Looking ahead to Detroit

[BobDigital]

Still a few days away but not much going on so why not look ahead to the all important preseason game 3? This will likely be the first time we see the first string offense and defense (what is healthy) really go for it.

On offense I expect Gronk and Edelman to be targeted early and often and Cooks get more looks than a safe 9 yard out. Unfortunately KC isn't so bad they can afford to not fully tune up and be ready for that game. Flemming again will probably be asked to protect Brady's blindside. He did well last week and the front will not be as talented this time.

The young Kerry Hyder could have exploded this season and is one of those tweener DT/DEs at 280. He would have been a tough test for for our IOL but he tore his ACL. They also have their top pass rusher Ansah who was hurt last year on the PUP. Yep. Their 2 best pass rushers will not be playing and to be completely honest they have very little behind them you need to be worried about from a pass rush perspective. When it comes to run D Ngata makes up the heart of it. He is older but still has something left though they didn't stop the run all that well last year but he was injured a bit too be fair.

While I don't wish injury on those players it is fortunate Brady will be relatively safe.

Their LB situation is so-so. They got a board favorite in the draft in Jarrad Davis but the rookie probably will not be able to do that much so early and the vets on their team don't worry me. The DBs could be pretty good though.

Slay at CB is the big headliner. Tabor was arguably the best CB in the draft but I'd expect Brady to challenge the rookie early. Still there will be fun things to watch in that match up. Last year this was an average D but it is probably worse now than then and I expect the play on the field to reflect such.

When the Pats D is on the field this 20th ranked offense last year has a few interesting things to show it. Stafford though not elite is legit and will test our CBs. His WRs Tate and Marvin Jones while not elite are solid. I would like to see butler put on Tate who is 5'11. Butler had a bad week and I want him to bounce back vs their #1 guy who isn't too big for him.

Ebron who has disappointing at times is living up to his potential a bit more. He was a good starting TE last year with over 700 yards and I want to see how this team deals with such a TE.

Their RB situation is interesting. With Ameer stay healthy? When he is he is explosive running and catching and he will play this game. Reddick is also a guy who can run or catch equally well. They have some good talent there and I particularly want to see the LBs step up this game and contain those backs particular when they run out to catch a pass.

Their OL is young and full of high draft picks. Though the talent is there they have not shown it as much as they should. Frankly they have been surprisingly average. They have a lot of young guys though so that could improve.

On the whole it should be a good tune up game but I do expect the Pats to win on both sides.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

The Patriots went there in week 3 of the preseason in 2013. Those Lions sure were fired up...what was it, a sellout crowd? Huge, chest-thumping 40-9 win...the franchise had turned the corner.

Patriots vs. Lions - Game Recap - August 22, 2013 - ESPN

"That's a Hall of Fame quarterback, and we flustered him a little bit," Detroit wide receiver Nate Burleson said about Tom Brady.

"The defense set a standard today. We can be one of the better defenses (in the league) if we keep working," said Louis Delmas.

"We were down a big playmaker in our offense tonight and our defense knew that, showed up and played great," Stafford said. "It's about the team, man."

The Lions finished the season 7-9.

 

[jmt57]

I am curious to see if the new guy, DE Keionta Davis makes an appearance. He was signed so late that the only sight of him during the final open practices was doing conditioning work on the lower field.

Joining the team so late makes him a longshot to make the roster obviously. With the turnover at the position it would be nice if there was a chance he could contribute something. Practice squad is more likely though - in which case, do the coaches not play him at all, in order to reduce the chance of another team signing him?

 

[Ring 6]

I am curious to see if the new guy, DE Keionta Davis makes an appearance. He was signed so late that the only sight of him during the final open practices was doing conditioning work on the lower field.

Joining the team so late makes him a longshot to make the roster obviously. With the turnover at the position it would be nice if there was a chance he could contribute something. Practice squad is more likely though - in which case, do the coaches not play him at all, in order to reduce the chance of another team signing him?

You have to play him to see what you have and if he is even worthy of a pass squad spot.
He would have to get 9 sacks to be on waiver claim radar.

 

[mgteich]

You have to play him to see what you have and if he is even worthy of a pass squad spot.
He would have to get 9 sacks to be on waiver claim radar.

Agreed. 9 this week and 9 next week in scrub time won't help much.

 

[jmt57]

You have to play him to see what you have and if he is even worthy of a pass squad spot.
He would have to get 9 sacks to be on waiver claim radar.

Agreed. 9 this week and 9 next week in scrub time won't help much.

I agree, seeing how he performs in live game conditions provides a superior assessment than just training camp practices. I was getting ahead of myself there.

Reason I mentioned that other teams may be interested in Davis is because he was projected to be a mid-round draft pick. He was not drafted due to a bulging disc. If teams see he is healthy again, then it is possible their may be interest.

By comparison, look at how many here assume D.J. Foster will be signed elsewhere. Davis was considered to be a better prospect than Foster.

 

[Ring 6]

I agree, seeing how he performs in live game conditions provides a superior assessment than just training camp practices. I was getting ahead of myself there.

Reason I mentioned that other teams may be interested in Davis is because he was projected to be a mid-round draft pick. He was not drafted due to a bulging disc. If teams see he is healthy again, then it is possible their may be interest.

By comparison, look at how many here assume D.J. Foster will be signed elsewhere. Davis was considered to be a better prospect than Foster.

I think there may be ps competition for him but to keep him in an active roster after a couple weeks of practice is a stretch. IMO.

 

[jmt57]

Back to the original post, Looking Ahead to Detroit...

Mike Reiss (warning, espn link) with some notes on this week's game.

