General Thoughts
The 3rd exhibition game is key, because 4 days from now (August 26th) we have the first roster cut-down date, where the roster gets pruned from 80 men to 75. Then, after the 4th preseason game you have the massive layoffs on August 30th (75 men to 53).
This all matters because time is getting short for the fringe guys to make an impression. The 3rd-6th wide receiver spots are really up for grabs, and there is a straight-up melee for spots on the depth chart at linebacker. Hell, we haven't even figured out who'll START, because there's a good chance Junior Seau could get a phone call, what with Victor Hobson failing to impress, and Jerod Mayo being a rookie in a Bill Belichick defense. If a guy wants to stick, the time to step up is now.
Even if they fall short of the New England roster, that's not the biggest indictment in the world. I mean, this IS a team that went 18-0 on it's way to the Super Bowl; that's got to be an indication of the level of skill on the team. Even if a guy like C.J. Jones or Johnathan Stupar has a remote chance of making this team, he could still impress any number of personnel departments around the league.
This game isn't just important to the fringe guys and rookies, but the veterans and stars too. They have to stay healthy and prove they can do their job. Belichick isn't afraid to give the best guy the job, regardless of experience, so there's little incentive to sit out, except to prevent injury. It's a fine line to walk, but I bet we'll see the first-team for the majority of the first half.
Guys to watch:
Gary Guyton and Vince Redd, rookie OLBs - The Patriots are notorious for drafting linebackers in the low rounds or signing them after the draft, and then developing them into decent players (see: Eric Alexander, Tully Banta-Cain, Matt Chathman, Corey Mays, and Pierre Woods). In that vein, these guys are exactly what the coaches are looking for.
Thanks to his speed, Guyton has been a presence on special teams, and a pleasant revelation in the base defense. He's currently 3rd on the team in tackles with 7 (6 solo) and has shown a special "suddenness" when it comes to rushing the passer. He's not the typical size for a New England outside linebacker (6'2" 245 lbs) but he runs a blazing 4.47 40-yard dash.
In comparison, the first wide receiver drafted this year, Donnie Avery (out of Houston to the St. Louis Rams), runs a 4.43 40-yard dash. The next, Devin Thomas (out of Michigan State to the Washington Redskins) ran it in 4.40 seconds. The next, Jordy Nelson (out of Kansas State to the Green Bay Packers) ran it in 4.51 seconds. I could keep going, but it boils down to this: Guyton is faster than 3 of the top 10 drafter wide receivers, and within .05 (5 hundredths) of a second of 3 more. This has been a mighty fierce tangent, but what it goes to show is that college production might not be the only indication of what a defensive player can do on the next level.*
* It's the other way around on the offensive side of the ball, where guy who had nice college careers get overlooked by scouts because they don't have incredible measureables. Troy Smith is my best example of a guy who had an amazing college career (Heisman Trophy winner, went to a National Title game) who had his professional prospects discounted from the very beginning. Now, he's essentially won the starting job for the Baltimore Ravens, ahead of the longer tenured, former first-round pick Kyle Boller, and rookie phenom Joe Flacco. My next bet for neglected college superstar turned productive pro would be Mike Hart, the runningback out of Michigan.
Redd hasn't quite produced at the level Guyton has, but his measurables are more than enough to impress. At 6'5" 263 lbs. he still runs a 4.58 40-yard dash, still great for a linebacker. Late in the game against Tampa, he had an impressive sack where he overpowered the blocker at the line of scrimmage AND used his incredible speed to close on the quarterback.
Matthew Slater, rookie WR/S/KR - Slater does a little bit of everything, but as of yet, a lot of nothing. He's got some incredible physical gifts, and he's been impressive in practice, but he hasn't brought the same spark to his kick-returns in the games. He's had small cameos on offense and defense in the games, grabbing 3 catches for 19 yards (I seem to recall a drop, but don't hold me to it), he sports a 24.3 yard return average, and he has looked good on special teams coverage, but roster room is tight as it is, and he'll have to show a little more than that to justify a spot.
