Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Blistering: Drake Maye & The Patriots Passing Offense Cooks in Pads!

Starting point is 00:00:00 Drake May is absolutely cooking with the pads on. This is Locked on Patriots. You are Locked on Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast, part of the Locked on podcast network, your team every day. What's happening? I am your host Nick Cattles on today's episode, the good and bad of the O line from the Pat's second padded practice of training camp. But first, this passing offense is turning heads. go back a couple of weeks ago, and I talked about the things I was looking forward to the most with this training camp, and the passing offense was at the top of the list heading into this camp.

Starting point is 00:00:48 Drake May, coming back from his runner-up MVP season from 2025, the additions of A.J. Brown and Romeo Dobbs and Eli Raarden, et cetera, et cetera. And since the pads have come on, two padded practices so far. And since those pads came on, Drake May has been blistering. Now, depending on who you believe, their account of Friday's practice, Drake May was either 11 for 11, not missing a single pass, or he was 12 for 13. He finished with five touchdowns, one, two, three, four, fifth. No wasted motion from Drake May, in the red zone especially.

Starting point is 00:01:30 he has been incredibly efficient. And that's important with Drake May. We know sometimes he tries to do too much. He tries to extend plays. There is some good with that. There is some not so good. But so far, through the early portions of this camp, through two padded practices,

Starting point is 00:01:48 Drake May, no wasted motion, super efficient. He has also been incredibly decisive, which is another step in this progress we want to see from the quarterback. that progression of being decisive, understanding what's in front of him, not wasting the bullets, so to speak, making smart decisions, taking care of the football, limiting those negative plays in the red zone during Friday's padded practice. That's precisely what happened in the red zone. Patriots did a very good job.

Starting point is 00:02:20 Drake made did a very good job in limiting those negative plays. That's something that Mike Vrable brought up at the very beginning of this camp season, right? He brought up the idea of too many negative plays, too many negative runs, too many turnovers, too many sacks given up in the red zone. That can't happen. If we want to be better in the red zone, we're going to be better in the red zone by being efficient, taking care of the football, being decisive. Drake May has also been just a killer when it comes to accuracy in the red zone in these two padded practices. He dropped the football right into the bucket to Pop Douglas during Friday's practice, a perfect throw from your quarterback. And Drake May, you know, he's not afraid to go after Christian Gonzalez. He's talked about that.

Starting point is 00:03:08 He talked about that last year. And during today's padded practice, Drake May went after Christian Gonzalez. Gonzalez, we talked about this during yesterday's podcast, the latest episode for you before this live stream. we talked about Christian Gonzalez having a superb camp. He has been incredible in this camp so far. On Friday, tougher, a tougher day for Christian Gonzalez in the quarterback when after one of the best corners in football. Three or four times, Drake May beat Christian Gonzalez, including touchdowns against your

Starting point is 00:03:47 best corner. So shout out to Drake May, not being afraid of the moment, not being afraid of testing Gonzalez. He's done it before. He'll do it again. He did it on Friday. And the Patriots were successful in doing so. Then we get to A.J. Brown.

Starting point is 00:04:02 AJ Brown again on Friday. So not only has Drake May been blistering through the first two days of padded practices, his number one receiver has really picked it up. And for the first time in camp, AJ Brown, Drake May, that connection deep down the field actually worked. A.J. Brown against Christian Gonzalez hit Gonzo with a double move for a long touchdown.

Starting point is 00:04:32 And that's what you want to see. The red zone work has been there. The short work has been there. We discussed it after A.J. Brown's dominant Thursday. We need to see more intermediate. We need to see more deep downfield connections. and that's precisely what happened on Friday against the best corner in camp. Double move got the best of Gonzalez. And A.J. Brown on Friday, he beat Christian Gonzalez, the number one corner with Carlton Davis out. Charles Woods is next man up. A.J. Brown beat Charles Woods. And A.J. Brown also beat Craig Woodson in this practice.

Starting point is 00:05:09 And that Drake May, A.J. Brown connection has been much, much stronger with the pads on than prior to putting the pads on. And that is the momentum you want to see. We always talk about it. Don't get lost in the sauce. Don't get lost in a single practice. Especially don't get lost early in camp. You want to see that steady progress. And that's what you've seen between May and Brown. The steady progress. The past couple of days, their best two days of practice, precisely what you want from your franchise quarterback and your number one receiver. A couple of other thoughts about this passing offense in a minute. Don't forget if you're watching us on YouTube to click that thumbs up.

