Jonnu Smith went up to snag a toe-tapping grab along the sideline to help out Cam Newton. The New England Patriots quarterback had a pretty sharp practice, but this wasn’t one of his best throws, too high and too far outside. It didn’t matter. Smith turned a bad moment into a brilliant one, and caught it for a 15-yard pickup and a big play during 11-on-11 drills.
Was it a precursor of what’s to come in 2021 for Newton, a quarterback who so badly looked like he needed help in 2020? After all, Smith was one of Bill Belichick’s big-budget signings at the skill positions, where New England sorely needed help last year. And it was promising to see Smith and receiver Nelson Agholor have strong practices in the first day with pads on Tuesday.
The contact practice, however, served as a forceful reminder that Mac Jones is still an inexperienced rookie. Maybe that will change in the coming weeks. On Tuesday, however, Jones struggled with coverages, often missing linebackers dropping into a zone. He threw at least two interceptions during competitive drills, and linebacker Anfernee Jennings dropped another.
It’s one thing to excel in shorts and shells during the early days of training camp. It’s another thing entirely to excel against pass-rush pressure, press coverage and thud-level tackling. So it’s as Belichick says: “He has a long way to go.”
