A solid day for Drake Maye as Patriots really bring energy on first day of minicamp

CBS News

3 hours ago

The New England Patriots kicked off mandatory minicamp in Foxboro on Monday, and the theme of the day was energy. It was abundant on both sides of the ball throughout a spirited practice behind Gillette Stadium.
Ahead of the session, head coach Mike Vrabel said Monday and Tuesday's practices would be an extension of what the team has done in OTAs. Monday included a lot of red zone work, and both the offense and the defense brought intensity to the field.
Both units competed hard throughout the session, which featured a lot of spirited competition in the red area. The offense would make a play, and then the defense would answer by making a play of its own. We also saw the two sides talking back and forth with each other, though it was in a constructive way rather than a lot of trash talk. (There was also a good amount of trash talk.)
Offensive players were chatting with defensive players and vice versa, as both offered up what they had seen on the previous play. There was a point where pass rusher Harold Landry was chatting up quarterback Drake Maye for a few minutes after a play, and that was common among a number of players.
Reporters observing Monday's practice kept saying how much fun it was to watch thanks to the energy and investment the players put into it. Here are some more observations from Monday's minicamp practice:
Another solid day for Drake Maye
I thought Monday was a good learning day for Maye. He had command throughout the practice and made a bunch of plays during the session, though there were times he held onto the ball a little too long.
Maye had a nice touchdown to Pop Douglas, where the receiver juked his defender to get to the end zone. But then he tried to dunk the football on the goalpost, and that didn't work out too well for the 5-foor-8 Douglas.
Maye also hit rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson on a nice angle route during red zone work. He didn't force many passes during Monday's red zone drills.
After practice wrapped up, he gushed about how great it is to work against the New England defense. He especially likes the challenge of going against corners Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis, whom he called one of the best corner duos in the NFL.
"I tell Gonzo every day I'm going to test him," said Maye. "For me, it's just playing the chess match with them. It's been fun, a good matchup with our defense. They do a lot of different stuff and it's a great workout for us."
Maye is well aware of the high expectations surrounding him heading into his second NFL season. He's not worried about living up to them, and in fact welcomes the challenge.
"I think you want high expectations. The Patriots are used to winning and that's what we're trying to get back to," said Maye. "You want people to expect you to play good and that pressure is what fuels you out here; fuels you to get the rep right in practice, fuels you to work hard in the meetings and the weight room. It fuels you to not let what happened last year happen again."
Kyle Williams had Patriots' Play of the Day
Rookie receiver Kyle Williams had another big play for the New England offense Monday. He scored on a roughly 50-yard bomb down the middle from backup quarterback Joshua Dobbs.
Stefon Diggs engaged and bringing energy
Diggs wasn't able to do much on Monday as he continues to recover from ACL surgery. But head coach Mike Vrabel praised Diggs for his energy ahead of the session, and Maye can already see his impact despite Diggs not being able to make plays on the field.
"He seems like an awesome teammate. He's my locker mate. We talk all the time," Maye said. "A veteran in this league, he's made a lot of plays and played in a lot of big time games. Awesome voice for the receiver room and this offense.
"Once he recovers and gets back out there, I'm looking forward to being able to throw him some footballs," Maye added. "Always good to have a guy like that on your team."
Diggs came out for a couple of routes at the end of Monday's session, but did most of his work on a side field with Ja'Lynn Polk. He also did a lot of talking with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels at one point on Monday.
Christian Barmore looked good, as did the defensive front
The New England defensive front is a big key to the team's success this season.
"That's gotta be a strength for us this year, that front seven. We certainly invested in that position and I like how they're competing and like how they're working," Vrabel said of the unit before practice. "I'm excited where they're at and they're learning a lot of installation. They're working hard and getting in shape."
The return of Christian Barmore will help. He's back after he was lost for most of last season as he dealt with a scary bout with blood clots, and Barmore looked good on the field Monday.
While the no-contact rules mean defensive players can't do much during practices, newcomer Milton Williams said all the big fellas in the trenches are doing what they can when they're out on the field.
"Right now, there is only so much we can do as far as rushing, power, stopping the run and things like that. We've been focused on communication, making sure we end up in the right spot, and running and making sure we get in shape," said Williams.
Williams was that investment Vrabel alluded to, after the team gave him a four-year, $104 million deal that includes $63 million guaranteed in the offseason. Williams played just half of Philadelphia's defensive snaps last season, but said that wasn't his decision. He's gearing up for a much bigger workload in New England.
"I'm training to play as much as I can. I'm going out whenever they call my number," said Williams. "I'll be in shape and ready for whatever."
Other big plays
Isaiah Bolden had a nice play in the secondary when he picked off Dobbs in the red zone and returned it for a pick-six. He also broke up a pass by third-stringer Ben Wooldridge in the red zone.
Undrafted running back Lan Larison also turned some heads on Monday when he scored a touchdown on a nice wheel route.
Patriots attendance at minicamp
Diggs and Polk were both limited among Patriots receivers, as were offensive linemen Mike Onwenu, Vederian Lowe, and rookie Jared Wilson.
Receiver Mack Hollins, linemen Wes Schweitzer and Tyrese Robinson, and linebacker Jahlani Tavai (who was injured in last week's OTA practice) did not participate on Monday.
One more minicamp practice
The Patriots will practice one more time Tuesday afternoon. They'll be back at the facilities Wednesday, but Vrabel has already called off that day's practice. Then players will get a nice break before returning for Training Camp in late July.
"Really starting to find a stride and I'm kinda bummed out we're about to leave," said Maye.
Maye has some pretty big plans ahead of training camp though. He told reporters Monday he's getting married in two weeks.