FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:
1. Gonzo's voice: Early in his rookie season with the Patriots, cornerback Christian Gonzalez summed up his soft-spoken style: "I don't feel the need to express what I can do with my words. Just let your actions speak. I get a little more juice on game days, but that's kind of who I am."
This was the Gonzalez way. One teammate even nicknamed him "Silent Assassin."
All of which makes what has unfolded through the Patriots' 12 training camp practices this summer stand out that much more. The loudest and most demonstrative defender on the field? It's Gonzalez. And it probably isn't even close.
Things hit their peak Thursday when Gonzalez seemed to be making a concerted effort to rattle receiver A.J. Brown and raise the overall intensity level of practice. After covering Brown tightly down the field and forcing an incomplete pass from quarterback Drake Maye, he began to follow Brown back to the sideline and let him hear it.
Later, in a 2-on-2 red zone drill, he batted away a Maye pass to Brown and then turned toward a nearby camera to celebrate. Soon after, as players were transitioning to a new drill, Gonzalez seemed to be saying something to Brown and that led to a brief moment on the sideline where it looked like things could escalate as receiver Kayshon Boutte came over to pull Brown away.
🗜️ONZO. pic.twitter.com/1B2wXmr1uf
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) August 6, 2026
Brown's presence has brought out a different side of Gonzalez.
"He's going a little bit more, I'll say," Brown said. "With everyone else, he's real calm and relaxed; it's more fluid."
Overall, Gonzalez acknowledged his shift from just letting actions speak.
"Everybody thinks I don't talk at all. I talk a little, but I'm kind of quiet. It really depends on the day at practice," he said, adding that Brown brings it out of him from a competitiveness standpoint.
"I like to figure out how to attack a receiver. Not every receiver you can talk to; some receivers get more mad if you don't say anything to them. You're trying to figure out how you can get an edge on them."
Gonzalez's edge has been evident in other ways, too, such as the day he batted away a pass intended for tight end Hunter Henry and then gestured to the crowded bleachers to get a rise out of the thousands in attendance. Again, it was a different side of Gonzalez.
The willingness to draw more attention to himself, turn up the volume and help create a more competitive practice environment that raises the level of the entire team potentially puts him in position to become a team captain for the first time. Not to mention he has been a tone-setter despite an unresolved contract negotiation with the club.
Coach Mike Vrabel had named Gonzalez a game captain for Super Bowl LX, and later said he asked Gonzalez if aspiring to become a permanent captain is a goal. When Gonzalez told him it is something he strives to be, Vrabel told him he hopes to help him get there. That, too, could be part of what has sparked the notable change from Gonzalez's approach in one of the most notable stories of training camp.
2. New Gillette field: A new artificial turf playing field is being installed at Gillette Stadium this week, and here are key points as to why it is happening now:
Once the World Cup concluded, the natural grass field required by FIFA was replaced with an artificial turf surface. The artificial turf surface installed was vetted by the Patriots and the New England Revolution and passed all NFL and MLS field tests, per chief operating officer Jim Nolan. However, the field was deemed noncompliant by the NFL.
According to Nolan, the noncompliance was based on the NFL and NFL Players Association independent laboratory testing protocols. When the new field was lab tested last March, it was paired with an "E-layer," which is a rubber shock pad that sits underneath the field system, as the lab testing was conducted over concrete.
The artificial turf/E-layer combination, however, was not suitable for Gillette Stadium, where the artificial turf is laid over a stone-dust base, and not concrete. As the field system was not installed over an E-layer, it was deemed noncompliant despite passing all NFL field tests.
"We are confident the field would have passed if they had tested it in March without a pad, even over concrete," Nolan said.
Nonetheless, a new artificial turf field must be installed for compliance. "The field we're installing is the latest version of the field we took out in January," Nolan said. "From a player perspective, it will be incredibly consistent with what they played on last year."
The Patriots host the Indianapolis Colts in the preseason opener Thursday.
3. Jacas impressions: Arguably the most significant development for the Patriots over the past week was getting rookie outside linebacker Gabe Jacas (second round, Illinois) on the field after he didn't sign his contract until two days into training camp and then worked behind the scenes on the non-football injury list (left knee) until returning Aug. 1.
