The New England Patriots returned to the practice field Wednesday at Gillette Stadium for their second OTA session open to the media.
Drake Maye's struggles were the biggest takeaway from their first open OTA practice as the second-year quarterback tossed four interceptions. While he improved on Wednesday, the offense still left plenty to be desired against a defense that had looked a step ahead so far this spring.
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WATCH HERE🔊 Patriots Talk Podcast: An UNEVEN offensive performance at Patriots OTAs | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
NBC Sports Boston's Patriots insiders Phil Perry and Tom E. Curran were in attendance, and they shared his observations on a new episode of the Patriots Talk Podcast:
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SIGN UP Stefon Diggs drama
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel addressed a viral video of star wide receiver Stefon Diggs on a boat handing a pink, unidentified substance to a group of women.
"I think the messaging from Vrabel, both to his team privately and with us, is important," Perry said. "Because if you are trying to establish a culture here, and you're going to rid the building of entitlement -- it doesn't mean that any time someone does something off the field you don't like that you've got to release him, but you do have to make some sort of statement to let everybody know what the standard is and what you're looking for and what you're not looking for."
Better day for Maye, but still a slog for the offense
Drake Maye bounced back after his four-interception practice on May 20. The promising young QB didn't throw a pick in Wednesday's practice, though it still was a rough day for the offense as a whole.
Perry used one word to describe the offense's performance.
"Uneven," he said. "Had some fine moments. Second unit, fine moments. First unit, Drake Maye and Hunter Henry looking good at times. But also disjointed, some head-scratching incompletions. ... Just uneven. That's sort of the word I'm settling on today."
Kyle Williams making his presence felt
The third-round wide receiver out of Washington State continues to look sharp in OTAs. As Perry notes, he made one of the biggest plays of the day with a catch deep down the right sideline.
Teaching moment
Second-year wideout Javon Baker could be on the roster bubble this summer, so he must make a positive impression in OTAs and throughout camp. He made multiple noteworthy plays on Wednesday, but Vrabel took issue with him not returning to the huddle after a long touchdown grab.
"I think you sort of saw both sides of what makes Vrabel, Vrabel," Perry said. "Where you get the old-school on the one hand, 'Hey, I don't care that you just ran 60 yards down the field and scored a touchdown in a practice in May, you've got to get your you-know-what back in the huddle.' ...
"He went out of his way to walk off the field to the locker room with Javon Baker and just reinforce the point in a different way. So you probably get a little bit of the softer side or the players' coach side of Vrabel."
New England's next OTA practice is scheduled for Friday.
Also in the episode:
- One word to describe Patriots OTAs.
- Mike Vrabel making expectations clear to Javon Baker.
- Hitting on Stefon Diggs’ viral video with unknown substance on a yacht.
- "Popped and dropped" segment.
- Joshua Dobbs had a rough day at Wednesday’s OTA.
- Curran doesn’t think Mike Onwenu will be ready “for a minute."
