"Who's Hot, Who's Not" Patriots-Falcons

[PromisedLand]

He looked okay against Miami's first stringers. I wouldn't cut him just yet. His passes were crisper and he made better decisions in the second half. He may have been playing against their third stringers, but he had our third string line protecting him and was throwing to Eric Davis and who? Rich Musinski?

He'll be fine.

Especially when he learns not to run the ball on third and long with a defender five yards away. Throw long. Might be complete, might be pass interference. Throw looooong. Even if intercepted, a fifty yard toss that is intercepted is better than a 35 yard punt

No, no, I'm not saying cut him at all, and I agree he looked pretty decent v Miami last year. I'm just saying his performance tonight against their 3s proved nothing to me. Others were saying that he looked good later in the game and I'm saying it means nothing because of the level of the competition.

 

[Patsgirl_DK]

He was playing against their 3rd string defense by then. He has to look good against #1s. I'm not saying he won't in time, but he certainly didn't tonight.

I agree that our backup QB is a concern but our backup OL didn´t buy him much time either. Putting him on the "Not hot list" is okay but he probably would look better behind the starters.

Anyway lets pray that Brady won´t miss to many games (hopefully none) and if he does let hope it will be against one of the less good teams.

 

[PromisedLand]

I agree that our backup QB is a concern but our backup OL didn´t buy him much time either. Putting him on the "Not hot list" is okay but he probably would look better behind the starters.

Anyway lets pray that Brady won´t miss to many games (hopefully none) and if he does let hope it will be against one of the less good teams.

I think he was playing behind the first string Oline for at least the first couple of series. Brady only played one series. And that's when Cassell looked the worst.

 

[Patsgirl_DK]

I was thinking: Does the fact that only TB and Cassel got to play mean that BB has settled on a roster with only 2 QBs allready???? Or maybe he just felt that Cassel needed the time since he will be our 2. QB and hasn´t played much since highschool.

 

[PromisedLand]

I was thinking: Does the fact that only TB and Cassel got to play mean that BB has settled on a roster with only 2 QBs allready???? Or maybe he just felt that Cassel needed the time since he will be our 2. QB and hasn´t played much since highschool.

I don't think it means that. From what I've been hearing neither Bramlet nor Mortenson have looked at all good even in practice. I think BB is looking at Cassell to prove in this preseason that he is ready to be the #2, and if he doesn't demonstrate that in first 2-3 preseason games he will bring in a vet. Or he maybe will just keep his old buddy Vinny T on the "shadow roster"...

 

[RayClay]

I remember seeing Gardner bring down - hard - a runner near the beginning of the game.

That's encouraging. I must have been snacking, (vacation).

 

[MoLewisrocks]

He was playing against their 3rd string defense by then. He has to look good against #1s. I'm not saying he won't in time, but he certainly didn't tonight.

He was playing against their 3rd string defense with our PS offense.

Cassel will be fine. He's the least of our worries. He hasn't been in a game since week 17 last season - started out a little ragged then too. For a guy who didn't have the game time in college or even here until late last season, he's fine. He figures it out. He doesn't lose his mind. And if Gorin had been a healthy scratch he probably wouldn't have had the costly fumble early on.

 

[shmessy]

Strange...I haven't seen anyone mention Hochstein.

Most of the great running in the first quarter came right up the pipe. Hochstein and the guards were just blasting off the line.

The differnce between the 2005 Dillon and tonight's Dillon was that he was running more directly east-west tonight instead of immediately moving laterally to find a hole that never materialized.

 

[PromisedLand]

Strange...I haven't seen anyone mention Hochstein.

Most of the great running in the first quarter came right up the pipe. Hochstein and the guards were just blasting off the line.

The differnce between the 2005 Dillon and tonight's Dillon was that he was running more directly east-west tonight instead of immediately moving laterally to find a hole that never materialized.

Uh, isn't laterally the same as east-west? If you meant he was running more directly north-south, then I agree.

 

[peppered johnson]

i missed the begining, how did dillon do?

 

[patsfan13]

One thing to kee[ in mind about out running game tonight...We were missing 3 starters from our OL, Koppen, Kaczur (our RT IMO) and Graham, what will the running game look like with those guys in!

I would like to see Branch back and Jackson get on the field though.

 

[primetime]

i missed the begining, how did dillon do?

