Beyond The Stands (THN wins back-to-back conference championships)
The two broke down the Patriots' thrilling back-to-back Conference Indiana championships—making history as the first North team to ever win consecutive conference titles. Coach Woelfle also hit a major milestone on Friday, securing his 250th career win, and reflected on his incredible coaching journey.
They also dived into what it's like coaching his son Gavin, the mentality it takes to be a Patriot, and the team's relentless hunger to capture a sectional title after last year's heartbreaking finish. Don't miss this must-listen episode!
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CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
Patriots training camp takeaways: Strong Day 1 for Drake Maye and Stefon Diggs
The first day of Patriots training camp under new head coach Mike Vrabel is in the books, and one thing is clear: This team wants to get back to winning football games. Vrabel inherited a team that has suffered back-to-back four-win seasons, and a group that is tired of losing. Quarterback Drake Maye only experienced one of those four-win campaigns, but he doesn't want to go through it again. He is far from alone. It's the desire and eagerness to do whatever it takes to get a W that excites Maye the most about the 2025 New England Patriots. "I think there are guys around here that are tired of losing. We wanna win," Maye said after the practice. "I think that's what I'm most excited about." Maye's strong arm and advancing leadership skills were on display throughout Wednesday's practice, and we once again saw Vrabel roam all over the field and stick his nose in everything everywhere. Here are some takeaways from the first day of 2025 Patriots training camp. At this time last year, everything was new for Maye. This year, he looks more comfortable everywhere. He knew what to expect today on Day 1 of camp. He knows what to expect going forward, and knows what to expect when the Washington Commanders come to town for joint practices in a few weeks. Everything seems easier for the 22-year-old. It should help him as he looks to take on a bigger leadership role with the team. Maye's already off to a great start after organizing an informal practice with several offensive players in North Carolina a few weeks ago. During those sessions, Maye and backup Josh Dobbs threw passes to Stefon Diggs, DeMario Douglas, Kendrick Bourne, Kyle Williams, and Ja'Lynn Polk, tight ends Hunter Henry and Jaheim Bell, and running backs Rhamondre Stevenson and Terrell Jennings. "You miss those guys for a month, and you just want to get back, get a refresher for them, whether it's route-wise, play-wise. I think the most important thing is just bonding together," said Maye. "I think getting the guys together, going out to eat, having some fun, getting some work in. I was glad that those guys came out and showed up." Vrabel said Maye did roughly 95 percent of the planning for that trip, which included organizing travel, housing, and a location for the practices. The head coach said it's a big step for Maye toward becoming the team's leader. As for his work on the field Wednesday, remember no one was wearing pads and sacks aren't a thing in practice. But Maye connected on eight of his nine attempts in 11 vs. 11 drills, including his first pass of the day to Stefon Diggs. "I think we moved the ball well," Maye said. "I threw one ball I'd like to have back, but they played a good coverage for what we had. It's one of those things that we learned from it and not let those defensive guys get you." The one throw Maye wanted back was an underthrow on a deep pass that should have been picked off by Jabrill Peppers. Maye also would have been sacked by Keion White on the play. Diggs has been fully cleared for practice, which is incredible considering he tore his ACL nine months ago. He was the first guy out in receiver drills, and had two receptions from Maye against New England's top defensive unit. "It's awesome getting to throw to a player like that," Maye said of Diggs. "Even when you feel like he's not open, he's going to go make a play for you." Fans went nuts when Maye and Diggs connected over the middle on the first pass of the day. The veteran wideout spoke of his speedy recovery after the session. "I approached it like I wanted to get back as fast as I could. I was super serious about my rehab process," said Diggs. "I love football. If you really love football, you're putting that time in. Getting injured is part of the game, but getting back to playing football makes me extremely happy." Third-round pick Kyle Williams also stood out at receiver with a pair of nice catches from Drake Maye, including a nice backside snag over star corner Christian Gonzalez. It was a big grab for the rookie, and an important test for Maye. "I told Gonzo earlier, 'I'm going to come at Gonzo,'" recalled Maye. "I'm not going to leave him out here bored in practice. Good for a rookie to make a play like that, and I think he's gonna get better and better." Diggs was the first receiver on the line in every drill he took part in, which is no surprise. But he was followed by Kayshon Boutte, Demario Douglas, and Kendrick Bourne. Boutte was in on a lot of plays and I think he has a chance to emerge in