FOXBORO — It was just one play, but Jacoby Brissett won't forget it and he wants to remember how it went the next time he finds himself in the same situation.
With 1 minute and 4 seconds left in the game and no timeouts available, the Patriots' goal was to advance down the field to a point where Joey Sly could take a shot at the goalposts from their own 29-yard line.
On the first snap, Brissett looked to get all the pass he needed in one throw: Tyquan Thornton was a step ahead of Christian Gonzalez along the left sideline, and Brissett took a run in that direction.
“The go-ball today was just, let's throw it and see how his velocity goes,” Brissett said afterward. “I thought it was a little too far, but he ended up going for it.”
The ball fell into Thornton's arms, where the speedy wide receiver intercepted it and threw it out of bounds. The play went 45 yards and brought the Patriots to the 26-yard line. Four snaps later, Slye finished the drive with a field goal from 35 yards out.
Thornton has been limited in practice this summer by a hamstring injury, but he has had frequent opportunities to work with the first-team offense, and his speed is a trait that sets him apart in a receiver corps that lacks true burners.
That trait could allow him to earn a spot on the roster when the regular season begins.
“The funny thing is, we're still learning it,” Brissett said when asked about Thornton's explosiveness, “and the way his body moves after he gets pressure (from a defensive back) and stuff like that. We're still trying to understand what that speed is and how quick he can get that speed.”
Brissett got a sense of just how quickly Thornton can accelerate during practice on Monday.
“It's something I can put in my memory bank,” Brissett said, “and I want to continue to build up that memory bank of learnings because I'm always going to be in these specific situations.”
“I think that's what training camp and preseason is all about – you get to work with the guys in situations that you don't get to do very often. Today was one of those opportunities, and he's going up against some really good DBs, so it was great to see that.”
Thornton leads us on Stock Watch on Day 17 of Patriots training camp…
Stockpiling
Tyquan Thornton, wide receiver
Thornton only had one catch in playing time on Monday, but it was his best play of the day, and his unique skill set as a receiver makes him a likely candidate for a spot on the roster in his third year.
Diatrich Wise, defensive end
The veteran defensive lineman started off very well in one-on-one drills, beating right tackle Chukwuma Okorafor cleanly on the edge, then in 11-on-11 drills he took on left tackle Bederian Rowe and “sacked” Brissett.
KJ Osborne, wide receiver
The veteran receiver had two impressive days in consecutive practices, catching three of four passes on Monday and making one of his best catches of the day with a diving catch of a curled pass from Drake May on his way back to the line of scrimmage.
Speaking of pass catching…honorable mention here goes to Austin Hooper, who missed Sunday's practice with an unspecified injury.
The veteran tight end returned in uniform and full pads as a limited participant in Monday's sessions, a good sign for a tight end group that is also dealing with injuries to Hunter Henry and Mitchell Wilcox.
Stock prices fall
Javon Baker, wide receiver
The fourth-round pick took a short pass during individual position drills on Monday, kicking the ball at his feet and then a precise pass from Bailey Zappe hit him over the middle, but the ball bounced off his hand and fell to the turf.
It's been a stretch with Baker's hands struggling, as he struggled to get a firm grip on the ball at times during last week's exhibition game against the Eagles, then on Sunday, he let a 50-50 ball slip out of his hands and missed a diving attempt that looked like he'd make the catch.
Joey Sly, kicker
Slye looked like the better kicker in recent practices with Chad Ryland, but his performance took a dip on Monday.
At the end of Monday's practice, the two traded kicks, attempting from 41, 45, 49 and 52 yards. Ryland missed his first kick but made the rest. Sly missed from 45 and 52 yards.
Sly may still have a slight advantage, but the gap he had recently widened has narrowed.
Anfernee Jennings, linebacker
It would be unfair for any of us to accuse a player of trying too hard, but toward the end of Monday's practice, it looked like that might have been the case.
The team was having a half-speed Hail Mary period, and Jennings may have gotten a little too eager in going after Brissett, who somehow found a way to rile up Sidi Sow (who appeared to help remove Jennings' helmet), David Andrews and Chukwuma Okorafor.
Offensive linemen generally don't like defenders getting too close to the quarterback, especially in practice when they're instructed to back off a little bit, and that was certainly the case on Monday.