Starting point is 00:05:54 Give us a like. Always appreciate the likes. Helps us with the algorithm. Don't forget to comment as well. Your thoughts on Drake May blistering in pads the first two days. Want your thoughts on that? Want your thoughts on AJ Brown beating Christian Gonzalez on Friday with a double move for a long touchdown downfield.

Starting point is 00:06:13 So don't forget to like, don't forget to comment, and don't forget to subscribe. The goal is 11,000 subscribers by week one Wednesday night in Seattle. 11,000 subscribers. Can we get there? I think we can. All right, some other guys during Friday's practice in this passing offense who stood out. Pop Douglas had a good day. In Pop Douglas, early in this camp, it's pretty obvious the Patriots are trying to get him on the field more.

Starting point is 00:06:41 And the one thing that Pop Douglas brings, and we talked about this during the off season, we talked about this during mandatory minicamp, the one thing that Pop Douglas brings to this offense is speed out of the slot. Now, theoretically, Kyle Williams can bring that to you as well. But Pop Douglas can bring that speed element out of the slot. Romeo Dobbs is not super speedy. A.J. Brown is not speedy. Kishon Booty, if you move him inside, he's not speedy.

Starting point is 00:07:07 Matt Collins, you get the point. Pop Douglas brings that different element. he's been getting more snaps this camp. He had a good day on Friday. Hunter Henry had a very nice catch, a bobbling catch in the end zone, but it was a touchdown. So he made a nice play.

Starting point is 00:07:21 And Evan Lizar pointed out that Eli Raarden again stood out during practice. Eli Raherding continues to stack days. He had a good block on Brayden Swinton on Friday. Always important to underline when Eli Raarden has a good block because that's the biggest question. That might be the biggest obstacle. of him getting on the field.

Starting point is 00:07:43 If his blocking gets better, watch out. So Eli Raarden had a good day. He had a touchdown. He had another good catch against zone coverage, which we've seen early from the rookie tight end. So Eli Raarden had a good day. Romeo Dobbs. Romeo Dobbs had his moment in the sun on Friday.

Starting point is 00:07:59 Climb the ladder against Christian Gonzalez, beat Christian Gonzalez for a touchdown. It was great coverage by Christian Gonzalez from those that were at the practice. So it wasn't like Christian Gonzalez. Alice got burnt. But Gonzo, good coverage against Romeo Dobbs. Dobbs in the end zone, climbs the ladder and ends up with a touchdown. That is nice to see from Romeo Dobbs, who has had a quiet start. Rookie running back, Jam Miller, had a couple of good runs. And Evan Lazard pointed out that Jam Miller's processing has stood out early in camp. And

Starting point is 00:08:34 Jam Miller is getting more opportunities as practices go by. And it feels like Land Larison got the first shot at running back three, but over the past couple of days, Jam Miller is starting to surge towards that running back three position here on the depth chart. So it's going to be a fun competition for RB3. Jam Miller is making some noise. I mean, I just, I know Jam Miller's a running back, okay, but looking at the passing offense, I can't help but be excited about this passing offense. I know it's early in camp and we'll keep pounding that. We'll get a better idea against Indy at the joint practice. We'll have a better idea by the time you get to Philly and their joint practices.

Starting point is 00:09:16 But so far, so very good with the pads on. I mean, this passing offense is doing damage. And A.J. Brown is getting better every day. Romeo Dobbs makes a play. Kyle Williams made two spectacular plays on Thursday. Eli Rairden has shown some flashes. Let's go. I'm excited about this passing offense.

Starting point is 00:09:39 and your quarterback, your franchise quarterback, first two days of padded practices, he's been awesome. The offensive line was somewhat of a mixed bag on Friday. That's coming up. This is Lockdown Patriots, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, now the number one sports podcast network, your team every day.

Starting point is 00:10:02 Lockdown Patriots is brought to by Fandul. Baseball fans, if you think you know who's hitting a homer today, Fandul is giving you a free chance to call your shot with daily dingers. It's easy to play. Just make your free pick for who you think will hit a home run in their game. If you're right, you'll receive a profit boost to use on your next bet for a chance at extra winnings. And best of all, you can make a free pick every single day throughout the MLB season. Daily Dingers is another fun way to stay engaged with every day's games,

Starting point is 00:10:30 whether you're following your favorite team or keeping an eye on matchups across the league. Every game has someone capable of going deep. Now you get the chance to make your prediction before first pitch last night's game with the socks back-to-back home runs, right? There are certain players where every at-bat feels like something big could happen. So are you ready to play your game today? Join all the action at fanduil.com. Again, that is fandul.com to play daily dingers and make your free pick on who's hitting

Starting point is 00:11:00 a homer, play ball, and swing for the fences on Fandul, an official partner of the MLB. There are more live events than ever worth seeing right now. Games, concerts, comedy shows, festivals, the hard part usually isn't deciding what you want to attend. It's actually getting the tickets between long wait times, confusing checkout processes, surprise fees. Buying tickets can sometimes feel harder than it should. That's why so many fans are turning to game time. The app is built to make buying tickets simple, upfront pricing, seat views before you buy and more. Honestly, I want to know exactly what my view will look like and exactly what I'm paying.

