Brown knows Vrabel's rip comes from 'great place'

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 in the crosshairs of head coach Mike Vrabel. It reminded Brown of the start of his NFL career when he played under Vrabel with the Tennessee Titans (2019-2021), 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." Brown reached up with his right hand, and seemed to have the football in his grasp, but he couldn't complete the process of the catch with cornerback Christian Gonzalez in close coverage. Brown viewed Vrabel's message as coming from a "genuine place." "Just bring it in. I did the hard part -- caught it away from my body -- but bringing it in with my other hand," he said. "Vrabes doesn't care about style points and I don't either. So maybe he thought I was trying to get the crowd going." Brown, who turned 29 on June 30, said he feels like he's in a "pretty good spot" with the Patriots' offense after being acquired in a trade from the Philadelphia Eagles on June 1. He estimated he has about 90% of the playbook down - saying he likes the "variety" of coordinator Josh McDaniels' scheme -- and that he's still working to get on the same page as Maye as they focus on "non-stop communication." An example of this came in Sunday's second practice when Maye targeted Brown down the field, and a high throw was tipped by Brown before safety Craig Woodson hauled it in for an interception. Brown cited the play as an example of the importance of mastering details such as angles of a route and doing it in a way Maye prefers. Brown referred to Maye as a "true professional" before sharing his view that coaches are limiting his downfield throwing early in training camp. "We'll get going. That's camp progression," Brown said. Of his time with the Patriots so far, Brown added: "I come to work each and every day with a smile on my face. I'm around great guys, great energy. We're pushing each other to be great and holding each other accountable."