Post-Game: Patriots vs. New Orleans

[goheels22002]

it wasn't a great block by Fleming, he actually whiffs on #63 Tapp. luckily Derby was able to knock him to the ground.

Great cutback by Gaffney His burst after the cut is nice to see.

 

[long distance]

Don't know too much about him but Karras seems like a street brawler to me. If he can play with a lot of smarts and a little mobility and in-line strength he might make it tough for Cooper to stick.

He only lets girls and VIP's through ...

 

[strngplyr]

It's hard not to love what we've seen with Mitchell but lets remember who the QB was.

TB12 is notoriously impatient with not seeing perfection and unless he has no choice (2013) he will ignore you on the field. It's important for Mitchell to continue to show up once Brady gets back because in the small sample we saw he looked like we drafted a good one.

And yes, as weird as that sounds, I am saying that when it comes to WR's sometimes Brady WON'T get the best out of them if he doesn't trust him. Some players WILL look better with less QB's who will give them the chance.

 

[RobertWeathers]

It's hard not to love what we've seen with Mitchell but lets remember who the QB was.

TB12 is notoriously impatient with not seeing perfection and unless he has no choice (2013) he will ignore you on the field. It's important for Mitchell to continue to show up once Brady gets back because in the small sample we saw he looked like we drafted a good one.

And yes, as weird as that sounds, I am saying that when it comes to WR's sometimes Brady WON'T get the best out of them if he doesn't trust him. Some players WILL look better with less QB's who will give them the chance.

You bring up great points. The "trust" you speak of comes in many forms.

It certainly has a ton to do with Brady as he needs to know that the receiver is on the same page as he. I think it also has a lot to do with the overall philosophy of this offense.

Great article attached.

Tom Brady, Patriots' offense built to adapt

 

[Angelpats]

Great cutback by Gaffney His burst after the cut is nice to see.

What some fail to appreciate here is that white would have likely fell down with that contact and Blount would still be dancing around looking for that hole.

 

[mgteich]

It seems a bit much to think that Gaffney is a favorite to be a contributor after one good pre-season run in his career.

 

[Bobs My Uncle]

Just got a chance to watch the recorded game. My quick thoughts.

I am unsure about Jimmy G. At times he seems able to deliver the goods yet I wonder about his poise in the pocket. Hopefully, he can become more comfortable in the pocket; perhaps all he needs is to be surrounded by more capable starters at the skill positions?

Bennett is going to be a stud in this offense. I can only imagine the headaches he and Gronk will pose once they combine together out there.

I still don't think the Pats have a #1 RB on the roster. Perhaps come cut day day they will?

I am worried about the OT spot on this team. Not sure what is up with Solder but he looks skinny and weak to me.

Joe Thuney is a going to be a stud. His movement and mobility is already top notch and he seems to have a very strong grasp of the game. Have we ever had a rookie OL come into town so ready mentally and physically?

Unfortunate injury to Mitchell who seems to have the goods to deliver. I believe the primary key for him moving forward will be his ability to get off the LOS and into his routes. If he can do so, we will have a winner.

Collins has the ability to be DPOTY if he can stay healthy. He and Hightower may well end up being the undisputed best LB duo in the game by years end.

I was extremely impressed that BB had Kamu Grugier-Hill playing on teams and calling plays at LB. His fluidity and movement skills are unquestionable and, while he seemed out of position a few times, he outta be able to correct this with more experience. If he does, he's a keeper. I am very excited to see this kid's progression over time.

Flowers looks to be the most natural and disruptive pass rusher on this team. I can't wait to see him see more 1st team reps.

Health permitting, both this offense and defense have the ability to be best in class. That is a very exciting thought.

 

[JMC00]

I am worried about the OT spot on this team. Not sure what is up with Solder but he looks skinny and weak to me.

Physically he looks fine and it's a bit asinine to base anything about a guy in the first preseason game playing his first actual football game in almost a year

It's called rust and practice only helps so much, need to actually see "live bullets' to knock all the rust off

 

[JMC00]

Flowers looks to be the most natural and disruptive pass rusher on this team.

Oh come on. One game against the Saints backups and PS?

Yes he looked good and might be a good contributor this year but, Jabaal Sheard is the most natural and disruptive pass rusher on this team.

 

[Brady6]

Dobson is still here after three full season because he has a high ceiling. Guys with his size and speed are a rare commodity but at the end of the day, all the potential in the world wont win a single game.

It's time for this guy to produce some highlight reel suff but in my opinion, his performance was just pedestrian last night.

Mitchell on the other hand, looks like a stud right out of the gate.