Starting point is 00:11:39 Game time helps me know those two things ahead of time. I can buy tickets with a lot more confidence. Take the guesswork out of buying tickets to every type of event with game time. Download the GameTime app, create an account, and use code locked on for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Again, create an account and redeem code L-O-C-E-D-O-N for $20 off. Download the Game Time app right now. Thank you for making us your first listen and for being an every day.

Starting point is 00:12:12 every day. We'll get to the good and bad of the offensive line on Friday during the padded practice. First, a couple of comments. We start with Jeremy. We love red zone execution. That was one of our downfalls last year. I think our red zone offense executing makes the difference in this harder schedule this year. Yeah, Jeremy, you know, we talked about it through the off season. And Mike Vrable has mentioned it multiple times. The red zone, being better in the red zone, both offensively and defensively. It is one of the top goals. If you, not top priorities of this camp. And so far, the offense has looked terrific in the red zone for the most part.

Starting point is 00:12:49 Now, the run game in the red zone on Thursday did not look very good. It was better on Friday. But the red zone offense, yes, they should be better this year. They have much better weapons inside the 20. They should have a better offensive line. So I agree with you. You know, finishing drives. Finishing drives.

Starting point is 00:13:10 If you can finish your drives at a higher rate in 2026, this offense could be even better than it was last year. Mike Grace, simple comment, just a bunch of popcorns. Get the popcorn ready, baby. And, you know, I've talked about it, Mike, that this is the most talented offense we have seen since the Tom Brady days. And there is nothing early in this camp that tells me different. Nothing. All right, let's jump to the offensive line. somewhat up and down day for the O line. Let's start with the good.

Starting point is 00:13:45 Will Campbell again was good. Will Campbell one-on-ones complete shutout. He won all three of his one-on-ones. He went three and oh. And so for the first two days in padded practices, and I know, I know people will sit there and say, who's he facing the edge questions regarding the Patriots. Let's not forget, though, last year there was some edge questions with the Patriots and Will Campbell. was not as good. So when you look at it, right now, you can only judge by what he's doing. And Will Campbell has had a very good start to this early camp. The two days in pads, he has won the vast majority of his one-on-ones, so he's doing what you want to see him do. He's putting together a really nice early camp. Jared Wilson, Michael Wenu, also had good days. in the one-on-ones.

Starting point is 00:14:42 So, you know, you look at Will Campbell, you look at Jared Wilson, if those two young guys on the O line take steps forward, it's only great news for you and your offense and especially your quarterback. But Michael Wenu was also solid in his one-on-ones. Evan Lazzar pointed out that against standard

Starting point is 00:15:00 four-man rush, there were a lot of clean pockets for Drake May during Friday's practice. So the O-line stood up well in pass protection, when you had four guys rushing. Let's get to the not so good. Facing the Blitz. The Patriots offensive line struggled on Friday facing blitzes.

Starting point is 00:15:24 They were not very good in protecting May against blitzes, against some games. And the left side of the offensive line had the issues for the most part. I will mention that Elijah Vera Tucker towards later in Friday's practice, It looked like the Patriots started to load manage him a little bit. So Elijah Vera Tucker was not out there for every single snap. Later as the practice went on, he took a step back. But the left side of the line, that includes Will Campbell, obviously, did have some issues against the Blitz. And we know in 2025, one of the issues for the O line and their pass protection was precisely this,

Starting point is 00:16:06 not doing the best job against Blitzes, not communicating. well, getting, you know, tricked by stunts in games. And so you saw some of that during Friday's practice. Evan Lazzar posted defense has gotten multiple pressures today with blitzes. Craig Woodson came in clean for a sack, quote unquote. The pocket collapsed on May earlier on a stunt blitz as well. So again, the stunts, the games. Phil Perry, what felt like a blitz heavy day for the defense led to multiple free runners.

Starting point is 00:16:37 players going against the top Patriots offense, who I thought had sacks today, quote, unquote, Kevin Byard had two, Craig Woodson had one, Christian Ellis had one, Corey Durdin had one. So five, quote unquote, sacks against the top Patriots offense during Friday's practice, and they all pretty much came from blitzing. It was a blitz heavy day. Now, here's the good news. This should get better. This should get better with more time together.