Raymond "Bubba" Ventrone, 3rd year S/WR - Ventrone had been a safety dating back to his sophomore year in high school, but apparently the Patriots saw something even he didn't, and so starting in training camp he's been working at receiver as well. He's a decent back-up safety and had a decent chance to stick around on that premise, but he's shown promise at wideout, nabbing 4 catches for 48 yards, second on the team. If he can keep developing into a decent player he could prove to be a valuble two-way asset. With the way the Patriots use 4 and 5 wide sets, the drafting of Slater, the emergence of Kelley Washington on special teams, and the hybridization of Ventrone could be an attempt to build depth at the receiver position without having to sacrifice more spots to dedicated receivers.
John Lynch, veteran (ancient) S - He's all but assured of a roster spot, but it'll be interesting to see how he plays and how the Patriots can use him. It's become common knowledge that he's lost a few steps, but I've got it in my mind that the demise of his coverage ability might be premature. I don't want to count out an athlete like him until I see it.
Tom Brady, All-Pro QB - Having sat out game 1, and been a late, late scratch for game 2, I just want to see him play.
Oh, I'm sure he could show up 5 minutes before the season opener and throw for 350 yards and 4 touchdowns, but I just want to watch him. DAMN he's good. That said, he absolutely has to stay healthy, and this roughshod offensive line may not permit that.
Pregame
-The "studio crew" is actually on a stage next to the field, but they do a good job anyway, highlighting the offensive line's struggles, discussing roster logistics, and accurately assessing the Tom Brady situation (He's NOT playing). I don't know why, but it seems like the local announcers are always MUCH better on football than their baseball counterparts.
-Maybe because it's just an easier game to understand, from the base level to the top, or maybe because it's more intuitive. Still, it's amazing to hear the talk radio drones at WFAN and WEEI, or the announcers at ESPN or any of the reigonal sports networks butcher the game of baseball, while WCVB Channel 5 and FSN New England can talk about football at a decent intellectual level.
-Mike Lynch of WCVB is the sideline guy, while national announcers Don Criqui and Randy Cross have the call (Criqui on play-by-play and Cross on color).
First Quarter
-Gostowski looks good again on the kickoff, putting it 3 yards deep into the endzone and off-center. Shawn Crable does a good job getting downfield and making the tackle at the Eagles 17.
-The Eagles get a cheap first down, thanks to the incomprable (not in a good way) Ellis Hobbs. Hobbs had his back turned, running downfield the whole time, even as Antwan Spann came over to clean up the mess.
-Ah yes, the first Rodney Harrison "illegal contact" penalty of the season. Is he a dirty player or not? I don't know, but offensive players use that reputation to draw calls, that I know for sure.
-Brian Westbrook takes a dive up the middle, and no one can touch him as he breaks through and bounces outside for 11 yards before Hobbs pushes him out. He ends up taking the next two plays, a 5 yard push off0tackle and a 19 yard screen pass to the right, effortlessly dodging the Blue-And-Silver human missiles flying around him. Westbrook is considered one better RB's in the league and he's STILL underrated. He gets called a scat-back, and a two-way threat, referring to his speed, agility, and receiving prowess, but I disagree. He's just a THREAT, in all capitals. He's been slightly fragile, and he's never been a statistically dominant present, but I had to pick a team to play one drive for a billion dollars, I might pick him over LaDainian Tomlinson. He's that good, and that consistent.
-After driving downfield, mostly behind Westbrook, they kick a 24 yard field goal.
Philadelphia scores, 3-0 Eagles with 8:21 remaining in the First
-On the first play from scrimmage, Randy Moss tries to take a naked screen from Matt Cassel upfield, but gets absolutely drilled by Asante Samuel for a loss of 5.
-On the next play after a nice 8 yard completion up the sideline to TE David Thomas, Cassel sees a hole in the middle of the defense and takes off. With how bad he's been, it's easy to forget why we were so enamoured with him in the first place. He simply outran a lot of guys, before being brought down from behind 22 yards later.
