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FOXBOROUGH - For days, the Patriots have been talking about hitting someone else, someone other than each other.
They’ve been itching to go up against another team.
They’re about to get their wish. The Indianapolis Colts are in town for a joint practice Tuesday, followed by Thursday’s preseason opener.
“We’ve been going against each for two and a half weeks now, over and over and over again, going against the same guy over and over,” Hunter Henry said. “So it’s kind of cool ... we’re going to wear the same color, cheer on each other, instead of going against each other.”
Linebacker Christian Elliss was looking forward to seeing a stranger on the other said, but also seeing how the defense would stand up against a different offense with a different scheme.
“It’ll be good,” Ellis said. “Someone that’s not your teammate? That’ll be fun.”
While some Patriots have stood out during the first two weeks of training camp, joint practices are an even better indicator of how good, or bad, players are doing, and how effective the offense and defense could be going forward.
Here’s what I’ll be watching during the joints with Indy:
The Drake Maye-A.J. Brown connection
After a slow start, the dynamic duo has looked more dazzling during the past week and change. Even so, they still aren’t always on the same page. But they’re working on it.
At Monday’s practice, during one period where the offense was working on the two-minute drill, Brown and Maye huddled a couple of times when Tommy DeVito and the second team went in.
They had missed a connection in the end zone with Christian Gonzalez in coverage. So it appeared Maye and Brown were ironing out some details, or Brown was making a suggestion on what would work better. Maye even grabbed a tablet at one point, likely to review the play.
In any case, we’ll get a better look at their connection and chemistry going against the Colts defense and specifically, cornerbacks Sauce Gardner and Chardarious Ward.
The Gardner-Brown duels should be a lot of fun, especially after watching Brown and Gonzalez go toe-to-toe the past few weeks.
The left tackles
Will Campbell and Caleb Lomu will have plenty of eyes on them.
Campbell looks stronger, and he’s shown more aggressiveness in his pass blocking sets. He just hasn’t faced any elite pass rushers during one-on-ones or in team drills, like he did during the postseason where he struggled.
So it’ll be good to see how he holds up against another team’s top edge rushers, namely Laiatu Latu.
As for Lomu, the rookie is going through the paces, learning how to play on the right side. He was a left tackle in college, so he’s trying to get up to speed so he can assume the swing tackle role. He’s clearly shown to be better on the left side.
He’s also gotten beaten fairly regularly on one-on-ones. It’ll be interesting to see how he fares against Indy.
In the bigger picture, looking at the new offensive line with Alijah Vera-Tucker at left guard, and Jared Wilson now a center. Is Drake Maye still running for his life?
Gabe Jacas, edge group
The second-round edge rusher didn’t get off to the best start post-draft - not participating in the early camps due to undergoing a knee procedure the Patriots apparently weren’t fully aware of - but Jacas is doing his best to make up for lost time.
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He’s already gotten some reps with the first team. If Harold Landry remains out, there will be even more pressure on Jacas to step into a significant role.
He certainly looks the part. He’s a physically imposing player, and extremely powerful.
Describing his play, Jacas says he’s “very physical,” “very violent,” and “explosive.”
That’s exactly what we’ll be looking for against the Colts. And, we’ll be looking at newly acquired Dre-Mont Jones, and second-year players Elijah Ponder and Bradyn Swinson. Can any of the above get to the quarterback?
Christian Gonzalez’ level of engagement
Gonzalez is in the middle of a contract negotiation, but you wouldn’t know it. Instead of being a hold-in - showing up, but not participating fully - the team’s top corner has been fully engaged.
His battles with Brown have been epic. And they’ve been pretty much a draw to this point. Gonzalez has also managed to avoid injury while taking part in every drill, whether in pads or otherwise.
He’s put himself at risk to this point, while trying to hammer out an extension. Will he do so in a less controlled environment?
The Colts don’t care if Gonzalez makes it through practice unscathed or not.
So it’ll be interesting to see if Gonzalez continues to be fully engaged, or stops short of that. Or if he participates at all.
Tight ends not named Hunter Henry
Rookies Eli Raridon and Tanner Arkin are in the driver’s seat to be Hunter Henry’s sidekicks in the tight end room.
Are they capable of being a No. 2, or hold down the fort should Henry get hurt?
Raridon has improved steadily since the early camps, where he looked like a deer in the headlights. He’s gotten open, and consistently caught balls from Maye and Tommy DeVito. Arkin, more of a blocking tight end, has also made his presence felt.
How they fare against the Colts, and next week against the Philadelphia Eagles should provide a better gauge if they’re capable of backing up Henry, or if the Patriots will have to make a move down the road.
More Patriots Content
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