McDaniels' offense and be even better than he was last season. Veteran Kendrick Bourne may be fighting for a roster spot, but he had the best catch of Day 1 on a deep ball by Dobbs. He really battled with rookie Craig Woodson downfield on the play and got up to pull down the contested catch. It looks like Bourne is ready to compete and in much better shape than last season when he was coming back from a torn ACL. It was also a cool moment for Woodson, showing the rookie he's going to have to fight through every play. Getting the line right is a massive storyline for the Patriots this summer. Unfortunately, we probably won't know much about the group until pads come one. But it was the same group we saw all spring: Will Campbell at left tackle, Cole Strange at left guard, Garrett Bradbury at center, Michael Onwenu at right guard, and Morgan Moses at right tackle. Moses alternated with Demontrey Jacobs, who was the last guy off the field after practice and signed autographs well after everyone had left. Rookie center Jared Wilson also rotated with Bradbury at times with Maye on the field. I was focused mostly on the offense so I didn't get to see much of the defense on Day 1. But Gonzalez, Peppers, and Kyle Dugger led the charge for that unit. Free-agent prize Milton Williams also said that he and Christian Barmore know how important they are to the success of the defense, so everyone sounds locked in for 2025. Fellow newcomer Harold Landry also had a couple would-be sacks on Maye. The most notable absence on Day 1 was second-year receiver Ja'Lynn Polk, who spent his morning on the lower conditioning field. Polk isn't on PUP or NFI, so it's a situation worth monitoring as Polk has a lot of work to do to secure a spot on the roster. As for returning players, Jahlani Tavai was off PUP and on the field, while corner Carlton Davis and receiver Jeremiah Webb were activated from NFI and practiced. Austin Hooper, Vederian Lowe, and Josh Minkins remained out. Vrabel says urgency, organization, and communication are some of his top areas of focus in camp. The head coach wants to see a clean operation on the practice field, so players are prepared when it's time to take real snaps. What would be a successful camp in Vrabel's mind? He reiterated his three objections on Wednesday: Build a team, earn a role, and prepare to win. "If it looks like we build a team, and there's some cohesion, and guys are enjoying being around each other," he expanded. "Are they competing? Are they taking care of each other? And then are guys starting to figure out, hey, this is going to be my role, I'm going to go try to dominate that, whatever that may be. And then ultimately, are we understanding these situations, and can we try to win a football game? That's what would be successful."
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
5 biggest takeaways from Day 1 of Patriots training camp practice
After a long and eventful offseason, the New England Patriots finally opened training camp on Wednesday. It was an open practice held in shorts and helmets. In many ways, it felt like an extension of minicamp, minus the fan attendance. The team focused heavily on drills while also holding two team periods of 11-on-11s. Veteran wide receiver Stefon Diggs participated fully for the first time after being officially cleared to practice on Tuesday. There was one unexpected absence on the field, and that was second-year wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk. With 12 receivers currently on the team, Polk has a tough road ahead to make the final roster. He has been recovering from a shoulder injury and was limited over the spring. Every practice is crucial in his bid to get a second opportunity in New England. Here's the full attendance report for the Patriots on Day 1 of training camp: Let's dive into the biggest takeaways from Wednesday's practice. Maye and Diggs connection picks right up It didn't take long for Drake Maye to find one of his new favorite targets, four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Stefon Diggs. Maye found Diggs on a short crosser for his first completion in training camp during the 11-on-11 period. It was a positive sign that the two already appear to be on the same page. Diggs finished up the practice with two catches against the defense. Before going down with the ACL injury, Diggs had six straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons. It isn't fair to expect a 31-year-old wideout to produce at the same level after a devastating knee injury, but Diggs could end up being the exception to the rule given his incredible work ethic and determination to be the best at his craft. He is clearly off to a strong start after his performance on Wednesday. Kyle Williams' stock already rising The Patriots have a long history of drafting the wrong receivers, but their luck might have finally changed with the arrival of rookie third-round pick Kyle Williams. It has been noted that Williams was one of the best pure separators in the 2025 NFL draft class. He showed off some of those skills in front of a live audience during the competitive team period. One of his catches included a comeback route with All-Pro cornerback Christian Gonzalez in coverage. The Patriots didn't get much production out of their rookie wideouts last year, and they went into camp this year with the hope that things would be different with Williams. So far, so good for the former Washington State standout. Maye looked impressive on Day 1 This was a solid practice performance for Drake Maye. Overall, he went 8-of-9 passing with no interceptions. Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers nearly had a pick against Maye on an attempted pass to Demario Douglas, but he wasn't able to hold onto the ball. Limiting turnovers has been one of the goals for Maye in his second year at quarterback. While he doesn't want to shy away from big plays, it's also important to limit the mistakes that can get the team beat. He looked sharp on Wednesday dealing to the new-look receiving weapons. Joshua Dobbs went 2-of-6 passing with an interception, and rookie Ben Wooldridge was 3-for-4 passing. Not a great day for the offensive line Drake Maye would have been eating plenty of grass if the defenders were allowed to hit the quarterback in this practice. There were at least four would-be sacks on Maye during the competitive team period. Patriots rookie Will Campbell had a good showing, aside from a lone play when he got blown up by edge rusher Keion White. The operation as a whole along the offensive front wasn't as successful as the team probably would have liked. With that said, the Patriots were practicing in shorts and helmets. That limited contact makes for awkward battles in the trenches between the offense and defense. This wasn't a practice where you could walk away with a concrete opinion of where the offensive line stands at this point. The top offensive line unit for the Patriots featured Campbell, Cole Strange, Garrett Bradbury, Mike Onwenu and Morgan Moses. Patriots' defensive front could be a problem The Patriots' defensive front deserves a lot of the credit for the offensive line issues in the first training camp practice. Milton Williams and Christian Barmore are a handful together for any offense. Their ability to create pressure up the middle often leads to opportunities for others on defense. Keion White, in particular, was a player seen sniffing out potential sacks on multiple occasions. It's an impressive trio of defenders who could wreak havoc on opposing offenses in the 2025 season. It's going to be fun to see how competitive things get when the pads finally come on. Given the elite talent in the defensive backfield, the significant upgrades along the defensive front could make the Patriots the most competitive they've been on the defensive side of the ball in years. Follow Patriots Wire on Twitter and Facebook.
Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
The chance to work with Josh McDaniels, and play alongside Stefon Diggs, has Patriots receiver DeMario Douglas fired up
The 5-foot-8-inch, 192-pound Douglas tied for the team lead with 66 catches last year, and finished with 621 receiving yards and three touchdowns. His 115 receptions over the last two years are the most among Patriots receivers. He's been the best and most consistent part of the passing game, an occasional bright light in an otherwise woeful stretch. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up But Douglas is aware that the opportunity to work with McDaniels gives him the chance to take his game to another level. Advertisement 'He's a good guy, first,' said Douglas shortly after Wednesday's practice finished. 'Before anything, before we went over plays, he called me and he spoke from the heart, and I feel like that's the coach that you need. Especially as an OC. So, we got close there. 'On the field, I just have to work to gain his trust, you know? That's my duty to fill that role and help this team win.' Over the years, the Patriots' coaching staff has been known to break out film of former stars as a way to help players refine their game. Receivers have talked about film sessions that include highlights from receivers such as Welker, Edelman, and Randy Moss. Douglas said he's had the chance to sit with McDaniels, watch film, and take notes, something that's helped him push forward. Advertisement 'He'll go show me some old film and be like, 'It'll be just like this,' ' Douglas said of McDaniels. 'And I'll come out to practice and be like, 'Man, it was exactly like how he showed me.' The game doesn't change. It just gets faster.' Two other elements that should help Douglas this season: One, According to Douglas, Diggs's presence should pay dividends, on and off the field. 'He's a dog. He talks ,' Douglas said. 'He talks a lot of junk, but it's good. You need that. He's a constructive criticism type of guy. He'll tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear. And I feel like that's what you need as a big brother.' And two, there's Advertisement 'The throwing, obviously [was fun], but us bonding,' Douglas said. 'We had a hoop in the garage. We were in there hooping. We played Spikeball. I feel like stuff like that got us closer. We did extra activities.' It's the sort of leadership Douglas endorses heading into the season. '[Maye is] definitely becoming that leader,' Douglas added. 'He brings energy into the facility and on the field. He says nothing but encouraging things. If something goes bad, he does nothing but lift us up.' Christopher Price can be reached at