Blasted through holes and powered through defenders. Moved piles. Looked like 2004 Dillon. You can tell the speed/elusiveness difference between him and Maroney though. They'll be a great one-two punch, and Faulk is still a great third down back (on that one play, he sold the block incredibly well then got the screen... I think Faulk might line up at WR quite a bit this year). Cobbs is an intriguing guy with alot of speed and shiftiness. He was a small school guy and may have been hurt by that in the draft.

On defense, Wilfork stood out among the first team. He only played the first series but there was at least one run where the o-line triple teamed Wilfork but were completely unable to move him, and the runner ran straight into the big guy/o-line mob and got stuffed for no gain. The MLBs were completely useless, so throw any chance of Gardner or Davis playing meaningful time out and Beisel looked awful. Vrabel's going to have to move inside and Tedy's going to have to get back soon, or the Pats will have to bring in Claiborne, Sharper, or Ruff (or Posey and move Vrabel inside). Tully and Mincey look capable of competing for playing time. They were getting off the edge fast, though both will need to improve in coverage (Tully can't get beaten in man coverage against a team's third tight end) in order to start. TBC looks like Colvin-lite and Mincey looks like Vrabel Jr. (in other words, I don't think Tully will ever be more than a poor man's Colvin, while Mincey has the potential to be the inside-outside-hand-on-the-ground guy Vrabel is). Pierre Woods is another player who flashed some promise on the field, though he had a few mess-ups. Freddie Roach didn't particularly impress me.

The secondary was hurt by the fact they were using simple soft zone coverages or tight man coverages. In the first long completion, Samuel just sat in his zone. On subsequent completions, you'd see one on one matchups with very little safety help or any deception. Belichick and Pees aren't going to give anything away in the preseason... plus Rodney's not out there yet. Samuel had his ups and downs, and I don't remember seeing Hobbs anywhere, they must have picked on Samuel.

The offense will definitely be clicking on all cylinders come the regular season. Brady looked spot on, though I'm worried about his receivers. Watson is special, Graham will add alot to him. Mills looked like a guy with a great deal of promise who was playing his first NFL game (and has missed most of his NFL practices), and Thomas made a few good plays. The tight ends aren't a big deal. The receivers were awful. Caldwell looked decent but dropped a very catchable ball in the end zone. If he does that they're going to have to give in to Branch because he's not capable of being a number one, because Brady can get him the ball anywhere, but he needs to catch it. I hope Jackson comes back. Troy was invisible but I don't think he played much, not a big deal for a reliable veteran. The other guys, including Childress, looked like scrubs. Hopefully something will materialize out of them.

The interior line looked great and pass protection was great... aside from Gorin. He's a stiff. O'Callaghan and Britt are going to be knocking on his door before the end of the preseason, that is if Kaczur doesn't come back in time (it keeps looking more and more doubtful, unfortunately).

 

[PatsSaintsSox]

Blasted through holes and powered through defenders. Moved piles. Looked like 2004 Dillon. You can tell the speed/elusiveness difference between him and Maroney though. They'll be a great one-two punch, and Faulk is still a great third down back (on that one play, he sold the block incredibly well then got the screen... I think Faulk might line up at WR quite a bit this year). Cobbs is an intriguing guy with alot of speed and shiftiness. He was a small school guy and may have been hurt by that in the draft.

On defense, Wilfork stood out among the first team. He only played the first series but there was at least one run where the o-line triple teamed Wilfork but were completely unable to move him, and the runner ran straight into the big guy/o-line mob and got stuffed for no gain. The MLBs were completely useless, so throw any chance of Gardner or Davis playing meaningful time out and Beisel looked awful. Vrabel's going to have to move inside and Tedy's going to have to get back soon, or the Pats will have to bring in Claiborne, Sharper, or Ruff (or Posey and move Vrabel inside). Tully and Mincey look capable of competing for playing time. They were getting off the edge fast, though both will need to improve in coverage (Tully can't get beaten in man coverage against a team's third tight end) in order to start. TBC looks like Colvin-lite and Mincey looks like Vrabel Jr. (in other words, I don't think Tully will ever be more than a poor man's Colvin, while Mincey has the potential to be the inside-outside-hand-on-the-ground guy Vrabel is). Pierre Woods is another player who flashed some promise on the field, though he had a few mess-ups. Freddie Roach didn't particularly impress me.

