****** First exhibition game postgame thread ******

[jah]

It was a Gunner/Gunnar issue. I don't think either Bethel or Slater played on the punt coverage unit and anyone not named Gunnar looked like that evening was the first time they'd practiced the skill of catching punts (which MIGHT have been the case).

Both the position and the guy are named Gunner with an e.

 

[TomPatriot]

We should put the brakes on the Mac Jones train a bit. He has a long way to go. He faced a defense of backups playing mostly vanilla coverages.

That said, I’m impressed that he is really far along at this point and I really enjoyed watching him play QB last night. I can’t wait to watch him grow this season and beyond.

 

[Huckleberry1]

With Mac in there, the offense looks like a Patriots’ offense. With Cam it feels like offense by accident - “oops, we scored”. The 8/9 drive to start the 2nd half was a test, and I think Jones met the challenge. He probably does not start week 1, but I also don’t think NE is drafting another first-round QB for quite a few years.

To me the strongest indicator that a young QB is not going to succeed is when it is clear that the NFL game is too fast for them, Jones demonstrated that is not the case for him, he was quick and decisive, and while he was far from perfect he appears to have all the skills the Patriots want from their QB. I won’t blame Newton for the strip as Wynn got torched by Young, but other than that he looked exactly the way he looked last season, and that’s not good for his future, or the Patriots as long as he is the QB.

 

[PScottman]

Mac only had 38 more passing yards than Cam but had 9 more completions .. that is not good

Please regale us with the downsides of the getting the ball into the playmaker's hands. I'm interested into the reasoning behind why that should be considered "not good".

 

[Sfpat]

Perhaps they wanted him to completely overthrow Wilkerson instead of dropping it in the bucket where a receiver could possibly catch it? Or maybe they thought the problem on the overthrow to Gunner was just he didn't try to drive it straight through the back of the defender?

I don't care about who can chuck the ball 70 yards on a hail mary. Show me touch on the deep balls, and Mac did some of that last night (not perfect, but pretty good for his first live NFL action).

Didn't the Raiders draft a QB with possibly the strongest arm ever at #1 a few years ago, JaMarcus something? Can't remember how well he turned out, I searching the records to see how many SBs he won.

 

[Wozzy]

Davon Godchaux was terrible last night, he got ran all over. The TD they punched in on the goal line they went right at him. He was the worst signing of the offseason IMO.

 

[Uptown]

 

[goheels22002]

What I saw at camp for the padded practices was on display yesterday. Mac showed accuracy, quick decision making & extra rushers didn’t bother him.

The pats haven’t been able to pass effectively without play action since Gordon was suspended in 2018 (it’s honestly a miracle the Pats beat the Chiefs on the road having to throw in the 4th - kudos to the GOAT & company for coming thru). There were glimpses of a return of the quick passing offense:

Jones in shotgun
White
Agholor
Meyers
Henry inline
Jonnu split out wide

White & Jonnu underneath, Meyers & Henry in the intermediate with Agholor making defenders respect the deep ball. The cherry on top is an elite OL making it difficult getting to a QB getting the ball out early.

Good first showing in game action. Personally I do not see the value in continuing the smoke & mirrors offense with Cam that relys on heavy formations & hoping you get to 3rd and short. We’ll see what BB decides to do soon.

It looked to me like Mac Jones is ready - in camp and last night against WTF. The key here is the health of the offensive line. If the OL stays intact through pre-season, BB can start Mac week one. Operating behind the starting OL, Mac Jones got the ball out quick, did a nice job exposing the football on play action to hold the defenders in their gaps, and ran what Josh asked of him.

Continuing to pretend that Cam Newton can still be a QB in the NFL is a mistake. The question then becomes, who is Mac Jones' backup? For everybody's sake they should release Newton and be on the lookout for a professional backup with a little more to offer than Brian Hoyer. There will lots of QB cuts in the coming weeks with all the new talent in the picture.

 

[TheRainMaker]

There are golfers that really impress at the driving range but absolutely show nothing on the course,

That’s me. I’d go yard on my drives at the range but implode on the course.

 

[TheRainMaker]

Davon Godchaux was terrible last night, he got ran all over. The TD they punched in on the goal line they went right at him. He was the worst signing of the offseason IMO.

This will put a smile on @captain stone’s face.

 

[SlowGettingUp]

Nice breakdown of two defensive running plays (featuring KVN and then Juvon) by Chatham:

 

[PScottman]

Did think the run defence got off to a slow start , maybe expecting too much for the first game

I saw instead of Patriot DTs being pushed back at the initial point of attack, the ability to hold up, meaning it was simply execution and tackling fundamentals versus baseline talent and ability.

Huge difference from last year where the first contact was often 5-6 yards downfield versus the 1-3 yards last night. This bodes well as tackling, angles, fundamentals, and unit cohesiveness and familiarity catch-up/increase as camp and practices continue.

3.9 YPC last night including the 14 yard Montez scramble (which would make it 3.5 ypc by RBs). Let's see how that number stacks up moving forward as last year they AVERAGED 4.5 YPC given up across the entire season. 3.9 YPC was Top 5 in the NFL last year (Bucs were league best 3.6)

2020 NFL defense rushing stats by Team | NFL.com

 

[TheRainMaker]

Didn't the Raiders draft a QB with possibly the strongest arm ever at #1 a few years ago, JaMarcus something? Can't remember how well he turned out, I searching the records to see how many SBs he won.

Raiders are a must watch when drafting these days.

 

[Uptown]

 

[Uptown]

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Both the position and the guy are named Gunner with an e.

Wrong! It's Gunnah here in NE.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Davon Godchaux was terrible last night, he got ran all over. The TD they punched in on the goal line they went right at him. He was the worst signing of the offseason IMO.

Spotty maybe. Terrible seems harsh.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Assuming Gilly plays here in 2021, I think Michael Jackson Sr. is making this team as the 3rd boundary corner.

 

[PScottman]

Both the position and the guy are named Gunner with an e.

I wasn't sure so I hedged my bets on the spelling and included both given his surname.

 

[Uptown]