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I wanted to get this off before it was "tainted" by comments from the media or other fans.
1. When you have a game like we saw tonight, there is a tendency to get overly positive about EVERYTHING. But then again it's hard not to
2. The most impressive thing to be to come out of this game for me was the almost flawless pass protection that Tom Brady enjoyed for his entire night. This is especially impressive because it came against a very good Panther front 7. This was starting to become a concern over the first 2 games. But last night, even without Connolly and Volmer, the Pats OL pitched a virtual shutout on a very good Carolina DL. Impressive.
3. The second most impressive factor was how well the Pats front 7 stopped the run. Again impressive because the Panthers were known as a good running team coming into the game.
4. I can't tell you how excited I am about the possibility that we will start to see a "focus-less" WR corps where Tom's favorite receiver truly be "the open man". Brady spread the ball around to Thomkins, LaFell, Edelman, DA and Vareen. All got a number of looks at various times. It was great to see.
5. We are starting to see the effect of good pass coverage will have on our sack totals.
6. I was just starting to think, "Boy, Chandler Jones seems pretty invisible this pre-season, when BAM, he explodes for 3 big plays in both the pass and run game. Jones is know for his developing pass rush success, but we shouldn't forget there isn't a better DE in the league vs the run. He's really outstanding. I find it scary to think that he MIGHT have been a Jet.
7. Kelvin Benjamin is a very impressive rookie. He made most of his catches vs very tight coverage, and looks like a guy who will be hard to deal with for most teams.
8. About the ONLY time the first team had serious problems with the the Panthers passing attack was on those 2 deep TE routes that Newton missed.
9. Anyone who saw Brady last night will want to put a hold on thoughts of his decline. 17 for 21 with 3 clean drops, is going to send shivers throughout the DC community.....and this is WITHOUT Dobson and Gronk. The long pass to Edelman was a thing of beauty.
10. Another note on Brady. For the first time in a LONG time, I actual thought the offense looked smoother when it went downfield rather than with the short game.
11. While I thought the Pats came out with a clear intention to work on the pass game, the running game was a bit disappointing. I still don't see anything make me want to keep Robert White on the roster. J. Grey looked like the better back, not that I particularly want to see him either. Ridley was clearly the best RB and had a couple of nice runs, but he also had a few where he didn't have a chance to even get back to the LOS. The running game needs some work, especially on the OL.
12. Shane Vereen is going to demand coverage by a DB. LB's don't have a chance, and he looks poised to have a big year, because he's no slouch running the ball either. It looks to me like all we need at RB is Vereen and Ridley plus a reliable backup, White, Grey, Bolden, take your pick, I don't care. Those 3 plus Devlin and I think they would be all set. (plus a guy on the PS).
13. Chung looks like he has the edge in the "2nd safety derby", though both Wilson and Harmon both seemed to have good nights with the back ups. Unlike many here, I'm getting more and more comfortable with our safety depth. I don't think we are going to get "great play" from whomever wins the job, but I think we are going to get "competent play", and that's going to be enough given all the other parts we will have out there.
14. The biggest negative, I thought were the refs again. Matt Chatham hit it perfectly with his comments on the "hands to the face" penalties. I have no idea how defensive linemen and LB's can play this game without inadvertently getting their hand on the helmet. I can almost live with the ticky tack defensive holding calls, but this hands to the fact rule would absolutely ruin the game, since it could be called EVERY single play. Which means when it IS called, its being called capriciously. In other words, the official has the ability to throw it whenever he feels like it.
"In the interest of fairness" they called several offensive interference calls for blocking before the pass. In BOTH cases I saw, the blocks were clearly made AFTER the catch. My other complaint about the officiating is not about their calls, but Christian Fauria's comments. On at least 2 occasions he made light of 2 interference calls against the Panthers, when on BOTH occasions there actually was blatant contact well before the ball got there.
No one is more against this virtual torrent of yellow than I am, but you just weaken the credibility of the position when you vilify even the legitimate calls.
15. The things that impress me most about Garoppolo are his poise in the pocket and his decision making. It's remarkable, especially when you consider where he played in college. It's hard for me to equate this Jimmie Garoppolo with the QB I saw for so many practices a few weeks ago. With every opportunity it looks more and more that the Pats made a good pick. Now whether it was the RIGHT pick for the Pats, is another question entirely.
16. While the Pats have been known in the past for finding young undrafted FA's, I can't think of a season where it seems like so many are making strong cases for a job. Along with Butler, Tyms and DFlemming, others like JGray, TMcCuller, and JDavis, all popped tonight.
17. There is a lot more that I could talk about, but I leave that to rest of you to add to my post. Among the questions that I want answered are:
a. I saw Darius Fleming pop on one play, was he consistently good enough to earn a roster spot?
b. How did Worthy look in appearance with the back ups?
c. What about the play of Buchanan, Bequette, and Moore?
d. What about the early snaps Beauharnais got and his pick, as well as the solid play of the rest of the young LB's?
I'll end it here and enjoy the rest of my night reading what others have to say about tonight.