With Nate Solder not traveling, Tom Brady's blindside bears watching

Nate Solder returned to practice but that was just two days ago, and won't play against the Lions. That means the coaching staff and all of us armchair gm's get extra opportunity to critique Cameron Fleming, LaAdrian Waddle, Conor McDermott, Cole Croston and Max Rich.

 

[Wheelman]

With the Pats playing tomorrow, I'm guessing we can expect America's game and Do your job 2 trailers tomorrow as well?

 

[signbabybrady]

I am going to be out of town. Will I be able to watch in NY?

 

[jmt57]

I am going to be out of town. Will I be able to watch in NY?

No. You only get the battle of NY/NJ.

506sports.com - Home

Google 'reddit nfl streams' for the next best alternatives.

 

[TheFlyingWedge]

The Lions always seem to play well against the Patriots in preseason games. It's their time to shine!

 

[GoBlue]

My 3 favorite teams play tonight. I'll have to miss the Lions Pats game as my grandsons first HS game is also tonight. I don't really put much into preseason NFL but by the third week we should begin to see some things shake out.

 

[maineman209]

I agree, seeing how he performs in live game conditions provides a superior assessment than just training camp practices. I was getting ahead of myself there.

Reason I mentioned that other teams may be interested in Davis is because he was projected to be a mid-round draft pick. He was not drafted due to a bulging disc. If teams see he is healthy again, then it is possible their may be interest.

By comparison, look at how many here assume D.J. Foster will be signed elsewhere. Davis was considered to be a better prospect than Foster.

I read a couple of days ago that Davis has not yet been medically cleared to practice. This was mentioned in a recap of who wasn't practicing that day, and I don't recall which sportswriter. Might have been Howe.

Anyway, if Davis isn't cleared this week, it seems to me that he'd be eligible for Reserve/NFI since his "injury" occurred pre-NFL and he hasn't practiced at all yet. On NFI, he'd have six weeks to rehab/get stronger, then the Pats would have three weeks to evaluate him in practice instead of just the one week they have left in Camp.

 

[jmt57]

Patriots vs. Lions: Five things to watch

Veterans in the fourth quarter

Veterans who played in the fourth quarter last year included Terrance Knighton and Nate Washington, both of whom were cut. Typically, when an older player is playing with rookies in the final frame, it’s a sign that the Patriots are giving them a chance to put their work on film for another team.

Defensive effort

With quarterback Matthew Stafford running the Lions offense, the Patriots defense will have a good warmup for the regular season. It’s a positive thing, especially, for the secondary, since they’ll have to defend Marvin Jones and Golden Tate. Last week, against Houston, Malcolm Butler had a tough first quarter, allowing a deep catch and then a touchdown reception.

Things won’t get easier on Friday, but the Patriots schedule is stacked this year with solid offensive units. Since this is likely the last game the starters will play this summer, now is a good time to put forth a lock-down effort. An intensified pass rush wouldn’t hurt, either.

Who is healthy?

We have a good idea of who won’t be out there due to injury — Malcolm Mitchell, Matthew Slater, Rex Burkhead, Ted Karras, Matt Lengel, Shea McClellin, Derek Rivers, Tony Garcia, Geneo Grissom, Keionta Davis, Andrew Jelks and Deatrich Wise are not expected to suit up.​

Patriots Notebook: Tom Brady says preseason reps are an important building block

Absences pile up

In their last practice before flying to Detroit, the absences continued to pile up for the Patriots. On Wednesday, the team was missing Malcolm Mitchell, Rex Burkhead, Matthew Slater, Ted Karras, Matt Lengel, Shea McClellin, Derek Rivers and Tony Garcia.

Andrew Jelks and Keionta Davis were present, but in shorts. Deatrich Wise and Geneo Grissom were in pads, but departed to a different field when drills started....​

As far as the absences go, Karras is the only new addition. It’s usually expected that the players missing would not play on Friday vs. the Lions in the third preseason game.

​

Report: Hightower, other Patriots do not travel

Linebackers Dont'a Hightower, Shea McClellin and Elandon Roberts apparently did not make the trip to Detroit, which mean David Harris will presumably see extensive action tonight.


David Harris' fit in middle of Patriots' D should be on display vs. Lions

5. Tighten up on big plays defensively. While some of them involved players who won’t be on the initial 53-man roster, and there was no scheming involved, the Patriots have given up too many big plays on defense in the first two games of the preseason. Cornerback Malcolm Butler, for example, was involved in one big passing play last Saturday. Tightening up in that area would help the defense build some positive momentum into the regular season.​

 

[Vatahala]

I am going to be out of town. Will I be able to watch in NY?

NFL Network is showing the Pats at midnight and usually features the hometown announcers which is great for a different viewpoint.

 

[jmt57]

To add on to the comment above, there will be three replays on NFLN of tonight's game against Detroit.

1. Tonight at midnight.
2. Saturday August 26 at 4 pm ET.
3. Wednesday August 26 at 4 pm ET.

 

[PatsFan2]

NFL Network is showing the Pats at midnight and usually features the hometown announcers which is great for a different viewpoint.

You going to be disappointed with that amateur Fauria. He's like a dumb blond you know you liked her until she opened her mouth.

 

[maineman209]

NFL Network is showing the Pats at midnight and usually features the hometown announcers which is great for a different viewpoint.

If by "different" you mean a viewpoint that more often than not has little or nothing to do with the game in progress.

 

[Vatahala]

If by "different" you mean a viewpoint that more often than not has little or nothing to do with the game in progress.

That's not quite fair IMO, I felt the Texans rebroadcast did a credible job and will wait to see how the Detroit homers call the game.

I think they will show a level of respect due to Lions GM Quinn past connection with the Patriots.