Yes, New England Patriots fans, preseason game number two is upon us.  For your viewing pleasure, tune in to The NFL Network or WCVB / Channel 4 @ 8:00 PM.  I'll have the game thread opened up around 6'ish as well.

After preseason game number one against the Ravens, I have a few things I'll be looking for, so here's a breakdown:

Quarterbacks - Matt Cassel did not have a good game.  Communication with wide receivers was off, despite a lot of reps in training camp.  Hopefully Belichick and the coaching staff worked on that aspect of Cassel's game and he comes out with a little more polish than we witnessed.  Matt Gutierrez wasn't much better, but he's backup to the backup; I'm less concerned about him.  Kevin O'Connell was a welcomed surprise and I hope to see more of the same.  Tom Brady did not make the trip to Tampa Bay due to a sore foot.  Which foot it is has not been revealed.  Happy place...happy place...ohhhhmmmm.  Seriously, relax.  Preseason is not the time to push an injury, especially with your star quarterback.

Wide Receivers - After Welker got off the PUP a few weeks back, he commented how it'll take some time to get back in the swing of things, that he was working to get his timing back with the QB's, specifically Brady.  Apparently, it didn't take long.  Mike Reiss has reported that the triumvirate is looking as sharp as ever.  Look for more playing time from Moss, Welker and Gaffney.  C.J. Jones is fighting for his job.  He did not have a good showing and will need to step up.  "The Chad" is another that needs to amp it up a bit.  I really hope he succeeds; we could really use the skills he projects to have.

Running Backs - LaMont Jordan was killer against the Ravens.  At this point, I really feel like he could own the redzone/goal line RB job.  I think Maroney and Morris will see more playing time as well as Faulk.  I'd like to see a few successful options to Kevin before a feel better.

Offensive Line - JHR is the guru, but overall the O-line struggled against the Ravens and has been hampered by injuries.  Barry Stokes has been IR'd and the boys are getting older.  A younger OL is a necessity, IMO but we needed to fix linebacker first.  Let's just hope we don't need Kevin O'Connell scrambling skills all around.

Linebackers - An area focused on so heavily, the linebacker corps appear to be shaping up nicely.  OLB draftee Shawn Crable is really looking good while ILB Jerod Mayo is turning into a stud and Pierre Woods was an animal against the Ravens.  OLBs Mike Vrabel and Adalius Thomas will see more reps as will ILB Tedy Bruschi.  I think if this lineup proves successful, fan favorite ILB Junior Seau will retire.  I'd like to see ILB Victor Hobson do well.  He's been struggling after moving from OLB for the Jets.  Rookie ILB Gary Guyton continues to impress.

Cornerbacks - Hobbs and Bryant continue to be the starters in my mind and rookie Terrence Wheatley has really gotten himself noticed in a field of 10.  Why so many?  Belichick's looking for something, some secret sauce that'll spell disaster for opposing teams.  With that many cornerbacks on the roster, this says to me he thinks this will be a key position for 2008.

Safeties - The Denver Broncos released veteran John Lynch and Belichick promptly snatched him up.  Lynch is known for being a super hard hitter and has signed a one year deal with the Patriots.  This appears to be a direct response to the loss of Tank Williams, the hybrid safety/linebacker guy who was such a good fit for the nickelback position.  I'll be watching John.

Defensive Lineman - Jarvis Green is back and Richard Seymour is feeling pretty good.  An interesting note: Belichick had the guys practice switching from a 3-4 to a 4-3.  A 4-3 is a good overall defense, but is very effective against the run so look for it during an obvious running situation.

Who am I to question Bill Belichick? In fact, who am I to question anyone, for that matter?  But, this one has me on the fence.  Had Tank been in the Patriots system for a few years, you may not have seen him on the field for more than a few plays.  However, a veteran of other squads, the coaching staff needed to see what he had and what happened?  Whammo!  Boff!  Boom!  He's on IR with a knee injury.  I'm really bummed about this one.  Tank was never projected to start at safety; those roles are owned by Meriweather and Harrison.  But, Tank could've filled that magical hybrid role of safety/cornerback.  He would've played that "in between" nickel spot during pass defenses so critical for backing up the corners and giving the safeties time to react.  He would've given offenses fits.  But NOOOOOOOO!!  Tank's season is effectively over.  I was looking forward to seeing him play.

The pickup of Jeff Shoate is a mystery to me.  Do we really need to carry 9 cornerbacks?  You read that right NINE!  Most assuredly, some number of them will be cut.  What did BB see last Thursday that caused him to pull in another corner?  What does he know that we don't know?  Tons probably, but I'm not seeing it right now.  Head...itch...scratching.

DE Richard Seymour seems to be back.  On Thursday, he drew a holding penalty that lead to Adalius Thomas' strip sack.  Richard had this to say recently:

I'm feeling stronger. I feel good, just ready to get the season rolling," he said. "At the same time, there is a lot of work we have to do, a lot of fine-tuning. We're excited about the season coming up, and we're looking forward to finishing the season.