I cannot help but wonder why so many people do not want Dobson on this team. I could understand if people were hyping him to be a starter but that is not the case. He would be one of the best #5 or #6 WRs on any team in the NFL. He is on a rookie deal, does not cost a ton of money, and at the very least he is a player who can step in and be serviceable.

 

[strngplyr]

who can step in and be serviceable.

Have not seen evidence of that since 2013.

 

[Brady6]

Have not seen evidence of that since 2013.

He had 7 catches for 87 yards in week 2 against the Bills last season.

 

[Canuck]

White WAS in ...and that so called "catch" on the sideline earlier in the first half? How in hell was THAT ruled a catch after replay?

I think I remember an article awhile back that stated that they would stand by the officals call on the field unless it was obvious that they got the call wrong. While watching on TV, they showed the replay and it looked like he got the left foot down and the right foot came down out of bounds. Then one of the announcers said take a look at the receivers right foot at the catch. They showed the replay again a number of times with the focus of looking at the right foot when the catch was made. It was really hard to tell if the right foot was still on the ground or in the air at the catch. It was close enough that I think they let the call on the field stand.

 

[Bobs My Uncle]

Physically he looks fine and it's a bit asinine to base anything about a guy in the first preseason game playing his first actual football game in almost a year

It's called rust and practice only helps so much, need to actually see "live bullets' to knock all the rust off

I wasn't commenting on Nate's play but rather that he looks skinny and smaller to me.

Oh come on. One game against the Saints backups and PS?

Yes he looked good and might be a good contributor this year but, Jabaal Sheard is the most natural and disruptive pass rusher on this team.

I am not just basing my opinion on Thursday's game. I like do like Sheard as well.

 

[mgteich]

I cannot help but wonder why so many people do not want Dobson on this team. I could understand if people were hyping him to be a starter but that is not the case. He would be one of the best #5 or #6 WRs on any team in the NFL. He is on a rookie deal, does not cost a ton of money, and at the very least he is a player who can step in and be serviceable.

1) The #6 WR is either Slater or a player from the Practice Squad. Being the best #6 is someone who doesn't make the team.

2) Given that we will run lots and lots of 2 TE sets, and also have a RB going out for passes (Lewis and White), the #5 WR is very unlikely to be active, if we even have a #5. After all, we will likely carry a couple of WR's on the Practice Squad.

3) At this point, it seems likely that we carry an "extra" WR for the first few weeks, while Mitchell is recovering. Could that be Dobson? Sure.

 

[jefmblrd]

I liked Flowers last year before he was hurt, and I like him even more now. He has speed and a nose for the ball and making impact plays. Long looked stout on the edge, and I think will help this team. Gaffney intrigues me; I realize he was playing with and against second half guys, but there's some potential there that I'm looking forward to seeing in the next few games. Overall this team looks faster than in the past: Grugier-Hill and J. Jones are really fast--whether they are on the 45 we'll just have to see. Mitchell looked like the real deal in there--someone who can run routes and make contested catches. Too bad about his injury-gladly it's not as serious as originally thought. Jimmy G. Looks efficient enough at this point to guide the offense and Brissette is raw but it looks like there might be something there. Dobson looked pretty solid as well. One thing's for sure, there are going to be some tough cuts coming up.

 

[Tuck]

At some point the coaches have to make a decision on where on where each player's ceiling is. Dobsons problem is that he hasn't shown much in three full seasons so people are starting to wonder if he is at or close to full potential. If he is, I'd rather have a younger player with more upside instead.

 

[Brady6]

1) The #6 WR is either Slater or a player from the Practice Squad. Being the best #6 is someone who doesn't make the team.

2) Given that we will run lots and lots of 2 TE sets, and also have a RB going out for passes (Lewis and White), the #5 WR is very unlikely to be active, if we even have a #5. After all, we will likely carry a couple of WR's on the Practice Squad.

3) At this point, it seems likely that we carry an "extra" WR for the first few weeks, while Mitchell is recovering. Could that be Dobson? Sure.

Considering Edelman, Amendola, Martin, and Dobson missed at least 3 games each last season and Mitchell had some injury issues in college I think they will start the season with 6 WR. Don't think they really want to end up in a situation like the end of last year where they have no healthy WRs.

The NFL is a passing league now more than ever I say load up on WRs and CBs.

 

[Canuck]

It's great to be back and watching football again. I thought the Patriots played pretty good for the 1st preseason game. Some good plays, some bad (getting to sound like Belichick).

