via cache.boston.com

Boston Globe Columnist Mike Reiss has an excellent rundown on What to watch for in Patriots vs. Giants.  Of note:

• Matt Gutierrez will probably start
• Brady will NOT play. :-( 
• The Patriots will only carry 3 QBs, needing that roster spot elsewhere
• We'll only keep 8 or 9 OLs
• LBs Guyton, Redd, Ruud and Hobson are on the bubble and fighting for the same spot(s)
• Slater could garner a spot as a kickoff returner
• Welker could be out longer than this game.  Washington could fill the slot while Wes heals.

A notable point, due to its absence from Reiss' article, is a discussion on running backs.  If I read into this, it could mean none of the RBs are on the bubble and we intend on carrying 5 backs.  Heavy emphasis on the running game will make for some fun football.  Can you imagine the potential of these backs coupled with the ridiculous "scorched earth" policy we could inflict with Brady and his "aerial toys"?

via cache.boston.com

The New England Patriots' last preseason game against...drumroll please...their arch nemesis, the New York Giants.  The team that snatched victory from the hands of our boys from Foxboro...please.  It's a time for Belichick and the coaching staff to make some determinations about the roster, to test a few more theories and to get some final reps in before it matters.

As much as we've harped on the poor showing of our guys on the field, I've come to believe only the coaching staff truly knows why they played that way.  Ellis Hobbs playing soft for the past 2 games?  He may have been told to do so in order to prevent injury (he is recently off of the PUP, ya know).  Matt Cassel getting hammered?  Some folks have already pointed out he's played against first stringers vs. the 2nd and 3rd stringers Gutierrez and O'Connell have come up against.  And, as I've stated before, there's the mad scientist, Bill Belichick, cooking up who knows what and hiding large portions of the playbook.

Quarterbacks - We shouldn't read too much into this, but Tom Brady is in the projected starting lineup.  However many (or few) reps he takes doesn't matter; it'll be good to see him in a game situation, albeit preseason.  What happens to numbers 2, 3, and 4 is anyone's guess and I'm more confused than ever.  I will say if Belichick needs an open roster spot, he may look at one of these 3.

Running Backs - I am 90% that this gang of 5 (Maroney, Morris, Faulk, Jordan, Evans) is protected.  I firmly believe Belichick thinks teams are scheming against the aerial assault of the '07 season, so he's switching gears and emphasizing the run.  I haven't seen Jordan's hands, but we have Faulk for that; I believe Jordan's our redzone back.

Wide Receivers - Randy is Randy; he'll always have a starting spot.  Monday, the other WR spot in the projected starting lineup was empty, but now contains Jabar Gaffney.  This is interesting for a couple of reasons: 1) Wes is not there and may be recovering from his rib injury (I will bring him chicken soup and tea with honey and magazines...STOP THAT!) and 2) Jabar is the guy, not Chad.  Chad's play has improved through the preseason, but only the coaches know if he can move forward.  Even though CJ Jones made some plays in the last outing, he has not impressed me in the preseason; I think he's at risk.

Offensive Line - Matt Light returned to practice on the 25th, but is not seen in the projected starting lineup for thursday night.  It still adds a needed boost just to know Matty's back.  I won't go into each player in detail, but overall, possibly reading too much into it, Belichick is a little more confident in the O line as he's put Brady back there.  Again, Brady taking reps could change in a heartbeat, but that's my take.

Linebackers - Bruschi (obviously) and Mayo at ILB.  Not Victor Hobson, the veteran from NYJ, but Jerod.  Victor has struggled to transition from OLB to ILB and has, in my mind, been beat out by Mayo.  Victor is on the bubble.  At OLB we find Mike Vrabel and Pierre Woods.  This may mean Woods got the job over Crable, but it's still tough to tell.  I hope Crable isn't on the chopping block; I like him.

Cornerbacks -  We find Ellis Hobbs and Fernando Bryant and I think #3 will be Terrence Wheatley.  At one time, we were carrying no less than 10 cornerbacks and we're now down to 8 with the most recent roster cut being Jason Webster.  I believe this to be the most vulnerable group of all (we only carried 4 in 2007).

Safeties - For months I've been saying Rodney Harrison and Brandon Meriweather own these roles, but just realized they both play the SAME position - strong safety.  We may see both of them on the field at the same time, but not always.  Your free safety will, most likely, be John Lynch.  John will also assume the nickel role on passing situations and either James Sanders or Antwain Spann will jump in at free safety.  The Patriots have been placing a lot of emphasis on nickel packages so I'm interested to see how it plays out.

Special Teams - in the depth charts, CJ Jones, Wes Welker and Chad Jackson are listed as punt returners, while Chad Jackson and Matthew Slater take kickoff returns.  This could be a saving grace for guys like Jackson and Slater who may be on the bubble in other positions, but can contribute here.

Whew, if you made it through that, gold star.  My fingers are tired of typing and my brain hurts.  The older I get, the less I can cram in there and something, inevitably, has to leak out first.  Fire away with your predictions on who stays or just cut this story to shreds.  It's all good.

