special teams drills defensive back drills wide receiver drills Vrabel is not bouncing from position to position to talk over his assistants He s adding subtle value often as a ball boy but other times by holding a blocking pad A new feature of training camp Quote of the Week I spent a lot of time with him this spring and I have to remind myself he s right I mean he s light years ahead of where I was as a rookie where greater part rookies I ve seen are In terms of his approach his mentality he doesn t act like a -year-old He understands the weight of the position he plays Center Garrett Bradbury on Drake Maye