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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.
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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.