1. When you have a game like we saw tonight, there is a tendency to get overly positive about EVERYTHING. But then again it's hard not to
2. The most impressive thing to be to come out of this game for me was the almost flawless pass protection that Tom Brady enjoyed for his entire night. This is especially impressive because it came against a very good Panther front 7. This was starting to become a concern over the first 2 games. But last night, even without Connolly and Volmer, the Pats OL pitched a virtual shutout on a very good Carolina DL. Impressive.
3. The second most impressive factor was how well the Pats front 7 stopped the run. Again impressive because the Panthers were known as a good running team coming into the game.
4. I can't tell you how excited I am about the possibility that we will start to see a "focus-less" WR corps where Tom's favorite receiver truly be "the open man". Brady spread the ball around to Thomkins, LaFell, Edelman, DA and Vareen. All got a number of looks at various times. It was great to see.
5. We are starting to see the effect of good pass coverage will have on our sack totals.
6. I was just starting to think, "Boy, Chandler Jones seems pretty invisible this pre-season, when BAM, he explodes for 3 big plays in both the pass and run game. Jones is know for his developing pass rush success, but we shouldn't forget there isn't a better DE in the league vs the run. He's really outstanding. I find it scary to think that he MIGHT have been a Jet.
7. Kelvin Benjamin is a very impressive rookie. He made most of his catches vs very tight coverage, and looks like a guy who will be hard to deal with for most teams.
8. About the ONLY time the first team had serious problems with the the Panthers passing attack was on those 2 deep TE routes that Newton missed.
9. Anyone who saw Brady last night will want to put a hold on thoughts of his decline. 17 for 21 with 3 clean drops, is going to send shivers throughout the DC community.....and this is WITHOUT Dobson and Gronk. The long pass to Edelman was a thing of beauty.
10. Another note on Brady. For the first time in a LONG time, I actual thought the offense looked smoother when it went downfield rather than with the short game.
11. While I thought the Pats came out with a clear intention to work on the pass game, the running game was a bit disappointing. I still don't see anything make me want to keep Robert White on the roster. J. Grey looked like the better back, not that I particularly want to see him either. Ridley was clearly the best RB and had a couple of nice runs, but he also had a few where he didn't have a chance to even get back to the LOS. The running game needs some work, especially on the OL.
12. Shane Vereen is going to demand coverage by a DB. LB's don't have a chance, and he looks poised to have a big year, because he's no slouch running the ball either. It looks to me like all we need at RB is Vereen and Ridley plus a reliable backup, White, Grey, Bolden, take your pick, I don't care. Those 3 plus Devlin and I think they would be all set. (plus a guy on the PS).
13. Chung looks like he has the edge in the "2nd safety derby", though both Wilson and Harmon both seemed to have good nights with the back ups. Unlike many here, I'm getting more and more comfortable with our safety depth. I don't think we are going to get "great play" from whomever wins the job, but I think we are going to get "competent play", and that's going to be enough given all the other parts we will have out there.
14. The biggest negative, I thought were the refs again. Matt Chatham hit it perfectly with his comments on the "hands to the face" penalties. I have no idea how defensive linemen and LB's can play this game without inadvertently getting their hand on the helmet. I can almost live with the ticky tack defensive holding calls, but this hands to the fact rule would absolutely ruin the game, since it could be called EVERY single play. Which means when it IS called, its being called capriciously. In other words, the official has the ability to throw it whenever he feels like it.
"In the interest of fairness" they called several offensive interference calls for blocking before the pass. In BOTH cases I saw, the blocks were clearly made AFTER the catch. My other complaint about the officiating is not about their calls, but Christian Fauria's comments. On at least 2 occasions he made light of 2 interference calls against the Panthers, when on BOTH occasions there actually was blatant contact well before the ball got there.
No one is more against this virtual torrent of yellow than I am, but you just weaken the credibility of the position when you vilify even the legitimate calls.
15. The things that impress me most about Garoppolo are his poise in the pocket and his decision making. It's remarkable, especially when you consider where he played in college. It's hard for me to equate this Jimmie Garoppolo with the QB I saw for so many practices a few weeks ago. With every opportunity it looks more and more that the Pats made a good pick. Now whether it was the RIGHT pick for the Pats, is another question entirely.
16. While the Pats have been known in the past for finding young undrafted FA's, I can't think of a season where it seems like so many are making strong cases for a job. Along with Butler, Tyms and DFlemming, others like JGray, TMcCuller, and JDavis, all popped tonight.
17. There is a lot more that I could talk about, but I leave that to rest of you to add to my post. Among the questions that I want answered are:
a. I saw Darius Fleming pop on one play, was he consistently good enough to earn a roster spot?
b. How did Worthy look in appearance with the back ups?
c. What about the play of Buchanan, Bequette, and Moore?
d. What about the early snaps Beauharnais got and his pick, as well as the solid play of the rest of the young LB's?
I'll end it here and enjoy the rest of my night reading what others have to say about tonight.
