Christian Gonzalez's seven-word reaction to facing Stefon Diggs
Diggs, who was recently cleared for training camp, was one of the Patriots' newest receiving weapons acquired in the offseason. He signed a three-year, $69 million deal with the team in free agency.
Meanwhile, Gonzalez is a third-year cornerback coming off his first All-Pro season. He'll be looking to solidify himself as one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL this year.
'I'm excited for that. It'll be fun," Gonzalez said on the training camp matchup with Diggs, via NBC Sports' Phil Perry.
This is a classic case of iron sharpening iron with the upcoming training camp battles between Gonzalez and Diggs.
Before going down with the ACL injury, Diggs was coming off six straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons. If he returns to form, it could turn into an incredible matchup against Gonzalez, who locked down some of the best receivers in the league last year.
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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Christian Gonzalez's seven-word reaction to facing Stefon Diggs

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New York Times
37 minutes ago
- New York Times
What we've learned about the Patriots through 6 training camp practices
FOXBORO, Mass. — At the end of a brutally hot practice Tuesday, quarterback Drake Maye hit receivers Kayshon Boutte and Kendrick Bourne for 5-yard touchdowns in the corner of the end zone, ending things on a high note after some early struggles. That has been the story of camp for the Patriots: a few really good moments and a few rough ones. Advertisement But rather than zoom in on just one drill or one day, let's reset with the bigger picture in mind. Here are six things we've learned about the Patriots after six training camp practices. Perhaps this is to be expected. The Patriots have a new offensive coordinator, new offensive tackles and a new No. 1 wide receiver. If you're an optimist, there have been enough on-the-money throws from Maye to be convinced he can be a top-10 quarterback in the NFL this season. But if you're ready to nitpick and believe the front office didn't do enough this offseason to improve the offense, there have been plenty of struggles to which you can point. In short, the offense has been inconsistent. At times, the offensive line looks pretty shaky. At times, the bottom of the wide receiver depth chart has struggled. At times (including at Tuesday's practice), Maye's accuracy is an issue. And there have been way too many botched snaps between Maye and his centers, which can be drive-enders. It's still early for an offense that's learning a new scheme, so it shouldn't be a surprise that consistency has been an issue. All in all, it has been an up-and-down start for the unit. Pads on, energy up 🔋 — New England Patriots (@Patriots) July 28, 2025 There will be lots of important questions about how the bottom of the depth chart shakes out at wide receiver, but one thing has been clear: Outside of Stefon Diggs, Douglas is the Patriots' best receiver. The 24-year-old gets more targets from Maye than anyone else and usually is efficient with them. In a Josh McDaniels-led offense that historically has gotten a lot of production from its slot receivers, Douglas could be in line for a big season. Diggs is the no-doubt No. 1 wideout on this team. But Douglas is the Pats' second-best option. The next question: Who is the No. 3 among Kayshon Boutte, Kyle Williams and Mack Hollins (who has yet to practice)? Advertisement After revamping the front five last season, the team's first-string offensive line appears to be largely decided. Will Campbell, Cole Strange, Garrett Bradbury, Mike Onwenu and Morgan Moses have been the starters from left to right. Only one question remains: Can third-round pick Jared Wilson do enough to nab a starting role at left guard or center over Strange or Bradbury? Wilson has had some nice moments where his athleticism is notable, including impressive one-on-one reps against Milton Williams on Tuesday. But there have been some issues, too, including two fumbled exchanges with Maye. Much of this will be decided once we see how Wilson fares in the three preseason games (he will probably get snaps at both positions), but he has been trending in the right direction in recent days. Now it's just a question of whether he can overtake Strange or Bradbury. One of the pre-camp concerns was how the cornerback group would look behind Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis. Relatively quickly, the concern has flipped to the health of those two starters while the reserve corners have played well. Gonzalez and Davis missed Tuesday's practice because of injuries. That has meant plenty of time for the reserves, and DJ James, Miles Battle and Alex Austin have all taken advantage. We'll see if that continues. Now, New England just needs to get Gonzalez and Davis healthy and ready for Week 1. Austin Hooper participated in his first practice of camp Tuesday, but what was telling was how much the Patriots still leaned on multiple-tight-end formations even while he was out. We know they feel comfortable with their top two tight ends: Hunter Henry and Hooper. But McDaniels kept utilizing big formations even when Hooper was out, which suggests the Patriots will likely lean on a lot of 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends) this season. Advertisement That could play to their strengths, too, since it would alleviate any potential concerns about the Nos. 3 and 4 wide receivers on the roster. Perhaps no player has looked better than I expected than edge rusher K'Lavon Chaisson. The 2020 first-round pick is hoping a change of scenery and a bigger opportunity could bring out his best after five seasons in the league have resulted in just 10 sacks. Keion White and Chaisson have been arguably the team's top pass rushers. Defenders aren't allowed to tackle quarterbacks during practice, so it can be tough to know exactly which plays would have resulted in sacks, but Chaisson has been consistently disrupting the pocket and getting to the QB. We're just a week in, but Chaisson looks like an under-the-radar candidate to make a big impact for the Patriots this season.

