New England won their first exhibition game last night 27-24 against the Saints at Gillette Stadium, and here are today's headlines, along with this morning's PatsCast Daily video report.
Last night I documented the entire game play-by-play through each quarter, pointing out some observations on each play throughout the game for anyone who didn't get to see it. You can find the links by quarter below:
REACTION: Pats/Saints Game Diary 1st QTR
REACTION: Pats/Saints Game Diary 2nd QTR
REACTION: Pats/Saints Game Diary 3rd QTR
REACTION: Pats/Saints Game Diary 4th QTR
You'll find some interesting names that stood out, along with some others who didn't fare as well. And there were a few guys who struggled and likely will take some heat once Belichick sees the film from this one.
Our friends at NEPatriotsDraft.com have a look at last night's game, including a look at some of the key postitions along with other great observations.
Tom Curran has an article looking at 5-points to remember after last night's win, including the fact that with the amount of playing time Green-Ellis got, he feels they could be showcasing him for a trade.
Christopher Price of WEEI.com has his usual "10 Things We Learned From Last Night", offering up some great observations from last night's game, and also says his play last night should prove that Tom Brady's focus is all about football.
Bob George takes a look at last night's win, and calls it a "Saintly Performance'" in an impressive start to the 2010 exhbition campaign.
Erik Scalavino of Patriots.com breaks down last night's game and starts looking at the depth chart, with some interesting names listed there.
Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald says that despite not having a new contract yet, Brady was "business as usual last night" and looked impressive in his first game of the year.
Rich Garven of the Worcester Telegram looks at New England's pass rush last night, which was highlighted by the play of Marques Murrell who consistently brought pressure.
Monique Walker of the Globe also has an article on Murrell, who after last night's game may have increased his chances of earning a roster spot.
Ian Rapoport of the Boston Herald has an article on Murrell, who credits the game planning for his sack of Drew Brees last night.
Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com writes that Murrell is no Adalius Thomas - which I would believe is definitely a good thing after watching him last night.
The Telegram also has the complete Bill Belichick postgame Q&A for anyone who is interested in reading it. Patriots.com has postgame quotes to go along with this.
Juliet Pennington of the Attleboro Sun Chronicle writes that last night's win for New England is a rousing start to the season, and gets some reactions from the fans who were on hand last night to watch the Patriots beat the Super Bowl champs - albeit in an exhibition game.
The Boston Herald has an article with comments from owner Robert Kraft on Jets head coach Rex Ryan, who told the newspaper that considering how colorful Ryan is, he understands why fans like him.
Albert Breer of the Boston Globe takes a look at last night's game, and was impressed with Brady's performance.
Former Patriots runningback Sam "Bam" Cunningham was honored last night by being inducted into the Patriots hall fo fame. Shalise Manza Young of the Globe offers a "Notebook" on the event, along with some other bits from last night's game - including the play of Tyrone McKenzie who played well late in the contest.
Robert Mays of the Globe has an article on wide receiver Julian Edelman, who filled in well last night during Wes Welker's absence.
Glen Farley of the Patriot Ledger also chimes in on Edelman, saying the receiver has gone from an "oddity to a weapon". Despite the cheesy title, it's a great read.
Steve Buckley of the Boston Herald also looks at Edelman, offering up a great read about who he calls "a talented understudy".
Jeff Howe writes that Edelman's improvement has him poised to be a serious contender for the number three receiver spot.
Mark Farinella of the Attleboro Sun Chronicle has an article on the receivers and offers up mixed reviews after last night's performance.
Rapoport writes that the starters opened up well last night, writing that 'the young and untested defense flashed a rejuvenated pass-rush early', which is something that he points out didn't happen much last season.
Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com breaks down last night's game, and feels that the Patriots have plenty of things to feel good about this morning, and says that it's no longer time to annoint the Jets as AFC East Champs.
Farley writes that while progress was made last night, the Patriots still have plenty of work to do as they continue developing these young players.
Down in New Orleans they're calling last night's game a "wake up call", with NOLA.com saying that the Saints have lost a bit of their "Super Bowl swagger" following last night's loss.
WWL.com out of New Orleans calls the game "sloppy", quoting Saints head coach Sean Payton after the game from his press conference.
That's it for this morning. Hope all of you have a good day and we'll have more updates later on.
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