FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Quick-hit thoughts/notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:
1. Mac's QB mind: Sometimes a first impression of a Patriots player at practice is so obvious, you can't miss it. A few that come to mind over the years are Deion Branch's smoothness in and out of his breaks, Wes Welker's quickness and change of direction, Randy Moss effortlessly gliding down the field while leaving defensive backs in his wake, and Jake Bailey's sky-scraping punts.
When it came to quarterback Mac Jones on Thursday, it wasn't as obvious as those examples, and perhaps that's because a razor-sharp football mind is hard to sum up in one snapshot.