Indianapolis Star
38 minutes ago
- Indianapolis Star
Doyel: New-look Colts secondary dominates, but it's vet Kenny Moore II with play of camp
WESTFIELD – You're thinking about the 2025 Indianapolis Colts secondary and you're excited about new cornerback Charvarius Ward, and I get it. Who wouldn't be excited about that guy? He's a legitimate Pro Bowl cornerback in the prime of his NFL career, and he comes to the Colts with the expectation, the promise, of being the team's best cornerback since Stephon Gilmore in 2022, or maybe farther back, since Vontae Davis in 2015. Get excited about Ward. Me, I'm more excited about someone else. You're thinking about the Colts secondary and you're excited about new Colts safety Camryn Bynum, and I get it. Who wouldn't be excited about that guy? For years the Colts have tried to cram a round peg into the square hole that is free safety, going from Rodney Thomas II to Nick Cross to Julian Blackmon, with sporadic results. That's a playmaking position, free safety, and who's made plays there for the Colts? The best in a decade has been Mike Adams in 2015. Camryn Bynum makes square look cool – because he makes plays. He was involved in five turnovers last season, with three interceptions and two fumble recoveries. He was involved in five more the year before, reversing those numbers: two picks, three forced fumbles. Get excited about Bynum. Me? I'm more excited about someone else. It was the play of this year's training camp, last year's training camp, next year's training camp – and you'll never see it. Well, maybe there's a bootleg video of the play on someone's phone, and it will come out eventually. Talking about that interception by Kenny Moore II on the first day of 2025 Indianapolis Colts training camp. Were you there? The grandstands were full. The sideline was full of reporters, too – all of us holding phones, some holding TV cameras – but it happened later in the camp session, after the filming portion of practice was over. A Colts public relations official, always the same killjoy (kidding!), walks down the row and reminds us to stop filming. And then it happens. Colts quarterback Daniel Jones drops back, looks around and spots slot receiver Josh Downs over the middle. Problem is, Jones waited too long – because Kenny Moore sees Downs, too. Here comes the throw and here comes Kenny AND WHAT JUST HAPPENED? Seriously. What was that? Here's how special it was: Writing these words, now, a full week later – you feel that? Those goosebumps? The ball arrives into Downs' chest at the same time Moore arrives, and Downs is grabbing it with two hands. He's surehanded, this guy. Caught 68 passes in 2023, a record for a Colts rookie, then caught 72 in just 14 games last season. He's the real deal, Josh Downs. But Kenny Moore arrives and reaches into Downs' chest and rips out his heart I mean rips out the ball – and he does it with one hand. That's how it looked, but honestly, I can't be sure. I saw it … but didn't see it, know what I mean? All I know for sure is this: Kenny Moore II is holding up the football triumphantly, and after a split-second of silence – think of the quiet after lightning flashes – here comes the thunder. It's players on the field, it's fans in the grandstands, it's coaches. The thunder rolls at Grand Park in Westfield. Doyel in 2023: Kenny Moore II has perfect day with two pick-6's in front of family There are other players to be excited about, too. Rookie corner Justin Walley and third-year veteran Jaylon Jones have been having a heck of a camp. Jones is long and he's fast and he's starter-quality after being a seventh-round draft pick, which means 31 teams screwed up before the Colts got it right and chose him out of Texas A&M with the 221st overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. He was carted off the field Tuesday, though, with a hamstring injury. Hoping for the best. If JuJu Brents (another hamstring issue) of Warren Central and Kansas State can get on the field and stay there, he has tools like your neighborhood handyman: 6-3, 198 pounds, 41½-inch vertical, 6.63 seconds in the three-cone drill (trust me) … you serious? Even his teammates, even Kenny Moore, are wondering what exactly it will look like when he puts it all together. 'I tell (JuJu) all the time,' Kenny Moore was saying this week, 'I'm going to come back and watch you. … I'm just gonna be a fan.' Moore isn't close to retiring – don't think so, anyway – but he can see the end of his career from here. He turns 30 on Aug. 23, ranking 19th among active players with 20 career interceptions, and the NFL is not full of 30-something cornerbacks. This is a young man's game, and more than most, cornerback is a young man's position. Moore is under contract through 2026. Moore sounds different this preseason, more reflective, more outward-focused. Don't read that the wrong way. He's never been self-centered. Teammates, coaches and even – yes – media have always loved Kenny Moore for a reason, and that reason is not a selfish streak. Doyel in 2023: For Colts Kenny Moore, "Mighty" Mason is a friendship, not a photo op But this preseason, he just sounds different. Ask him about the way he's feeling with all these new faces, and with a new defensive coordinator in Lou Anarumo, and Moore doesn't talk about himself. He talks about everyone else. 'It's been good, it's been good,' he says. 