First impressions? His speed, power and suddenness make him the pass rusher most likely to win based on pure physical traits, rather than being reliant on scheme.
"Real explosive off the edge," noted second-year outside linebacker Bradyn Swinson. "A calm dude, he's been learning things pretty fast. He's built like a freak house."
4. A.J.'s focus: The Patriots' past two practices Thursday and Friday were their most humid and hot (temperatures in the 90s), which suited receiver A.J. Brown well based on what he told Sirius XM Radio was a top goal for him -- a focus on conditioning and perseverance.
Told that he is a willing blocker, Brown said: "That's something I'm trying to pride myself even more right now. I wrote down in my notes, 'Just continue to be a complete player and I have to get in better game shape so I can show up more for my teammates.' ... The same momentum I have for the pass, that's the momentum I need to bring when it's a run play as well; I can survive eight plays, [but] I don't want to survive, I want to thrive. And it's a difference. I can be out there for a 10-play drive, but can I make an impact for those 10 plays, on the 10th play? That's what I'm chasing."
5. DeVito's nickname: One of the lighthearted stories shared by Vrabel in his sit-down with Sirius XM NFL Radio last week was how he gave quarterback Tommy DeVito the nickname "Tommy 2 Chains."
The moniker stuck after Vrabel said one of the first things he noticed in a team meeting last August was the two gold chains around DeVito's neck.
"I love everyday walking in and seeing Tommy. He brings a spirit I love," Vrabel said, adding that the contrast between him and Maye is good for rookie quarterback Behren Morton (seventh round, Texas Tech) to see.
DeVito was one of the top players in Friday's intrasquad scrimmage, throwing two touchdown passes and connecting with receiver DeMario "Pop" Douglas on a deep ball over the middle for 40-plus yards.
6. Moses mentors Lomu: Starting right tackle Morgan Moses, the Patriots' oldest player (35), shared that rookie offensive tackle Caleb Lomu (first round, Utah) sits behind him in team meetings and that allows him to be a sounding board when questions arise. Moses shared his underlying message to Lomu, who has had some predictable rookie hiccups.
Said Moses: "You have a laundry list of things you want to get completed, and I try to tell him, 'Don't take that laundry list out on the field with you. Take one of those things off the list every day.' When you go out there and try to work on this, that and other, your mind is spinning and you get up to the football, the snap count is going, and you play slower."
7. Woodson as Byard: One of Vrabel's preferences is to avoid comparisons, so he treaded lightly in mentioning that part of why the Patriots selected safety Craig Woodson in the fourth round of the 2025 draft. Woodson reminded the coaching staff of Kevin Byard with his versatility and blitzing/coverage ability as an ideal fit in a system that values multiplicity. Now Woodson and Byard are paired as starters after Byard, who played under Vrabel in Tennessee (2018 to 2023), signed a one-year deal in New England in March.
8. Gilliam's dual value: One of the reasons the Patriots targeted veteran fullback Reggie Gilliam early in free agency with a three-year, $10.8 million deal has been well-documented -- they want to be a more physical running team. But Vrabel shared with Sirius XM NFL Radio another area that hasn't been highlighted as much.
"One of the reasons Buffalo beat us here [in December] after we got a lead was their ability to return kickoffs. They had great field position and usually Reggie was right at the point of attack on those kickoff returns," he said. "Those are things we feel like he can help us."
9. They said it: "The more we can have, the better. If we have seven, we'll keep seven. We'll keep churning those guys through because you can never have too many." -- Patriots EVP of player personnel Eliot Wolf, to Sirius XM NFL Radio, on defensive tackles headlined by starters Milton Williams and Christian Barmore, with top backups Cory Durden, Joshua Farmer, Eric Gregory, Leonard Taylor III and Jeremiah Pharms Jr.
10. Did You Know: Thursday's game between the Patriots and Colts will be their first preseason meeting since 1992, and only the third preseason meeting between them.
You are a die-hard Patriots fan if you recall the Colts posted a 34-14 win in the 1992 matchup, with the lone touchdowns coming on runs by Jon Vaughn and Scott Lockwood. Quarterback Scott Zolak, the current team radio analyst who was playing behind Hugh Millen and Tommy Hodson, was 2-of-7 for 16 yards and an interception.