I will admit "New England Patriots Links" is about the lamest excuse for a title or monicker that I know of.  I'm looking for something a bit cooler, something as cool as Horsetracks, used by our fine Denver Broncos blog, MileHighReport.  If you have an idea, post it here or send me an email.  My choice will be totally subjective and you will get no prize or compensation.  Your satisfaction will be derived from the fact that you saved my sorry butt. ;-)

BB has been using the defensive headset a bit:

"We used the headset with Tedy [Bruschi] and Mike Vrabel, both of them in the first half, a little bit in the third quarter," Belichick explained.

"We used it a little bit last week against Tampa in pre-game, not actually during the game -- it was on the road and all that. It's a learning experience for everyone and we know more about it now, and we have at least a game under our belts to try to figure out what is the best way to utilize it, and how to make it advantageous, and how to keep it from being a problem or another log on the fire that we really don't need.

On Wes Welker's rib cage injury, Belichick was "vague":

Later in the call, Belichick was asked if there was an update on the physical condition of Wes Welker, who left Friday's game with a rib injury. Belichick said he did not have an update.

From the Nation Football Post:

…NE needs to get Matt Light back at left tackle.  Tambi Hali of the Chiefs can rush a little and Wes Britt will struggle to block him.  The Pats need to get this line back and healthy.

Belichick on DeSean Jackson's TD punt return:

“It wasn’t a good situational play,” said Belichick, who quickly confronted his punter to tell him just that.

Finally, something sort of positive - Gutierrez's TD pass to Chad: 

"Yeah, I enjoy playing the game and all these guys do, too.  We work hard and when we do something good, we should celebrate it.  But like I said before, one or two good plays weren't enough."

The Chad pulls one down, patriots.com

0-3. That's right, New England Patriots fans, we are 0-3 in the preseason.  Asante's reunion turned out to be a defeat for our boys in blue and silver.  Should we worry?  There are certainly a few areas that need improvement.  There are individual plays which certainly appeared to be worrisome (John Lynch getting beat, for example), but overall, it was a better showing than Tampa Bay.  I'm still concerned about the fact that in all 3 games, our opponents managed to march down the field and score during their opening drives.  And THAT, my friends, we cannot blame on Matt Cassel.  More on that to come.

There is still a wildcard, in my mind.  That wildcard doesn't address poor individual play, but it may account for overall team dynamics.  That wildcard is Bill Belichick.  We all know he's a crafty dude and has a history of showing very little in the preseason.  I still hold on to the possibility that he's not showing all his cards just yet.  He is constantly rotating players in and out and giving lots of snaps to some of our newer players like Wheatley.  Granted, this is a fairly subjective viewpoint with little to no supporting information.  I simply believe Belichick uses preseason games for what they should be used for: evaluation of players in a "live" situation.  That being said, I'm not so worried that I would blow a gasket.  We still haven't seen wonderboy take a snap and we've, more than likely, only seen a fraction of the playbook.

Matt Gutierrez - 14 of 20 for 217 yards, Matty G was a bright spot in the QB battle of the backups.  Touchdown passes to both CJ Jones and Chad Jackson gave both WRs some needed positives given the trouble they've had in the past few games.

Matt Cassel - 8 of 14 for 60 yards, Matty C failed to impress.  I've said this is his gig to lose and he's losing it.  When #3 has a day like he had, #2 better equal or better those stats, especially considering the sinking row boat I think he's currently standing in.

C.J. Jones - With some questionable in the first 2 games, CJ Jones got it done Friday night.  With 3 receptions for 70 yards and a TD, he's making a case for himself.  Nice job, CJ.

Running Backs - I'm not feeling good.  24 yards in 5 attempts for Morris is not bad, but Matt Cassel had 22 yards in 1 attempt!  next on the list was Maroney with a whopping 18 yards in 5 attempts.  Kevin Faulk piped in with negative yards.

Defense -  Swiss Cheese is what comes to mind.  The linebacker corps are not plugging the gaps at all and CBs and safeties are just not there, allowing 390 total yards.

Special Teams - Allowed a 76 yard punt return for a TD by DeSean Jackson.  I would not want to be Larry Izzo right now.

What I am most concerned about is inconsistency.  Different people keep emerging as bright spots in these games, but noone is consistently knocking me dead every game.  What happened to LaMont Jordan?  Where's he been?  Laurence, you're the premiere guy, but you're not playing like it.  And Wes left with a rib injury.  Hopefully, it's not serious.

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.

With less than a month and 3 preseason games left until the Sept 7th opener with KC, the New England Patriots have their work cut out for them.  But, this is no surprise; every team has their work cut out for them.  Preseason games are not about winning, they're a science experiment designed to test many hypotheses in a live situation.  You'll see play calling I'd term "head scratchers" (pass on the 2 point conversion vs. hand off to Jordan), but coaches are experimenting with different packages, players and situations.  There's a lot of ingredients in this soup and we haven't even seen much of the starters.