'Some areas that we're still working on … trying to get the steps right, trying to be available and trying to be getting ready to go. So, the chemistry is coming along, and I think the most important part for me is the meeting time, learning what the coaches want from myself, and I'm sure the other guys are doing the same thing – as well as the walk-thru to be able to make the corrections and everybody get on the same page.' Guys talk about football and the joy they get playing the game, even at practice, but for Moore that joy happens during the game. You've seen him celebrate interceptions or big plays. You'd never know how quiet he is off the field, how shy he is – how sweetly uncomfortable he can seem, at times – if all you know about Kenny Moore is the way he pops a ballcarrier to the ground and then hops up to bust a dance move. Or the way he'll rise after giving an opposing receiver the business, then straightens up the imaginary tie hanging from his neck. 'That's my joy of the game,' he says, 'dancing and having fun: 'How can we turn up Lucas Oil (Stadium)?' But for us to do that we've got to hone in on practice. That's why I love practice so much. To get an interception, to be able to celebrate, those are emotional times for myself individually because I know the work that has to put in to get there.' Oh, Kenny Moore can have some fun. And as he says, he loves practice. But he loves it the way you 'love' a diet – you know the sacrifice is worth it, because you're going to love the results. Here's more from Kenny, on the work he's putting in at training camp. 'These are workdays, know what I mean?' he says. 'Every day is not a happy day, like, 'Oh yeah, everything is so cool.' We have to be intentional about the relationships and the time on task. These are tough days right now.' Kenny Moore is dialed in, and coming off a quietly excellent season: three interceptions, one returned fumble for a touchdown, career-low completion percentage allowed (63.5%) and yards per target (5.5). But he's more than a cover guy. He's a hybrid linebacker/slot corner, and I know he's just 5-9 and 190 pounds, but have you ever seen a small, angry cat overwhelm a larger dog? That's Moore on running backs, receivers, even offensive linemen, According to the film-studying eggheads at Pro Football Focus, Moore ranked 13th among nearly 250 cornerbacks in quarterback pressures last season, and 215th in missed tackles. In other words, he doesn't miss. The folks at PFF rank Ward as the No. 15 cornerback in the NFL, and Moore at No. 30. There are 32 NFL teams, remember. Moore is still elite, in other words, and now he's in a system that will unleash him more than Gus Bradley's one-dimensional defense – that dimension: scaredy-cat – utilized from 2022-24. Judging from results in camp thus far, Anarumo appears more aggressive, more demanding, more deceptive. 'Versatility,' Moore says when asked what he expects from Anarumo's scheme. 'My expectation is being proactive.' A proactive, reflective, intentional, hungry Kenny Moore? He's been knocking down passes all camp. He had that one-handed interception. What will he do in 2025? The cameras will be rolling, and how does that song go? You won't want to miss a thing. Find IndyStar columnist Gregg Doyel on Threads, or on BlueSky and Twitter at @GreggDoyelStar, or at Subscribe to the free weekly Doyel on Demand newsletter.


Los Angeles Times
3 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Cameron Brink returns but Aces end Sparks' winning streak
Thirteen months after tearing her ACL, Sparks forward Cameron Brink made her season debut, stepping onto the court at the 2:39 mark in the first quarter. Brink looked comfortable despite the long layoff, jumping into the midseason contest intensity with confidence. She was active and competitive throughout, playing 13 minutes and 55 seconds during her return. 'We're thrilled to have her back, and I'm incredibly proud of her,' Sparks coach Lynn Roberts said. 'She's on a minutes restriction. … I told her that she needs to enjoy the moment. … It's a hard injury to come back from mentally and physically, and she's done it with a smile on her face.' But the night marked the end of the WNBA's longest active winning streak, as the Sparks fell 89-74 to the Las Vegas Aces Tuesday night at Arena. The Sparks (11‑15) trailed by double digits for most of the game and couldn't recover against the surging Aces (14‑13), who extended their lead to as much as 21 points. In the third season matchup between the two teams, the Sparks came out a bit hesitant, while the Aces were the aggressors from the tip. 'That was the worst shooting we've had all season,' Roberts said. 'We've got to be able to defend. It's knowing personnel, it's knowing tendency, it's staying locked into the game plan even when they score the first eight points.' The Aces leaned on strong starts from Jackie Young and A'ja Wilson, who combined for 34 points in the first half alone. Wilson finished with 34 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists, while Young recorded a triple-double with 18 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. Dearica Hamby remained a bright spot for the Sparks, contributing 15 points and six rebounds. Hamby was named WNBA Western Conference Player of the Week after leading the Sparks to three wins, including a road victory over the defending champion New York Liberty on Saturday. Kelsey Plum added 22 points, five rebounds, and eight assists in the loss. Brink added five points, four rebounds, one block and one steal in 14 minutes of play. 'I was really proud of her,' Plum said of Brink. 'I told her after the game, 'It's very impressive to come in, make the impact that you did.' ... I think she's gonna continue to just help us a ton.' The Sparks, who had been rolling offensively, were startled by their difficulty scoring. 'We have been so used to making shots and so I think it caught us off guard a little bit,' Roberts said. The Sparks will look to regroup before playing the Storm in Seattle Friday night.