Patriots training camp live: Mac Jones and the offense has their worst practice of summer

FOXBORO –Those hoping to see signs of offensive improvement will have to wait another day.

The tenth day of Patriots training camp brought out more defensive domination against a starting offensive unit that looked lost at times on Monday. As this practice unfolded, it was clear that Mac Jones and his group were frustrated by a defensive that dominated in nearly every facet of the game.

The team’s starting offense struggled to run the ball and pass protect. The issues were upfront where running plates evaporated faster than a tiny pool of water in the desert. The pass protection looked brutal at times with Jones being sacked four times in his first 16 drop backs in full-team drills. The only time the offense looked thoroughly efficient was when the starters went up against the backups or in 7-on-7 drills when the pass rushers were on the sideline.

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With right tackle Isaiah Wynn limited and not participating in team drills, Justin Herron filled in and the backup looked overwhelmed at times. Jones finished 15-of-23 with an interception in full-team drills and 7-of-7 in 7-on-7s. He went 10-of-18 (56%) against the starting defense and 5-for-5 against the backups. Problems for the offense started immediately as the first period of 11-on-11s was a horror show.

The offense’s first rep of the day in full-team drills was a false start by left tackle Trent Brown. The next rep was a Damien Harris run that was stuffed at the line of scrimmage by Ja’Whaun Bentley. The third rep was an incomplete pass to Nelson Agholor. The fourth snap saw Jones sacked by linebacker Raekwon McMillan.

Jones went 3-of-5 in this first period. The defense had two sacks, two run stuffs and a pass breakup. The three pass completions were two passes where the receivers (Tyquan Thornton and Agholor) would’ve been hit hard over the middle and a screen pass to Jakobi Meyers. In a summer full of defensive dominance, this first 11-on-11 period was one of the worst for the Patriots starting offense this training camp.

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Jones and his group had no issue against the backs in the next period or in 7-on-7s, but when the starters took the field opposite of them, it was more of the same later in practice. In 10 plays, the defense had two sacks (Matthew Judon and Anfernee Jennings) and rushed Jones out of the pocket to ruin another pass play. The quarterback was 3-of-7 in this period. Out of four incomplete passes, one was overthrown, one was a miscommunication with Hunter Henry, one was thrown too low due to pressure and another was batted down by Malcolm Butler.

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, Jones was intercepted on his first snap of the next period. Jalen Mills easily picked off this overthrown ball to Kendrick Bourne. Three plays later, Jonathan Jones nearly intercepted Jones, but dropped the diving attempt. Most of Jones’ success on the day came with shorter throws where the offensive line didn’t need much time to block.

By the end of practice, all three quarterbacks threw interceptions. Bailey Zappe finished 6-of-9 with an interception by rookie cornerback Jack Jones. Brian Hoyer finished 7-of-11. He ended practice with an interception by safety Joshuah Bledsoe.

Jonathan Jones moves to the outside

The Patriots defense has had a steady stream of the same players in the starting lineup for most of training camp.  On Monday, however, we saw a new look secondary that could bring a lot of speed to the playing field.

Jonathan Jones was moved out of the slot to play outside cornerback for several team drills. We briefly saw this move last Friday during the Patriots in-stadium practice. Jones has long been the Patriots slot cornerback, but moving him outside allows the team to see an alignment with rookie Marcus Jones or Myles Bryant in the slot.

The pairing of Jonathan Jones and Marcus Jones, drafted in the third round, would be a lot of speed to the Patriots secondary. That might be a way for the team to try and combat an offensive unit such as Miami’s where they have speedy receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylyn Waddle.

Prior to Monday, Terrance Mitchell had been playing opposite of Jalen Mills. On this day, seeing Jonathan Jones and Mills in the same secondary was noteworthy. We’ll see if the coaching staff sticks with this combo come Thursday night’s preseason opener against the New York Giants.

Belichick: Patriots healthier than ever

The pace to training camp this year has seemed a bit slower than previous years. The Pats opted out of pads last week following just two practices when they could’ve had a full-contact practice for the third-straight day. We’ve also seen more drills that look half speed.

The reason, Bill Belichick says, is team health.

On Monday, the Pats had only two players absent in James White (PUP list) and Andrew Stueber (NFI list). The team returned six players as Chasen Hines came off the NFI list and practiced along with Jabrill Peppers, Dalton Keene, Judon, Jahalani Tavai and Ramondre Stevenson.

Belichick said the Patriots have never been healthier at this point in training camp.

“We’re approaching our practices in the best way that we can. The ramp-up period is the ramp-up period,” Belichick  said. “… I’d say the big thing would be working with our strength and conditioning staff. I feel like our team’s as healthy as it’s ever been at this time of year. Part of that has to do with the offseason program, the way guys have worked, and maybe part of it has to do with the way we’ve practiced. But we really have very little in the way of players missing time – players on PUP, NFI, we’ve pretty much cleared that up today.

“Last year, we had six or seven guys in that category. Plus some other – a variety of things. We try to do what we think is best every year. To try to compare one year to another year is – I don’t know how relevant that is. We look at things where they are and try to make the most of them.”

Belichick moves practice due to heat for training camp Day 10

Welcome to Day 10 of Patriots training camp.

It looks like the Patriots will get a head start in their preparation for their Week 1 matchup in Miami. This week, Bill Belichick moved practice from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. With a heat advisory in effect, the Pats will be practicing when the temperatures are predicted to hit the low-to-mid 90s. That’ll certainly give the players a chance to see what it will feel like when they take on the Dolphins in their season opener.

The Pats are scheduled to practice Monday and Tuesday at 4 p.m. They’ll be off on Wednesday before taking on the New York Giants in their first preseason game of the summer on Thursday at 7 p.m.

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Bill Belichick is scheduled to meet with the media today at 3:45 p.m. Following practice, David Andrews, Jack Jones, Matthew Judon, Pierre Strong, Josh Uche and Shaun Wade will meet with the media. We’ll have you updated with everything that unfolds right here.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Patriots practice schedule changes for training camp due to heat: Live