Random Observations from Preseason Game 1, Pats vs. Jaguars
22-of-28, 235 yards.
2 TDs, 125.4 passer rating.@JimmyG_10 preseason Week 1 highlights! ???????????? pic.twitter.com/eZVhVNNp0Y— NFL (@NFL) August 11, 2017
When you know you’ll be staying after work for a private meeting with the boss pic.twitter.com/Pd2dV2VXZQ — Jerry Thornton (@jerrythornton1) August 11, 2017
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Last night against Jacksonville, the Patriots did the one thing we all want them to do more than anything during preseason: Rolled out the backups, the scout teamers and the future Arena League stars, and kept virtually all the starters in safe their original packaging. With all of these fauxball games, you can’t read anything into anything, even if the starters do play. When it’s the JV, it’s even harder. So if I say a guy looks good, spare me the “let’s not put him in Canton” cliches. And if I say someone looks bad, I do so remembering that the worst looking August quarterback I ever saw was Matt Cassel, and he’ll be in the NFL until he’s 40. These are all about impressions, not conclusions. So relax. And be glad pretend football is back.
–Have a night why don’t you, Jimmy Garoppolo? Granted, it was against the Jags’ defensive equivalent of the strippers who work the Tuesday afternoon shift. But the highest guy on the Pats’ depth chart he had to throw to was Devin Lucien. And he was behind a line of (L to R) LaAdrian Waddle, Jamil Douglas, James Ferentz, Cole Croston and Conor McDermott. And he was nails. Throwing off of designed rollouts, while scrambling to extend plays, standing in the pocket when the protection was there. Being smart enough to eat the ball on 3rd down when Yannick Ngakoue jumped Waddle and there was no escape. And being on target on every throw, with the exception of one when he stepped up into the pocket and missed a wide open Jacob Hollister. Jimmy G pretty much conceded he’s better in (fake) games than practice. This is his fourth camp now, and I think he’s proven it.
–And he’s never made a better play than the one in the red zone when his protection broke down, he slid, bought time, kept his eyes upfield and found Austin Carr along the backline for the touchdown. And Carr showed us a lot. Not only in getting his 6-1 ass in the air to make that catch, but the whole night. On the second possession he converted a nice out route into a first. He kept a drive alive in the 2nd quarter catching a Jimmy G rollout. He had a great Julio Jones-like toe tap catch to set up the TD. He’s clearly Garoppolo’s bae right now. And while I was thinking there’ll just be zero room on the WR depth chart, I can see them trying to find a spot for him in that practice squad/emergency role that kept Lucien around. Carr could be the most interesting story the rest of the way here.
–On a side note, if I’m Tom Couglin, inheriting a franchise that tried to build its church upon the rock of Blake Bortles and I see Garoppolo destroy my defense with no one to work with – like Tony Stark … in a cave … with a box of SCRAPS!!! – I will stop at nothing to get him.
–I hope DJ Killings sticks as a 9th or 10th defensive back. Both because he made a nice stick on Corey Grant and because he’s got the most Investigation Discovery Original Movie name in football history.
–Let’s just put it out there: Jacoby Brissett has an accuracy problem. CNN doesn’t try to overthrow Trump as much as Brissett was overthrowing his receivers in the 4th quarter. After a nice deep ball to Lucien drew a PI and put him at 1st & goal, Brissett sailed his last three passes over Hollister, KJ Mays and then Lucien. A strong arm, mobility, good makeup, hard working, and all the other things they say about him won’t mean jack if safeties are parking their asses deep above his routes and like outfielders playing Aaron Judge and waiting for the ball to come to them.
–I don’t think the Cyrus Jones plays were as bad as we’re making them out to be. Yes, no one wants to be the one guy with “Burned for a 97-Yarder by Keenan Cole and Blake Bortles” on his bio. But he was stride for stride with Cole until he tried to track the ball at the last second. It’s inexcusable, but correctable. And on the second touchdown, he was in trailing technique in a Cover-2, meaning his job was to sit under the double move, which he did. And Jordan Richards never came over. My biggest worry isn’t those plays, it’s that Jones’ confidence is shot to hell. Devin McCourty had the best rookie season any Patriots CB has ever had. But in Year 2 he immediately got put in a body bag by Brandon Marshall and then Vincent Jackson and it wasn’t until they moved him to safety that he recovered. I think it says a lot about Jones and how they think they might be able to salvage him that he finished the game back at safety. At least he fielded all his punts and kickoffs cleanly. That’s something.
–Nothing says anything about the utter meaninglessness of fauxball games than Brandon Bolden ripping off 20 yard rushes. He does it every year, and then will have 4 yards on 2 carries on the year.
–Dion Lewis is another story entirely. He’s got that 2015 Lewis look back. I had him on three consecutive plays making people miss and picking up yards after contact. And maybe his best run was about 25-yards worth of scrambling and dodging tacklers just to get back to the LOS. It’s one of those runs where the line collapses that LeGarrette Blount would lose 7 on, but Lewis can turn into something.
–James O’Shaughnessy jumped out to an early lead in the Third Tight End Invitational, but Hollister might have caught him at the turn. He did have over a 100 yards, but 38 of those came when he was left all alone on a coverage breakdown. And the fact that O’Shaughnessy got the night off probably says a lot more than the numbers. It’s hard to imagine them going with four TEs. But if they stick with three, the choice will be between them.
–As far as the Rookie Florida Scramble Tournament along the defensive line, Deatrich Wise looked the best before he took a knee to the head and wobbled down the stairs to the trainer’s room. I didn’t see a lot of out Derek Rivers or Adam Butler, aside from being attached to that knee that took out Wise. Defensive end still looks like the thinnest position on the field. I just know that when Kony Ealy is in late in the 3rd quarter and Geneo Grissom is out there at working the end of the game with the stadium trash pickup crew, things don’t look good for them.
–Finally, I concede that Gostkowski’s miss from 56 yards wouldn’t have been good from 15. It was the worst ball I’ve seen struck since Jordan Spieth put one over the sponsors’ truck at The Open. But he’s still pinning teams inside their own 15 on kickoffs and he is my ride or die forever. He’s making another Pro Bowl. You heard it here first.