A.J. Brown was back on the practice field Wednesday for the first time since the high-ankle sprain he suffered in Week 1, and Drake Maye already has a picture of what the receiver’s return could mean for the rest of the New England Patriots’ offense. He reached for basketball to explain it.
“I think it definitely opens up other parts of the field and other parts of the game for guys,” Maye said. “I think you see it in the NBA; it’s probably the closest thing that I can think of. When they start doubling the best player once they get past half court, then they’re just leaving a corner 3 open or leaving a guy open for a dunk. So, it’s kind of like playing receiver and with a guy like that.”
Brown was limited as the club opened his 21-day return window, with tackle Marcus Bryant also coming back the same day. Mike Vrabel would not get ahead of it. “He hasn’t been out there for four weeks, so we’ll get him back out there practicing and see if he’s ready to go in a couple days,” the head coach said. “And if not, then we have a 21-day window, and we’ll go from there.”
“He doesn’t need me following him”
Maye said Brown stayed close to the offense while he was out, sitting in meetings and some walkthroughs to keep up with the terminology. “He’s a smart player,” Maye said. “He doesn’t need me following him and telling him how to huddle saying like, ‘Hey, this is what you’ve got on the route.’ He’s kind of usually the one walking away and being like, ‘Okay, I got it,’ when I’m trying to keep him in the huddle.”
He also described what Brown has been like around the building while injured. “He’s just a pro,” Maye said. “He’s not been at the games, but you can see how closely he’s watching the games and little things he picks up on. … He’s got a contagious smile, and it’s good seeing that in the locker room.”
Vrabel said Brown’s routine during rehab stood out. “I think he’s stayed engaged. I think it’s difficult sometimes to stay engaged,” he said. “He’s just treating everything as a pro, being where he’s supposed to be and working hard to get back.”
No forcing it, mostly
Asked whether it will be hard not to funnel targets to a receiver with Brown’s résumé, Maye said the offense will dictate it and pointed to Josh McDaniels’ history with star players. “You can’t just go out there and drop back and say, ‘Where’s A.J.?’ and let it rip,” he said. “But at the same time, sometimes you can.”
Maye is coming off a five-touchdown game in the 45-17 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, and he said the spread-it-around approach comes straight from his head coach. “It’s what Coach Vrabel always says, ‘Keep it that simple. First guy open, throw it to him and let him run,’” Maye said. “I’ve been trying to buy into that.”
He credited Efton Chism III’s contested catches over the middle with building trust (“It builds trust for me to let it rip and fire it in there”) and said he wants to keep involving Kyle Williams, who described the offense as having found its “backyard boogie” again. Maye also praised young tackle Caleb Lomu for holding up against Maxx Crosby, and Will Campbell for practicing on a limited basis through his knee injury. “I like to claim I’m from the South, and Will’s from the South, so he’s tough,” Maye said.
A different Jets defense
The 3-2 Patriots host the 2-3 New York Jets on Sunday, and Maye said Aaron Glenn’s defense looks different on tape than it did a year ago. “I think they’re physical. I think they have tenacity,” he said. “I wouldn’t say a new ferociousness, but you can see the difference on tape from last year. … They do a good job on the back end, mixing it up and also getting on you and grabbing you and playing physical.”
Vrabel singled out rookie edge rusher David Bailey. “He’s fast, explosive, instinctive. He can bend, got a really good get off and is able to win at the top and corner,” he said. On the other side of the ball, he said Geno Smith has been hard to take the ball from. “If you want to try to create turnovers, you’re going to have to actually go out and force them,” Vrabel said. “He hasn’t made many mistakes. He’s been really good with the football.”
Christian Gonzalez was also back at practice in a limited role after missing two games, and Maye called him “one of my favorite players to watch.” Kickoff at Gillette Stadium is 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, October 18. New England then turns around for a Thursday night game at Chicago in Week 7.
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