Starting point is 00:17:06 as camp progresses, as the offensive line starts reading and reacting to some of these games, the stunts, the blitzes, the offensive line should get better at protection. You know, you do have some new there. You've got Will Campbell working with Elijah Veritucker to his right for the first time. You've got Elijah Veritucker sandwiched in between the two young players on the O line, Jared Wilson transitioning back to his natural position at center. So there is some new there. and these guys have to gain the chemistry.

Starting point is 00:17:37 They've got to make sure they're on the same page and they are communicating well. So on Friday, there were issues. And you would hope that against the blitzing, against the stunts and the games and all that stuff up front, that this offensive line will slowly but surely improve as camp goes on. Caleb Lomu had an up and down day.

Starting point is 00:18:00 Greg Bedard posted that Caleb Lomu had bad losses in the one-on-ones against Brayden Swinton and Elijah Ponder. He did have a couple of good moments. So you're pretty typical rookie training camp practice in pads. So Caleb Lomu, more up and down. The other thing that I want to stick a pin in, the interior offensive line depth. Now, this is something that we discussed heading into camp. I had my concerns about the depth on the interior of this offensive line.

Starting point is 00:18:31 Hayden Wallace, Mackay Butler, some of those guys, right? Ben Brown, who's been serviceable, is supposed to be your ace interior offensive lineman. The Patriots are getting reps for Jacob Rizzi, a UDFA center slash guard during camp. Well, Ben Brown and Jacob Rizzi, they have not been very good in pads. And you need to see Ben Brown have a good camp. If Ben Brown doesn't have a good camp, your backup interior offensive line, those questions, become even more significant. And Caden Wallace, who, you know, during mandatory mini-camp,

Starting point is 00:19:07 started to look like he might actually find a spot on the 53-man roster playing guard. Well, at least for Friday's practice, it looked like Caden Wallace was leapfrogged by Mackay Butler. So the interior offensive line, I had questions about the interior before camp. And early in camp, I have even more questions about the depth of that spot. I feel good about Elijah Verit Tucker, Jared Wilson, Michael Wenu, but when you get beyond those guys, what do you truly have?

Starting point is 00:19:37 I've got significant questions there. And you can look back at the run game, the run game during Thursday's practice, all the run stuff that were given up. Now, some of that on Trayvion Henderson. But again, we're talking Corey Durdin being a nightmare, some of these interior defensive players, Eric Gregory making noise, the interior offensive line and the depth. it remains a question.

Starting point is 00:20:02 And we'll continue to have those questions. It's funny. Jeremy just pointed out, how's the guard depth coming along? Not great. Not great at all. Not great at all. Old guard says, consider state of offensive line depth in Super Bowl, rookie left tackle on a torn knee, had to play.

Starting point is 00:20:23 This is bad for depth and team. Can't knock the rookie left tackle. Want to see what talent paths pick up at cut time. Well, look, I would say this. Offensive line is very difficult to figure out in the NFL in 2026. This is something that I have screamed from the mountaintops for years. Offensive line play just isn't very good in the NFL. It is incredibly difficult to have, you know, a good fourth offensive tackle that you can depend upon.

Starting point is 00:20:50 It's difficult to have more than one or two guys that back up the interior that you can count on. My biggest issue is, you know, if Ben Brown has a bad camp, the Patriots don't really have an interior offensive lineman as depth that is proven in any way that I would have any confidence in. That's the issue. You know, you're not going to have a team that can go eight or nine deep on the offensive line. It just, you might have one or two. You're just not going to see that old guard. I think your handle is apropos, old guard. That's kind of an old vibe of like, you know, offensive line play in the NFL.

Starting point is 00:21:24 This current day with how college is running all that stuff, it's just a different world now. It's very, very difficult to go like too deep at every position in front of you. If you walk in with seven offensive linemen that you feel good about, that's a spot that you want to be in in the current day NFL. If you have eight guys that you can trust, it feels like you've got an embarrassment of riches. So there is a part where we've got to, you know, we've got to be reasonable, but you need more on the intent. especially if Ben Brown isn't playing well. All right, that wraps up this edition of Lockdown Patriots. Reach out to me on Twitter at Nick C. Radio.

Starting point is 00:22:02 Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe on YouTube. Thank you for making Lockdown Patriots your first listen. For your second listen, check out Lockdown NFL scouting. Kyle Crabs will take care of you there. Find Lockdown NFL scouting on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts. Have a great day. See you next time.

Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Blistering: Drake Maye & The Patriots Passing Offense Cooks in Pads!

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.