FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown couldn't corral the first pass of training camp from quarterback Drake Maye, which put Brown on the hot seat with head coach Mike Vrabel. It reminded Brown of the start of his NFL career when he played under Vrabel with the Tennessee Titans (2019-21), but this time he received the message differently.
"First team meeting, he ripped me for not bringing in a catch," Brown said Monday following the Patriots' third practice of camp. "Early on as a rookie, I didn't really like that too much. Now I know it comes from a great place. He expects me to make that play, and so do I."
The play was notable because Maye said his intention for targeting Brown along the left sideline was to start training camp with a "bang."