The secondary was hurt by the fact they were using simple soft zone coverages or tight man coverages. In the first long completion, Samuel just sat in his zone. On subsequent completions, you'd see one on one matchups with very little safety help or any deception. Belichick and Pees aren't going to give anything away in the preseason... plus Rodney's not out there yet. Samuel had his ups and downs, and I don't remember seeing Hobbs anywhere, they must have picked on Samuel.

The offense will definitely be clicking on all cylinders come the regular season. Brady looked spot on, though I'm worried about his receivers. Watson is special, Graham will add alot to him. Mills looked like a guy with a great deal of promise who was playing his first NFL game (and has missed most of his NFL practices), and Thomas made a few good plays. The tight ends aren't a big deal. The receivers were awful. Caldwell looked decent but dropped a very catchable ball in the end zone. If he does that they're going to have to give in to Branch because he's not capable of being a number one, because Brady can get him the ball anywhere, but he needs to catch it. I hope Jackson comes back. Troy was invisible but I don't think he played much, not a big deal for a reliable veteran. The other guys, including Childress, looked like scrubs. Hopefully something will materialize out of them.

The interior line looked great and pass protection was great... aside from Gorin. He's a stiff. O'Callaghan and Britt are going to be knocking on his door before the end of the preseason, that is if Kaczur doesn't come back in time (it keeps looking more and more doubtful, unfortunately).

Thanks primetime, i missed the beginning too

 

[patpatriot]

Does anyone know what is wrong with Kazur? He's pup'd correct? It looks like we can live without him if all Gorin plays is RT but I am going to love to see this oline with him starting at rt.

Where did Pierre Woods come from? The kid flashed some ability (granted against 2nd and 3rt teams) but he's got skills.

Beisel continues to dissapoint. It looks like we are going to have to move Vrabel back inside which creates a hole at OLB which TBC can't fill I'm afraid. Maybe Brown can still play OLB?

 

[VrabelMayeWin]

Where did Pierre Woods come from? The kid flashed some ability (granted against 2nd and 3rt teams) but he's got skills.

MichiganDave will give you a better answer but he was a highly recruited player out of high school but his performance seemed to deteriorate over the years at Michigan. Pro Football Weekly says that he's not the smartest or most instinctual player and should play in a simple scheme - that's not us, of course, but if Pees can get through to him he definitely is interesting.

Did Roach play much tonight ? Without knowing the numbers, it can be difficult to tell. For me, anyway.

 

[D-cleater]

Thanks for excellent game accounts and opinions. It's this time of year, until the last game of the year, that I wish I was back in NE watching the game!

The running game does sound very encouraging, especially knowing that Hochstein has proven to be a capable starter. I'm also interested to hear how Mankins looks. Does it look like he's caught up to the vets in terms of strength and ability? He seemed to be there by the end of last year.

Does it mattter that Atlanta was one of worse defenses against the run last year ? ( i think)

 

[scout]

After one preseason game, if Maroney doesn't win rookie of the year its due to Corey being back in form. If last night is any indication, what a 1-2-3 punch we have. Haven't seen backs like that since Miami in early 70's. Now, throw in our tight-end packages into the mix. With (hope) our wide-outs playing this will be hands down the best Patriots offense, bar none. Now, we just need to see who will show up on defense.

 

[Willie55]

Cassell started out horrible. He was holding onto the ball too long. Whether that was because of indecisiveness or the receivers weren't open, I'm not sure. After awhile he settled down, making some good throws. I know it was against second and third stringers, but his passes were accurate.

Beisel was useless. Of course, everybody saw the dropped interception. You couldn't ask for the ball in a better location unless you were playing catch in your back yard. On one of Atlanta's long runs, he got totally blown out of the way, couldn't hold his ground, and the running back ran through where he had been. In another instance he was dragged for 3 yards, just like Ladanian Tomlinson last year to him, by the running back before he went down.

 

[Pats726]

Post your opinions.

Who's Not:

Brian Barthelmes
Reche Caldwell

What did Barthelmes do that was that bad...or didn't do??? I also don't think Reche belongs on this list.. if he had a few drops of course, but he actually should be on neither.

 

[DarrylS]

After one preseason game, if Maroney doesn't win rookie of the year its due to Corey being back in form. If last night is any indication, what a 1-2-3 punch we have. Haven't seen backs like that since Miami in early 70's. Now, throw in our tight-end packages into the mix. With (hope) our wide-outs playing this will be hands down the best Patriots offense, bar none. Now, we just need to see who will show up on defense.

Could not agree more, Maroney is the real deal. Combined with all of our capable te's this offense is going to look a lot different this year.