FOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts. – Quick thoughts and notes about the New England Patriots and the NFL:
Insurance coverage: In an ideal football world, every player would report to training camp with a clean bill of health and be on the field for first practice to maximize the limited time leading up to the regular season.
That rarely happens, and for the Patriots, starting guard Mike Onwino’s right ankle surgery and opening training camp on the physically unable to perform list is one example of how a “next man” situation can quickly emerge on teams.
Onwenu is one of the Patriots’ best players, and is a major cog in helping keep quarterback Mack Jones upright. He played all but six of last season’s snaps, and was ranked as an “Honorable Mention” pick in ESPN’s offseason Top 10 poll of executives, coaches, scouts, and players.
The Patriots will be patient with the 6-foot-3, 350-pound Onwenu, and until he’s cleared to practice after losing all field work this spring, they’ll get an early look at what they have for insurance — a group that includes the first offensive lineman they selected in this year’s draft, Troy center/guard Jake Andrews.
“He’s a fighter, a competitive guy, a blue-collar guy. I think it’s a perfect match,” Troy’s coach John Summerall told ESPN.com. “If you say ‘New England Patriots type guy,’ Jake Andrews isn’t just a ‘yeah,’ heHell Yes!'”
The Patriots selected Andrews with the fifth pick of the fourth round, 107th overall. The timing of the selection, as well as the team building strategy behind it, is noteworthy.
The fourth round begins on the third day of the draft, which means that each team resets its board at that point. The night break, along with teams not expecting players to remain available, explains why there are three straight deals at the start of the fourth (the Saints, Raiders, and Eagles all advanced).
The Patriots could also have traded, but instead they saw more value in securing Andrews, who started at right guard in 2020 and 2021 before moving to center as a senior in 2022. Somerall understood why.
He said, “He’s made up of the right things and has the right kind of wire, if you will. Very tough. Dependable. A tremendous teammate. Loves the game and the details of what’s going to happen being such a great guy. It’s so much fun as a football coach to get to coach a Jake Andrews-type guy.”
The selection also sparked a stretch in which the Patriots used two of their next three picks on the offensive line: Eastern Michigan tackle/guard Sidy Sow (Round 4, No. 117) and UCLA guard Atonio Mafi (Round 5, No. 144). The strategy was clear: Build bullish depth up front when the inevitable injuries hit.
Andrews, a native of Millbrook, Alabama, was a state championship wrestler in high school – a similar background to former Patriots guard Stephen Neal (2001-10). This shows in Andrews’ play, especially with hand-to-hand combat, Summerall said.
He was also coached by former Patriots assistant Cole Popovich last season in Troy.
“Cole was a huge part of what we did and how we did it,” said Summerall.
“The protection system we ran had a lot of derivatives and core themes from the Patriots system. I think that served our players very well, teaching them the NFL style of play from a technical and planning point of view.”
2. The scar on Klem: Dante Skarnichia was the Patriots’ offensive line coach when Adrian Klim played for the team (2000-2004). Now Klemm returns to the organization as offensive line coach — a valued employee along with offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien — and Scarnecchia loves to fit in. “Adrien is a really good coach,” he said. “I was really impressed with the way he managed his practice [in college], the demands he placed on the players. No-nonsense man. I think he’ll do a great job here.”
3. D-Hop-up: The biggest takeaway from receiver DeAndre Hopkins agreeing to join the Titans instead of the Patriots is that “what if” was the deciding factor for both sides. For Hopkins, much of the Patriots’ offer was incentive-related. And for the Patriots, the “what if” of how Hopkins fit into their program — and what it would look like if those incentives weren’t even close — contributed to their more cautious approach.
4. Conditioning test: When Patriots veterans report for training camp on Tuesday, they’ll be put through a conditioning test, which former New England native James White explained during his host appearance on Sirius XM NFL Radio last week. White explained that players should complete 20 sprints of 60 yards each, with a short break of a few minutes in between.
“The weather can make it more difficult — if it’s hot,” he said on “Opening Drive” with co-host Solomon Wilcotts. “You have Coach Belichick watching, all the scouts watching, and that’s the jump start for camp. I know the feeling a lot of these guys are going through. Some guys might be wondering if they’ve done enough in the last five weeks. Some guys might have done too much.”
The forecast for Tuesday is for a rise of 88 degrees.
5. A Bourne Throwback? Seven-year veteran receiver Kendrick Born was self-deprecating for his performance in 2022 (35 catches, 434 yards, 1 TD) after a productive 2021 season with the Patriots (55 catches, 800 yards, 5 TDs). His hard work this season has made an impression, with one team member saying he had a “fantastic spring”.
6. RB Depth: The Patriots’ workout with appearances by Leonard Fournette and Darrell Henderson Jr. this past Wednesday reflects a combination of due diligence and recognition that they didn’t fill the void created by James Robinson’s release in June. No signing was imminent at the time, but the two sides could always revisit in the future.
7. The Man’s Pose: One remaining piece of work from the spring to resolve is the case of starting defensive lineman Lawrence Jay, who did not report to mandatory mini-camp for what he believed were contract reasons. Jay entered his seventh season with the team and was a captain in 2020. A modest contract adjustment, similar to what the Titans did for safety Kevin Byard, would be a nice gesture from the club for a first-rate player.
8. Trent’s Motivation: It was a challenge for the Patriots to be able to count on veteran Trent Brown’s offense, as evidenced by his failure to show up on the mandatory June 1 mini-game. But if Brown’s recent social media activity is any indication, he may be locked in entering training camp. That will help answer a huge question for the team, with Riley Reiff and Calvin Anderson – both of whose professionalism is noted by teammates in the spring – next on the depth chart.
9. They Said So: “He has all the potential in the world. I hope he keeps his head on his shoulders and makes smart decisions on and off the football field. He can be a key cornerstone in this league.” [and] Reminds me of a young J.C. Jackson.” —James White, via Sirius XM NFL Radio, on Patriots second-row Jack Jones
10. Did you know? Over the past 10 seasons, only two Super Bowl winners have had a leading rusher of more than 1,000 yards. The most recent was LeGarrette Blount for the Patriots in 2016.