I thought JG played okay. He struggled against the Saints starting defense. It looked like he got driven to the ground after every pass he threw. Even when the OL gave him a pocket, he was a tad slow going through the progressions. I thought he improved as the game went on. This is the first time where he got to face a pass rush that he was allowed to be hit. To be honest he didn't have that much help. The OL struggled, there wasn't much of a consistent run game. For what targets he had, I thought the passing game was okay. With Mitchell getting injured, it looks like Dobson gets to stay around. Take out Blount's one big run and he ran 8 times for 8 yards the rest of the time. Gaffney was slightly better. Take out his one big run and he ran 8 times for 20 yards. Still the big runs really helped so it wasn't a complete disaster. Avg yards per run was 5.0. White played well. Going to be interesting to see what happens when Lewis is back playing. Don't know enough about who is good or bad at pass protection at RB. Can Lewis pass protect?

I thought the defense played well. Coleman looked like the weak link out there. Going to be an interesting battle for the CB spots. This is going to be a tough team to run against. Saints only averaged 2.6 yards a run.

Jordan Richards played well on special teams. Ghost made his kicks. Allen punted well. Punt coverage needs work.

Brissett looks really raw. Cannon of an arm. Hard to bring down. I don't know if he even went through progressions. It looked like he locked on and threw to the primary receiver almost every time. Didn't have to worry much about a pass rush as the ball was out of his hands quick. Not an accurate thrower. Still as a long term prospect he is really interesting.

To be honest I was relieved after the game. My thoughts were we can win with this team, even with JG as QB. OL and injuries are a concern. We still have players that still haven't recovered from last years injuries. Add in new injuries and it will be hard to predict what will happen. Still I am optimistic that we will make the playoffs.

 

[patfanken]

Some comments on the comments.....and some questions too

1. I was in Trenton NJ for the last 3 days and didn't get to see the game.... though I did get to drive by exit 16W twice.

2. This is the first of 4 exhibition games, and it is hard to evaluate people when there is no game plan on either side of the ball and a lot of people are playing who won't be on the roster come September. Also keep in mind that unlike any other time, preseason games are all about evaluating the INDIVIDUAL rather than the team as a whole, especially the first 2 games. PLEASE keep in mind, that there is NO other team game that we watch where the individual's success is so dependant on so many others.

3. Before any of you get all crazed about JG, I would remind people that Matt Cassell didn't lead the offense to a single TD during the entirety of the 2008 preseason....not ONE. And if I recall correctly he got a LOT of playing time with the #1's. So it was no wonder that many were shocked that team not only kept him on the roster, but that he was Brady's back up

4. Someone mentioned that the Pats were running a 'zone blocking' scheme on Thursday. Is that true? IIRC, the Pats under BB and Scar have always been a power blocking team. Can anyone get some info one way or the other.

5. It is my belief that the success or failure of the first 4 regular season games is going to depend on how the OL is doing, so I'd like to know how well JG was protected. The only plays I got to see in the ESPN highlights was the dump off to White, and the play where he was sacked. Though I thought it was interesting to see the host trying to lead Damion Woody into saying something negative about his performance. And almost equally interesting to see Woody not falling for it and saying something very neutral and realistic. I haven't watched any ESPN for a LONG time.....and now that I'm home, I won't have to anymore.

6. Very happy to see good things said about Sheard and Flowers. Should I be concerned about NOT hearing anything at all about Chris Long?

7. Glad that the run D looked improved.

8. I really don't care much about the DB's playing in vanilla defenses

9. a few more things on JG.

a. I think it is worth repeating something I've said before. JG may ultimately end up being an all pro QB. But he isn't that NOW. He will not only be filling in for the GOAT, he hasn't started an NFL game in his very brief 2+ seasons in the league. So forget about all the assets he DIDN'T have on the field, all I am going to look for from JG is that he be better next game than he was in the last. And from what I gathered THAT bar isn't too high.

b. Thursday was the FIRST time he saw a live full effort pass rush this pre-season, so it will take some time for him to get a feel for the 'actual' speed of the game, and that can only come from reps, reps, and more reps.

c. For a any NFL player, but most especially for QB's; the most important aspects of the game are confidence and experience.....and you can only get the former from the latter.

10. The Bears are coming into town next after just a horrible 20-0 outing in their first exhibition. That leads to believe that they might have a very different agenda for this upcoming game. They could feel the need to game plan more and/or keep their starters in longer in order to have a more respectable showing against the Pats. They are already coming off a bad year and my feel the need to placate their fan base.

The Pats on the other hand have nothing to prove and BB will prepare the team solely for the purposes to getting to see what he and staff want to see and evaluate, regardless of what the outcome ends up being. Don't forget how meaningless these outcomes are. I STILL can't forget the brutal ass whipping the team got from the Bengals one preseason. IIRC, it was 30-0 at halftime. The year, I think, was 2003

11. Since I believe the OL is the MOST important aspect of the team to follow. I have this request of someone who taped this game, especially someone who knows anything about OL play. Could you go back and look at the OL play in the first half and give me your opinions? Thanks