Seymour is one of the best DEs in the league and it's good to see him having a productive preseason.  Big, smart and experienced, he'll be unstoppable if he stays healthy.

Junior Seau and the team have yet to decide if he'll be back:

"Yeah, we talked, but again there is nothing to report," Seau responded. "Obviously, I have to be healthy enough to get in there and perform at a high level and right now I'm not ready."

At the end of the interview, Seau also pointed out that even if he could return, the Patriots would have to have a need for his services.

I like Junior.  I like him a lot.  I just don't see where he fits at this point.  If Belichick brings him back, it would be a nostalgia move and not one based on logic, IMO.

Finally, there's 3 public training camp sessions left: tue-thu, 2:30-4:30.  Given the weather forecast for Foxboro, it looks like Wednesday will be the only day with a ray of hope.

 
via cache.boston.com 

As many of you know, Mike Reiss is a sports reporter for the Boston Globe and scribes about the goings on with our favorite team, the New England Patriots. Mike's fact-based writing style provides us Patriots nuts with great reference material; you will often see him quoted here, more so than any other reporter.

I knew Mike Reiss was prolific, but I realized just how crazy he was during the Goodell/Specter press conferences.  Reiss's Pieces , Mike's Patriots blog, was being updated constantly with the goings on.  I think it really connected us fans with what was happening at the time.

I've done enough jabbering.  Let's get to the Q&A.

A Colts blogger of ours did an excellent analysis suggesting it will take time for the Patriots's new acquisitions to add value to the defense.  Have Belichick and the front office done enough to fill the gaps between the old guard (Bruschi, Vrabel, Seau) and the new guard (Crable, Mayo) while our rookies come up-to-speed?

Reiss: Time will obviously tell, but I'm going to say a definitive "yes" right now. One area that stood out to me at recent organized team activities was the versatility among many of the defenders, and how the Patriots have a lot of different parts that will allow them to do different things. I could be way off on this, but I think this defense is going to be a lot more dynamic than we've seen in recent years. I sense they're going to try some new things -- a little 3-4, a little 4-3, different sub-package combinations -- and I wonder how much the influence of new secondary coach Dom Capers is playing into that. It might be stuff that we don't see for a few weeks and then all of a sudden it pops up. In terms of the new defenders, I think Fernando Bryant looks like he's a starter at one cornerback spot. I also envision Jerod Mayo and Victor Hobson teaming up with Tedy Bruschi to provide a 1-2-3 combo at inside linebacker. I wouldn't be surprised if Brandon Meriweather is in the starting lineup at safety and much improved, with Tank Williams a major factor in sub packages, bridging the gap between safety and linebacker. On paper, the Patriots might be a bit weaker on the back end of the defense (it hurts to lose Asante Samuel), but I think they'll be stronger in the front seven. Overall, this rates as one of my top storylines going forward -- how will this defense be re-shaped? I might be reading the tea leaves wrong, but it's one reason I particularly enjoy following a Bill Belichick-coached team. Good luck figuring out what's coming next.

The Red Sox won the World Series, The Patriots narrowly missed having a perfect season and the Celtics are inches away from a championship. Have we become spoiled?  Are our expectations now too high?

Reiss: Can I turn this question over to safety Rodney Harrison? Entering his 15th NFL season, Harrison was asked this exact question at the Patriots Charitable Foundation Golf Tournament on Monday. His answer: "No question, fans are spoiled. Having a baseball team, world champions. A football team. Now possibly with our basketball team. Just a great legacy and history of winning championships around here. Hopefully it continues." As for my own opinion, I think Harrison is probably right in some respects. I'd just add that it seems to me that many fans realize this is a great era of sports in town that we'll be reflecting upon fondly when we all look back. Given all the ups and downs of the Patriots since their inception -- not just wins and losses, but ownership instability and off-field incidents -- I don't think any long-time Patriots/football fan who lived through that can ever really be considered spoiled.

Tom Brady won't be around forever.  Do you think the Patriots see something in Kevin O'Connell indicating he's the future of this franchise?

Reiss: I don't know if I would word it that way. Obviously, a team wouldn't draft a player in the third round, specifically a quarterback, if it didn't think it had a chance to be a big part of the future of the franchise. But in this case, I think it's as much as being a No. 2 as it is the possibility of being a future starter. More than 60 quarterbacks started at least one game last year in the NFL. That's an astronomical number, and a reminder of the importance of the backup spot. Can Matt Cassel be that guy? I don't think anyone knows the answer, because it's a question that can only be answered if he's thrust into that role, and he hasn't been. So in that case, I like the idea of improving your odds by adding a highly touted player to the mix. I also like the idea that Cassel's contract expires after this season and the team gives itself built-in insurance. That's just smart long-range planning. I'd also point out that there have been positive signs from Matt Gutierrez, a rookie free agent who signed with the club in 2007. The Patriots have been fortunate that Tom Brady has been an ironman, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't prepare for the possibility of having to call on a backup.

There's been a lot written about Chad Jackson and his return to full time play. Do you think he could be the Donte Stallworth replacement we're looking for?

