Overall the conditions didn't seem to affect the practice too much, but there were occasions when the moisture led to some problems. That was mostly the case with the quarterbacks, who had some passes get away from them during the workout.
That was the case on a few Mac Jones throws that sailed high and off the hands of his intended targets. He also threw a low ball to Hunter Henry down the right sideline on a pass that appeared to come out of his hand funny and may have been related to the moisture.
Cam Newton also had some erratic throws, although most of his were simply off target and not necessarily high. His problems came when the passes arrived late and were defended and seemingly had little to do with the conditions. Obviously tough to tell for sure how much the rain bothered the quarterbacks but there's no question there were accuracy issues for both.
"I think every day is the same," Jones said after practice " Go out there and be loud and confident. Take the coaching and learn from it. I can learn from other people too Brian, Cam and everybody. See what they're doing and learn from it."
Beyond the soggy conditions here are one man's impressions of Day 8 of training camp.
*More than a week into camp and the list of players who have yet to participate in practice remains lengthy. PUP still has six players – Jarrett Stidham, Stephon Gilmore, Dalton Keene, Chase Winovich, Terez Hall and Byron Cowart – while Cameron McGrone and Joshuah Bledsoe remain on NFI. Devin Asiasi also has yet to practice as he remains on the COVID reserve list. Additionally, several players missed their first workouts of camp on Thursday. Cody Davis, Nick Folk, Devin Ross, D'Angelo Ross and Christian Barmore all were absent while Ted Karras (fifth straight), Raekwon McMillan (second) and Akeem Spence (second) remain out. Davis appeared to be shaken up while trying to defend a deep ball to Gunner Olszewski on Wednesday.
On the positive side, Karras and Winovich were seen running on the lower rehab fields so they could be getting close to returning.
*Patrick Chung was latest Patriots alum to make an appearance at training camp. He walked onto the fields with Jerod Mayo and Steve Belichick prior to practice.
*Some of the players may have been surprised by the intense rain as Cam Newton needed a member of the equipment staff to retreat to the locker room before practice began to grab a pouch to help keep the quarterback's hands dry.
*Earlier in camp I've noted the presence of Dee Virgin working with special teams stalwarts Matthew Slater and Justin Bethel as a possible indicator that the coaches see potential in the corner and are looking to find roles for him. The same could be true for wide receiver Kristian Wilkerson, who also has done his share of special teams time with the veterans. Wilkerson is 6-1 and 201 pounds so he's a bit bigger than the typical Patriots receiver, and he's been productive at times this summer catching the ball. He did have a bad drop on Thursday on a crossing route but later bounced back with a catch deep down the right sideline. If he is to earn a roster spot it would be as a fourth or fifth receiver, however, and in that case he would need to fill roles on special teams. Something to keep an eye on down the road.
*Despite the messy conditions, wide receivers Kendrick Bourne, N'Keal Harry and Tre Nixon worked without gloves. It's rare to see any receivers without gloves so it's possible those players didn't have their bad weather mitts available and went old school as a result.
*There was a period of half-line running drills with plays run quickly alternating from left to right. The offense seemed to get the better of things with some nice holes opened, although at times the running backs were guilty of cutting back against the grain where there were no defenders available to fill the space. The drill was run with good tempo and seemed to generated enthusiasm on both sides.
*The conditions played a role in the drill as Mac Jones and Marcus Martin couldn't connect on a snap and both were sent for a lap.
*A period of 1-on-1s followed with receivers and defensive backs as well as offensive and defensive linemen going at it. Trent Brown was dominant on his reps, particularly an early one where he got the better of Matt Judon. Mike Onwenu was equally impressive in stonewalling Deatrich Wise. Wise rebounded by getting the edge against Korey Cunningham while Davin Godchaux, Montravius Adams and Carl Davis all showed good power. Godchaux pushed center David Andrews well into the backfield on his bull rush.
*The passing game saw Newton and Brian Hoyer doing the throwing. Newton showed nice touch down the seam to Bourne, and nearly had another solid hookup with Hunter Henry but the tight end's diving grab near the sideline was ruled out of bounds by the nearby official.
*The 11-on-11 work saw some down-and-distance situations and an emphasis on the running game once again. Mac Jones did unleash a perfect deep ball to James White, who made a nice catch over his outside shoulder for a big gain. Newton had a chance for a similar completion to Bourne, who got behind Virgin on the play, but his throw was slightly long and fell incomplete.
*After Jones' reps Belichick had a lengthy talk with the rookie off to the side while the rest of the offense continued to work. Belichick gave Jones a pat on the backside before leaving to work with the defense.
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Day 8 blogservations: Jones dealing in the rain - Patriots.com
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