Positives

Jerod Mayo - as any first rounder should, he's having an immediate impact.  Other than a few mis-reads in coverage, he appears to be stepping up to the NFL level and making an impact.  One play in particular, knocking of Ray Rice's helmet on a 1 yard run, was of particular note.  He smothered Rice.

Stephen Gostkowski - I said it in the game thread - Adam who?  I mean no disrespect to one of New England's heroes, but Gostkowski was money.  He hits 3 field goals for 36, 44, and 40 yards and was kicking off like a mofo.  Thanks G-man.

Shawn Crable - he used his long arms to bat down at least one pass.  When he was taken out on one play, I saw his eyes never the play and he bounce up running.  It's good to see the "never stop" mentality.

Kevin O'Connell - cool surprise.  He handled himself better than Matty Squared.  Sure, he may have been up against backups to backups to backups, but I thought he did a fine job and DAMN... he can run.

Pierre Woods - What tha?!?!?!  He was all over the field, reading pass coverage and making tackles.  I think we'll see more of him.

LaMont Jordan - the guy's a bull and fills the gap between fullbacks and running backs; he could be the goal line guy to blast through defenses.

Negatives

Cassel and Gutierrez - looked like O'Connell should've looked - deer in the headlights.  Whether it was their fault or receivers running bad routes, who knows.  I just know how Kevin looked compared to #2 and #3 - they should be worried.

CJ Jones - dropped passes, mental mistake during a kickoff return (should've let the ball hit the endzone for a touchback) and bad routes.  If he can't catch the backup's passes, how's he going to pull down Brady's rockets?

Chad Jackson - He's not showing me he can fill Stallworth's shoes.  Whether it was Cassel's fault or his, there was clear miscommunication between the 2.  Chad needs to build confidence with the QBs and hit the playbook.

Special Teams - FINISH! FINISH! FINISH!  That run back was ugly.  I mean, how many Patriots had their hands on the guy?  Finish the tackles by either knocking his block off or wrapping the guy up.

Head on over to Baltimore Beatdown for blogger Rexx's take on the game.

He's off his rocker. No, the rocker tipped too far and he's banged his head on the table where the bottle of moonshine is settin' a spell.  QB shootout at training camp?  Tom's our boy!  YOU...ARE...NUTS!!  Yes, there is a shootout, however it doesn't involve our tops-in-the-NFL pigskin tosser.  We need to keep the ranks fresh, dontcha know.  What happens if Tom decides to buy a ginormous Alpaca farm and retire?  Or, better yet, just lay in the grass with his girlfriend, Giselle, and sell cologne?  It's not a bad gig if you can get it.  Heck, I used to lay in the grass with my girlfriend and noone asked me to sell cologne.  Well, I'm not a 3 time SB champion QB nor was my girlfriend at the time one of the highest paid supermodels in the business.  She was cute and all, but I digress.

Unless something catastrophic happens, Brady is our man for the forseeable future.  He's the dude.  He's the franchise guy.  Nuff said.  So what's the big deal?  The big deal is planning for the future.  Matt Cassel's contract is up at the end of 2008 and Matt Gutierrez is relatively untested.  Just to confuse things a bit, Belichick and the front office have tossed in another QB with Kevin O'Connell.

The media had many questions for Cassel, but he was cool in a prototypcial, Belichick coolaid kind of way saying things like he is focusing on working hard and being prepared and... blah, blah, blah.  Word is, Gutierrez was tossing the rock with ease during 2008 OTAs.  Should Cassel be worried?  I think so.  I think he should be carrying a roll of toilet paper onto the field during training camp.

Tom Brady - Uhhmm...3 rings with average receivers (except for Deion Branch, of course), 50 regular season touchdown passes last year...Giselle...beautiful son.  Yup, he's got it all and he's the - drumroll please - starter.  Cymbal crash, thank you very much.

Matt Cassel - Matt should be worried.  Gutierrez looks good, darn good.  And Matt's appearances in 2007 weren't that awe inspiring.  You can bet, with the other Matt nipping at his heals, Cassel is cramming and looking to look sharp come July 24th.

Matt Gutierrez - He's hungry.  As I've stated above, he looked good in OTAs.  His throw had zip and he appeared to be working the routes correctly.  You can bet he's working as hard, if not harder, than Cassel.  He wants to move up in the ranks.  He wants the nod.  He wants to do something other than throw meaningless passes or take knees at the end of a blowout.

Kevin O'Connell - This pick was a head scratcher for many.  With 3 QBs already on the roster, was a third really necessary?  If O'Connell can make the grade and not fall victim to the chopping block, he could be a surprise pick.  A dual threat, he finished his senior year in college breaking both the passing and rushing records, the latter because his O line was sooooo bad, he was always on the run.

O'Connell, as the new guy, is probably vulnerable unless Belichick has him onboard for a reason.  Shake things up a bit?  He sees something in the kid?  Who knows.  He's Belichick, know what I'm sayin'?  I think Cassel is the most vulnerable at this point; he's got to hold on to his spot with 2 guys gunning for his job.  Maybe he should find a supermodel to date.

 
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