Reiss: Yes, but I don't have the highest confidence at this point. Maybe it's that I caught out of the corner of my eye Jackson running the wrong route in the weekend mini-camp, when there wasn't a defense on the field. I don't want to base my opinion solely on that -- it would be short-sighted to do so -- but I also know there needs to be a trust and bond that develops between quarterback and receiver and that doesn't seem to be there at this point with Tom Brady and Jackson. That's what training camp is for, and it's probably fair to say that's why Jackson will be one of this camp's most intriguing stories to follow.

It's early and there's been limited access to Patriots voluntary camps (ie: Passing Camp), but which new acquisition do you see as adding value quickly?

Reiss: Not including the obvious choice of first-round pick Jerod Mayo, cornerback Fernando Bryant would be at the top of my list. I also think Victor Hobson is going to help, and people will be looking back and saying 'How could there not have been more interest in the free agent market for him?' The third name I'd add to the list is Tank Williams; much of today's game is played with offenses calling on three- and four-receiver packages, and he adds value as an extra defensive back who has linebacker-like skills.

A big Thank You to Mike Reiss for his time and thoughtful answers.  Very cool, Mike.  Don't forget to check out Mike's articles as well as Reiss's Pieces at boston.com 
 

Safety Rodney Harrison talks about The Catch

LB Junior Seau's decision to return for a 19th season will be closer to training camp

5 observations  from Patriots minicamp

A full squad minicamp is scheduled to start this week, more on that later

A Giant Challenge Awaits  for the XLII Super Bowl champs

I'm really psyched about this feature.  The SBNation AFC East writers, cajoled and threatened by Buffalo Rumbling's BrianG, got together and traded questions about each other's teams.  So far, everything's been rather cordial, but I'm sure the gloves will come off by Week 3.  In this story, you'll find my questions to the other head writers.  In another story, I'll post questions posed to me with my answers.  Without further adieu, here's the skinny from Buffalo Rumblings , The Phinsider and The Jets Blog .

The Patriots @ Bills Week 11 matchup turned out to be the highest scoring game for the Patriots.  Many decried this as proof positive NE was running up the score.  Is this how most Bills fans feel or was it a case of NE just playing 60 minutes?

Buffalo Rumblings : I can tell you right now that there were a lot of peeved Bills fans at Ralph Wilson Stadium that night - I was one of them.  I personally didn't feel that the Pats ran up the score - Buffalo's defense didn't even attempt to play football that night; a junior high team could have thrown up 56.  What irritated me was that New England's starters played so long - Tom Brady played into the fourth quarter, for crying out loud.

I don't hold anything against the Pats for that game, though - they dominated Buffalo through and through that night, and could have easily scored 60+.  Rest assured that the Bills will have that game on their mind when we play y'all on November 9.  I appreciate you bringing it up, though - now I'm glad I asked you about Spygate. ;)

Junior High team, huh?  Not to call you out, but with a 7-9 2007 regular season, seems like the Bills played a lot of Junior High teams.  They've made some moves on defense this year, so we'll have to wait and see.

Depth is good.  Talent and depth is better,  but at least "The Tuna" has his head in the right place.  It sounds like a team he used to coach, doesn't it?  The Pats didn't have a lot of stars, but he sure was able to put them on the road to 3 Lombardis.

The Patriots just signed former Jets linebacker and free agent, Victor Hobson to a one year deal.  I view this a good move to fill the gap between the old guard (Bruschi, Seau, Vrabel) and the new guard (Crable, Mayo) while the rookies come up to speed.  Why did the Jets not re-sign Hobson?  Performance?  Cap space?

The Jets Blog : For the role you just outlined, Victor Hobson is perfect.  He's a good insurance policy until the rookies get their feet under them, but I don't see Hobson starting 16 games in New England and racking up 140 tackles.  I like Hobson, but he was playing the Weakside OLB in Mangini's 3-4, and he was too slow and too short to do the position justice.  He's much better suited for the inside in a 3-4, but he's still not quite fast enough to be a more than a good ILB.  So why did he play on the outside in New York?  It was a matter of necessity and the Jets just didn't have the personnel to do anything else. 

Hobson was a casualty for a number of reasons, performance being the main one.  Like I noted, he'll add solid depth and should be able to play inside.  But for the Jets, that's a spot that is already occupied by Eric Barton, a veteran leader and willing tackler, along with David Harris, the second year player who statistically would have matched up with Patrick Willis had he started a full season.  I think that Hobson is well suited to play inside, but at a minimum, the Patriots should be looking to start their young guys by the end of the season in Hobson's place.

I like Hobson, especially for a 1 year deal.  He'll fill the gaps between the veterans and the youngins, giving the latter enough time to reach NFL playing level.  And, most importantly, give Bruschi or Seau some time to rest their bones.  As much as I hate to admit it, they're starting to need it.

Props to Brian Galliford at Buffalo Rumblings , Matty I at The Phinsider and Brian Bassett at The Jets Blog .  Great job guys.  Check out their blogs for my answers.