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Boston Herald
Boston Herald
16 Aug 2023
Andrew Callahan


NextImg:Patriots-Packers joint practices Day 1: Ezekiel Elliott debuts, offense hobbled by 13 sacks in Green Bay

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Bill O’Brien’s offense was finally in full, glorious view Wednesday morning under a baby blue Wisconsin sky.

Motions, fakes and Mac Jones at the controls, whipping darts that punctured holes in Green Bay’s soft zone coverage. Temperatures climbed into the mid-80s, as the Patriots went head-to-head with the Packers over their first of two joint practices. Jones sizzled.

He started 8-of-12 in team periods, calm and confident with a full complement of weapons and quarterback tools. He changed tempo, plays and targets. Then, the machine slowed down. Pieces fell off.

Penalties, sacks and a second near interception sent the offense in reverse. Jones’ 2-minute drill ended with Bill Belichick reaming him out for a situational error. After two-plus hours, the Patriots had probbaly practiced the Packers to a draw on both sides of the ball, but the shaky foundation of O’Brien’s offense — its line — had reinforced major concerns about the entire operation.

Something felt off here, starting with … 13 sacks allowed.

Elsewhere at the longest Patriots practice of the summer, Ezekiel Elliott made his team debut, Christian Gonzalez took a few rookie lumps, Deatrich Wise and Matt Judon throttled Green Bay’s O-line and a special teams scuffle broke out.

Here are the Herald’s complete practice observations.

New England Patriots' Ezekiel Elliott runs a drill during practice for NFL football training camp Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

New England Patriots’ Ezekiel Elliott runs a drill during practice for NFL football training camp Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Returned: OL Bill Murray

Absent: CB Jonathan Jones, TE Mike Gesicki, RB/WR Ty Montgomery, RB Pierre Strong, OL Cole Strange, OL Kody Russey, DL Trey Flowers, LB Ronnie Perkins

Limited: RB Ezekiel Elliott, DL Carl Davis, Murray

PUP: OL Mike Onwenu, S Cody Davis

Non-Football Illness: OT Calvin Anderson

Notes: Elliott participated in the first 30 minutes of practice, which involved the offense and defense separately walking through plays, stretching and then positional drills. He did not take any reps in team periods. Jonathan Jones is nearing two weeks out, Montgomery hit three and Strong hasn’t been seen since the preseason opener.

Strange and Russey were absent, despite appearing late at Monday’s practice in uniform. Onwenu attended practice in street clothes. Murray returned, but did not participate in any contact drills.

A seventh-round rookie isn’t supposed to blanket a burgeoning star receiver. But don’t tell Isaiah Bolden.

After Packers receiver Christian Watson snapped off a short in-cut during one team period, Bolden stayed tight to his hip. As Jordan Love’s pass arrived, Bolden chopped down on Watson’s arms to break up the pass. Watson is expected to be the Packers’ new No. 1 receiver, but instead he had Bolden looking like a No. 1 corner — at least for one play.

FOXBORO MA. - AUGUST 16: New England Patriots defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. takes to the field for New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers combined training camp on August 16, 2022 in Foxboro, MA. (Staff Photo By Nancy Lane/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)

FOXBORO MA. – AUGUST 16: New England Patriots defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. takes to the field for New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers combined training camp on August 16, 2022 in Foxboro, MA. (Staff Photo By Nancy Lane/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)

Three sacks and a batted pass. That’ll do.

Wise reached Jordan Love twice team drills and would’ve dropped his backup, rookie Sean Clifford, earlier in 11-on-11s. The 29-year-old is coming off a career year with 7.5 sacks and dozens of pressures. Wise looked like the best pass rusher on the field Wednesday.

Note: The passing stats below were tallied during competitive 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 periods only. The stats in parentheses represent the quarterbacks’ camp-long performance.

Judon finished just behind Wise’s team-high three sacks with 2.5 of his own. Judon physically dropped Jordan Love in a late 11-on-11 period — a no-no with quarterbacks wearing red, non-contract jerseys — but Judon picked him up immediately after the play.

Two days after Kendrick Bourne broke out for his best practice of training camp, Parker posted a summer-high five catches on seven targets. He won on slants, a comeback, one curl route and had a contested touchdown grab disputed by officials, who claimed it hit the ground. Either way, Parker, who later claimed he held onto the ball, kept building on an impressive camp.

Stevenson flashed his light feet and decisive running style throughout practice, jumping out of trouble and into open lanes. As a receiver, he caught all four passes thrown his way.

Patriots already excited about ‘special things’ Ezekiel Elliott can bring

Again, 13 sacks allowed in team periods. Mac Jones would've been dropped five times in a game setting, and Bailey Zappe eight. The blame for these "sacks" could be evenly split between poor blocking and coverage sacks or those caused by either quarterback holding the ball too long. But even going by that divide, six or seven sacks allowed by an offensive line is unacceptable.

The second-year corner allowed three catches in team periods, including a pair on Love's 2-minute drill with the Packers' offensive starters. Jones was mostly victimized as an outside corner, a place he continues to see reps despite being 5-foot-8.

A victim of the high bar set for No. 1 receivers, Smith-Schuster caught just two of four targets and had one drop in team periods. He was also targeted on a pass easily broken up by Packers cornerback Rasul Douglas. Overall, after his catch that kicked off 11-on-11s, he was quiet.

Mac Jones trying to “chase the standard” Tom Brady set with Patriots

New England Patriots' Keion White during an NFL preseason football game against the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium, Thursday, Aug. 10, 2023 in Foxborough, Mass. (Winslow Townson/AP Images for Panini)

New England Patriots' Keion White during an NFL preseason football game against the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium, Thursday, Aug. 10, 2023 in Foxborough, Mass. (Winslow Townson/AP Images for Panini)

The Herald's Doug Kyed contributed to this report.