BenJarvus Green-Ellis rushing his way for a touchdown, and perhaps a roster spot?

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Bill Belichick Post Game Press Conference (5 min. video plus transcript)

BB: OK, well that’s, I thought, a good way for us to end the preseason. Obviously, spotting them 21 points isn’t the way we want to start the game. But I thought we came back, competed hard and played at a good level after we kind of got the things righted a little bit there in the second quarter. And then at halftime, I was proud of the way those guys played. We moved the ball, made some stops on defense. We didn’t turn it over. We took care of it and we were able to make some plays when we had to - some big plays. So it was good. Those guys showed me a lot out there that played tonight - 34 of them, or whatever it was. [It is] time to move on. We have a lot of work to do, a lot of decisions to make and get ready here for Buffalo. We’re going to have to turn the page here pretty quickly. I thought those guys did a good job tonight, I really did.

Q: What went into your decision tonight to play Brian Hoyer all game?

BB: We just wanted to see him play, see the different situations and, as it got going, I thought he would learn from the ones that came up all throughout the game.

NFL Game Center:  New York Giants at New England Patriots.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis is a force: The Patriots kept five running backs last season and again look to be loaded in the backfield with Fred Taylor, Laurence Maroney, Kevin Faulk, Sammy Morris and Green-Ellis. That said, there is a chance the Patriots will have to cut one from that group. Green-Ellis capped a strong preseason (5.1 yards per carry) with three touchdowns and 147 yards from scrimmage, meaning Morris could be the odd man out. The nine-year veteran, who was the Patriots' leading rusher last season, didn't take the field in the preseason because of an injury.

TEAM TIDBITS

• Patriots vs. Giants:  Game Notes and Scoring Summary.
• Patriots Postgame quotes.
• Erik Scalavino offers his Giants-Pats analysis, saying Hoyer helped save the day.
• John Cockrell Friday Out-Takes: The Perfect Player, NFL Blooper reel.
  

LOCAL LINKS

• Chris Gasper notes that Coughlin let his starters play in the first quarter, but Belichick used the game to evaluate who would occupy his final roster spots.
• Bob Ryan notes it wasn't planned for Brian Hoyer to play the whole game. Hoyer, an undrafted free agent from Michigan State, made a pretty good case for himself, and the coach wanted to see how it would play out.
• Shalise Manza Young says the QB audition never developed as Walter never saw the field.
• Karen Guregian lists Belichick's criteria for backup QBs and speculates on the number 2 spot.
• Mike Petraglia takes note of how Hoyer stepped up his game.
• Mark Farinella lists who's hot, who's not and notes from the game.
• Ian Rapoport offers his analysis of the game last night.
• Mark Farinella says last night wasn't bad for a team of rookies and scrubs that was down 21-0. But next week, finally, it counts.
• Bob Ryan and Mike Reiss each provide video insight and analysis following the Patriots' 38-27 win over the New York Giants Thursday night at Gillette Stadium.
• Chris Forsberg thinks Green-Ellis has made a pretty good case for a roster spot.
• Mike Reiss notes the uncertainty of Ben Watson's position on the team and whether he makes the roster or will be used in a trade.
• Jeff Howe says it's premature to presume about Watson's fate.
• Mike Reiss notes the fond connection between Bill Belichick and Giants' long snapper Zak DeOssie. DeOssie is a former Patriots ballboy and the families are friends.
• Mike Reiss projects the final 53-man roster following the final preseason game.
• Jeff Howe takes a stab at predicting the Patriots' 53-man roster.
• Chris Forsberg offers a peek at the covers of Gameday for the 2009 season, featuring Pat Patriot cartoons drawn by the creator of Pat Patriot, Phil Bissell.
• Mike Reiss chatted online and answered reader questions yesterday at noon. Lots of good stuff here.
• Chris Forsberg includes some comments made by Tiger Woods on Tom Brady, concerning their recoveries from reconstructive knee surgery. Includes 1.10 min. video.
• Chris Gasper Patriots Notebook: TE Alex Smith finished the preseason without a catch; all the Patriots dressed last night; Matthew Slater left the game with an injury; Patrick Chung was beaten twice early on but bounced back; Nunn made a case for a roster spot; Bruschi will be named defensive team captain for the 50th anniversary team.

NATIONAL NEWS

• Tim Graham (ESPN) Patriots go according to Hoyer.  Easier to see why O'Connell was let go.
• K.C. Joyner (NY Times) The Belichick Way: Still the best.
• Jason Cole (Yahoo! Sports) Bill Belichick's former assistants should adopt his practice of giving the players some leeway.
• Andrew Brandt (Nat'l Football Post) Why are 'retirements' like the one Tedy Bruschi of the Patriots announced this week not really retirements at all?
• Tim Graham (ESPN) AFC East not immune to blackouts.
• Michael Silver (Yahoo! Sports) Owner Rankings: Robert Kraft's business savvy makes him No. 1 among his peers.
• Forbes Magazine NFL Team Valuations.  Patriots rank 3rd at $1,361 million.
• Greg Cote (Miami Herald) NFL Power Rankings. Pats number one.