Patriots second OTA practice observations

Apr 7, 2006
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https://www.patriots.com/news/five-observations-on-the-patriots-offense-at-second-open-ota-practice

The other receiver whose hype train already has a full head of steam is fourth-round pick Javon Baker. Baker made two impressive plays. First, a catch in traffic working over the middle, and then he beat CB Marco Wilson along the sideline on a high-point fade. Baker has some noticeable tools to work with in his explosiveness, strong hands to make catches outside his frame, and body control to thrive in contested situations. There are some inconsistencies to his game, such as his release work, which was a factor when he was locked up by CB Alex Austin earlier in practice on a pass breakup that led to an interception. Still, you want to see flashes from young players, and Baker certainly has those.
 

dynomite

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SoSH Member
From the same article this is... I don't want to go so far as interesting, but maybe somewhat good to hear?

2. WR Tyquan Thornton is Early Candidate for Spring Practice Player of the Year
Obviously, this award doesn't exist. However, every spring, some players pop into OTAs. He's in the best shape of his life! Tyquan breakout season! Let's slow down, particularly with Thornton, because we've seen this movie before. In fact, we saw this last spring from Tyquan, where his speed and separation ability were noticeable until the pads came on in camp.
Still, the gig is to tell you what happened at practice, and what happened was Thornton looked like the best receiver on the field. Tyquan caught the deep ball from Maye, as we mentioned earlier, and ran away from the coverage on a crossing route off boot-action. We aren't doing Tyquan again, and I'm not getting duped again. But his upper body looks thicker, his speed could be more of a factor with better downfield passers, and this offense suits his skill set more than the old system. Wait, are we doing Tyquan again? Let's see what it looks like when he has to play through contact.
 

Van Everyman

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SoSH Member
Apr 30, 2009
29,227
Newton
From the same article this is... I don't want to go so far as interesting, but maybe somewhat good to hear?
I think a low-key theme of this camp will be whether there are guys who didn't thrive under Bill (for whatever reason) who do under the new regime. Thornton is one of the guys who will be interesting to watch in that regard.