Time to raise their Boyce
Pats happy with WR
FOXBORO — The promising evolution of Josh Boyce has been in focus through two weeks of training camp practices, as the third-year wide receiver has rounded out his routerunning ability to become a more trusted asset.
Though Boyce is hardly a finished product, the 2013 fourth-round draft pick has clearly become more dependable for Tom Brady, and he can get open in a variety of ways. Boyce hits a home run on a deep ball every couple of practices, but his penchant for getting open with short and intermediate routes has made him a regular contributor with the first-team offense.
Boyce traced his personal progression back to last season’s practice reps with the scout team. He routinely was working against cornerback Darrelle Revis, so he repeatedly used that experience to his advantage by picking the All-Pro’s brain. Revis’ greatest advice? “If all of your routes look the same, they don’t know what you’re running,” Boyce said.
So Boyce ran and ran and ran, trying like heck to pull one over on Revis. This offseason, Boyce kept at it, whether he was working out by himself on a field in Texas or with route-running extraordinaire Julian Edelman.
The work has paid off in camp, as Boyce has caught 20 passes from Brady and 20 more from Jimmy Garoppolo. Credit Boyce for coming along when Brady needed him most, too, with 14 receptions in their six practices together without Edelman.
Because of Boyce’s blazing speed, Brady’s willingness to take a deep shot has become a daily occurrence, and the TCU product has hauled in his share, including a 50-yard beauty for a touchdown Monday against cornerback Darryl Roberts. Boyce tracked the ball from its highest point while staying in stride and keeping good position in front of Roberts to make the big play.
It was even more meaningful for Boyce after a difficult start to practice. He had a couple of drops and allowed cornerback Malcolm Butler to get under his crossing route to break up a pass before Brady pulled Boyce aside for an animated discussion, and they had their deep hookup in their next passing period.
Brady has shown a willingness to go back to Boyce immediately following a mistake, which displays an obvious level of trust. Brady didn’t appear overly thrilled at a Boyce route Aug. 2 because a ball bounced at the wideout’s feet, but the quarterback hit him with a pass on the ensuing play. The next practice, Boyce led the team with five connections with Brady.
Last Thursday and Friday, their chemistry was again apparent when Brady hit Boyce with a pair of backshoulder throws, including one against Butler that looked way too easy. Boyce was happy to acknowledge their symmetry.
“Just understanding where (the quarterbacks) want to go with the ball, where the defense is playing, and that helps you out a lot,” Boyce said.
Boyce’s short and intermediate routes have helped him pad his stats in camp, and he has been particularly effective on drag routes because he can build up speed over the middle of the field, which happened yesterday on an under route. His sideline routes have been crisper, too, particularly when he sells a deep ball, forces a cornerback to turn his hips and then slams on the brakes to create separation. Boyce beat Bradley Fletcher with that route yesterday, but those gains have been common throughout the past two weeks.
“If they think you’re running deep, you can run something else,” Boyce said. “If you keep all of your routes the same, they don’t know what you’re running. If you threaten them with your speed, it opens up a lot of things.”
Boyce harped on that deception yesterday while discussing the progressions in his game, but he also recognized there was work yet to be done. Without the scattered drops, it’s likely Boyce would rank even higher than tied for third in Brady connections at camp. And Boyce also has been victimized by a handful of pass breakups, including on back-to-back plays against Roberts yesterday.
Boyce spoke candidly about Butler’s breakup from Monday’s practice, saying he needed to run a flatter route to get himself in better position than the cornerback. For a receiver who has done well enough to find himself on Brady’s favorable side, Boyce realistically knew there was a lot left to accomplish. Those mistakes, when treated right, will further his improvement.
“There are a lot of different things you can do to make the route better,” Boyce said. “It’s a good thing that (pass breakup) happened. You can live and learn from it.”