CAM RISES WITH STIDHAM BANGED UP
Pulling away in QB competition
— Cam Newton is closing in.
Over a steamy morning practice Sunday, Newton took more snaps in team periods than any quarterback has so far this summer. While his increased opportunity has coincided with the fallout from Jarrett Stidham’s new injury, Newton ran the offense with greater command, completed 65% of his passes in competitive settings and continued to unlock more possibilities as a runner. The starting quarterback job is his to lose.
Newton was also down several teammates, as the Patriots were one of several teams that dealt with falsepositive COVID-19 player tests results over the weekend. It appears all of those players will be cleared.
Below is a comprehensive recap of everything the Herald observed during Sunday’s practice.
Attendance
Absent: CB Stephon Gilmore (personal), S Adrian Phillips, RB James White, DT Beau Allen, RB J.J. Taylor, CB D’Angelo Ross, CB Michael Jackson, TE Jake Burt, WR Jeff Thomas, DE Tashawn Bower
PUP: RB Sony Michel, RB Lamar Miller
Limited: S Kyle Dugger, C David Andrews, WR Jakobi Meyers, WR Will Hastings
Play of the Day
Ryan Izzo’s touchdown
As Newton’s practiceclosing 2-minute drill crossed into the red zone, Izzo went head-to-head against safety Terrence Brooks. Aligned to Newton’s right, he fired off the line of scrimmage, streaked straight upfield and then broke toward the right back pylon. With Brooks in airtight coverage, Izzo reached for a high-and-away Newton throw and tucked it away near the sideline for a touchdown.
Usually hailed for his blocking in team drills, Izzo pulled off his best receiving play of camp at exactly the right time. It drew the loudest cheer of the day.
Player of the Day
WR Julian Edelman
Edelman grabbed every catchable ball thrown his way, including six passes from Newton outside of individual drills. The duo again worked on the side during special teams periods, trading tips about how to sharpen their connection. Edelman beat every corner he faced and was the security blanket Newton will need if/when he takes over.
QB Corner
Note: The passing stats below were tallied during competitive, full-speed periods only. Newton: 19-29 (Camp total: 51-80, 2 INTs) Stidham: N/A (Camp total: 27-41, 6 INTs) Brian Hoyer: 13-18, INT (Camp total: 43-70, 2 INTs)
Studs
QB Cam Newton
Any day you can pull away with a starting job is a good day. Newton is clearly further along mentally than he was at the start of training camp and whipped a few pinpoint passes downfield. His grasp of the Patriots offense is growing.
LB Ja’Whaun Bentley
Bentley sniffed out two screens and a designed quarterback run in the final team periods. He’s firmly entrenched as the new heart of the Patriots defense.
CB Justin Bethel
Bethel picked off Hoyer on an overthrown deep ball during a team period late in practice. He blanketed speedster Damiere Byrd from the start, and both sides knew the pick was a foregone conclusion as it started to descend.
Duds
K Justin Rohrwasser
The rookie kicked several undefended field goals to the side during 11-on-11 periods, and a few were flat-out disastrous, failing to even reach the end zone in the air. He did hit from 45-50 yards, but most of his other misses tended to swing wide left.
Kicking at a narrower field goal post in a full-team period, he made a pair from roughly 40 yards out and missed two 47-yarders. The last miss likely would’ve been good in a game setting with a normal target.
WR N’Keal Harry
After four days away from the field, Harry lost a fumble during a ball security drill and dropped two passes on the day. He also appeared to lose his lunch at the end of practice, when he was visibly drained and slow to walk back to the sideline. Tough day for the former first-round pick.
TE Devin Asiasi
The other fumble Sunday belonged to Asiasi, who also dropped a pass. The rookie rocketed off to a hot start in training camp and remains the favorite to start Week 1, but his ball security bears watching.
Offensive notes
Stidham was highly limited. No team reps, little participation during individual drills. The first drill he abstained from was a new hand-off drill the Pats ran in the opening 20 minutes of practice.
When Stidham threw from a standstill, he put plenty of zip on the ball. Mobility and contact seem to be the primary issues with his reported hip injury.
Rex Burkhead and Damien Harris were the only available running backs in a practice that focused heavily on the screen game. Both proved perfectly reliable as receivers and in blitz pick-up. Harris’ stock continues to trend upward.
In one 11-on-11 snap, Harris walked in for a touchdown on the bestblocked play of the day.
Over a lengthy scoutteam period, Gunner Olszewski helped the Pats address their lack of running back depth.
Olszewski’s routes are so much sharper from 2019. Edelman told reporters
after practice he’s picked up tips from most of his fellow receivers, including the former Division II corner now in his second season as a wideout.
Mohamed Sanu closed Newton’s 2-minute drill by climbing the ladder for a touchdown pass in front of Jonathan Jones. It’s been an otherwise quiet camp for Sanu.
No competition appears to have emerged for Jermaine Eluemunor at right tackle.
Newly-signed Paul Quessenberry worked at tight end and fullback, as Patriot TEs have historically done.
Fellow tight end Dalton Keene received constant praise throughout practice.
•Rookie offensive tackle Justin Herron took a lap early in practice for an unknown reason. He’s primarily worked on the left side, all with reserve units.
Meyers has been invisible in camp thus far. Disappointing start for the second-year receiver, who was a bright spot last summer.
Drops: Harry (2), Asiasi, Mohamed Sanu, Gunner Olszewski, Damiere Byrd, Devin Ross, Isaiah Zuber, Paul Butler.
Half of those drops occurred during an early drill when the wideouts ran 40-yard go routes toward one end zone.
Defensive notes
Another excellent day for the defense in team periods featuring several heady, sound stops around consistently strong pass coverage.
Deatrich Wise recorded multiple pressures during 11-on-11 work. Great day for him.
Outside linebacker Shilique Calhoun set a perfect edge against a jet sweep and received praise from the staff and his teammates alike. He looks like a new player this year.
Second-year inside linebacker Terez Hall jumped a screen in a team period, much to the delight of his teammates. He is Josh Uche’s chief competition to start next to Bentley in base defense.
Jason McCourty appeared to knock out a completion made to undrafted rookie receiver Isaiah Zuber near the end of practice.
Pass breakups: Bethel, Brooks, Hall, J.C. Jackson, Jason McCourty, Jonathan Jones and Myles Bryant.
It’s a bummer Bryant won’t be able to compete in preseason games. He’s been a pleasant surprise as one of the most productive rookies this summer.
Joejuan Williams’ snaps at cornerback are becoming rarer seemingly by the day. More time at safety for him Sunday.
Brooks was responsible for jarring the ball out of Harry’s grasp during a 2-on-1 ball security drill. He also dropped a gimme pick on one Newton overthrow in 7-on-7s.
Sixth-round rookie Cassh Maluia stripped Asisai in 7s, too.
Third-round rookie Anfernee Jennings shuffled around the linebacking corps. He primarily played on the outside at Alabama.
Uche had his aggression turned against him during a snap of 11-on-11, knifing into an A gap on a play-action pass that rolled back the opposite way.
Midway through practice, Dugger stood behind the secondary and watched them work against the scout-team offense. He was later joined by Adrian Phillips and Jason McCourty.
Bill Belichick was heavily involved with the scoutteam defense, offering individual instruction or feedback after almost every play.
Special teams
Jake Bailey continues to handle kickoffs.
Quessenberry joined the kick return unit immediately and took initial reps in one team period.
Odds and ends
Sunday brought the hottest practice of camp to date. The Patriots were in shorts and shells.
Newton spent a few water breaks with the offensive linemen, likely in effort to hasten the development of their budding relationship.