-Maroney takes two consecutive handoffs between the tackles. On the first he fights he way through traffic for 3 yards, but on the second the O-Line gets beat BAD, letting 3 defenders through on a run blitz. As soon as Maroney had the ball, they were right there.
-On 3rd down, the underneath receivers are covered so Cassel looks to Moss on a long post, but throws it at his feet. There was some pressure on that, but that's the kind of throw Brady makes.
-After the punt, the Eagles run a play the NFC East will get tired of really quickly: a quick slant to DeSean Jackson. Jackson had a step on the horrendous Ellis Hobbs the whole way, and managed to go 13 yards before Hobbs could drag him down.
-Vrabel and Bruschi show why they've cashed their checks for so long in this league, and beat their guys to get to Donovan McNabb. Vrabel got around his man on the outside and Bruschi found a gap on the inside. They may be aging, but I'm still impressed with their level of play. Vrabel was one of the top pass rushers in the league last year, and Bruschi can still sniff out runs, cover RB's and TE's over the middle, and track down ball-carryers.
-Wow, I'm convinced that the NFL gets more exciting with every new generation of players. Eagles rookie DeSean Jackson receives the Chris Hanson punt, and runs it back 42 yards to the Patriots 19 yard line, where he is met by Jerod Mayo who absolutely LEVELS the receiver out of Cal. I mean, Jackson got stopped on a dime and lifted off his feet. The impact was so vicious that Mayo bounced away, and James Sanders had to finish off the tackle. I don't even care that it was against the Patriots, that was exciting to watch.
-And wow again. The Eagles were penalized twice on that last play, but the egregious one was Quinton Demps. He pushed coverage man Kelley Washington to the ground, and held on to him, pushing him down over and over again. I don't know what the deal is, but that was malicious.
-On the next play after a nice 8 yard completion up the sideline to TE David Thomas, Cassel sees a hole in the middle of the defense and takes off. With how bad he's been, it's easy to forget why we were so enamoured with him in the first place. He simply outran a lot of guys, before being brought down from behind 22 yards later.
-Maroney takes two consecutive handoffs between the tackles. On the first he fights he way through traffic for 3 yards, but on the second the O-Line gets beat BAD, letting 3 defenders through on a run blitz. As soon as Maroney had the ball, they were right there.
-On 3rd down, the underneath receivers are covered so Cassel looks to Moss on a long post, but throws it at his feet. There was some pressure on that, but that's the kind of throw Brady makes.
-After the punt, the Eagles run a play the NFC East will get tired of really quickly: a quick slant to DeSean Jackson. Jackson had a step on the horrendous Ellis Hobbs the whole way, and managed to go 13 yards before Hobbs could drag him down.
-Vrabel and Bruschi show why they've cashed their checks for so long in this league, and beat their guys to get to Donovan McNabb. Vrabel got around his man on the outside and Bruschi found a gap on the inside. They may be aging, but I'm still impressed with their level of play. Vrabel was one of the top pass rushers in the league last year, and Bruschi can still sniff out runs, cover RB's and TE's over the middle, and track down ball-carryers.
-Wow, I'm convinced that the NFL gets more exciting with every new generation of players. Eagles rookie DeSean Jackson receives the Chris Hanson punt, and runs it back 42 yards to the Patriots 19 yard line, where he is met by Jerod Mayo who absolutely LEVELS the receiver out of Cal. I mean, Jackson got stopped on a dime and lifted off his feet. The impact was so vicious that Mayo bounced away, and James Sanders had to finish off the tackle. I don't even care that it was against the Patriots, that was exciting to watch.
-And wow again. The Eagles were penalized twice on that last play, but the egregious one was Quinton Demps. He pushed coverage man Kelley Washington to the ground, and held on to him, pushing him down over and over again. I don't know what the deal is, but that was malicious.
Second Quarter
-John Lynch lines up like all the writers and analysts thought he would, as sort of a safety/linebacker tweener, which makes sense. He supposedly doesn't quite have the coverage ability he once did, but he's a solid tackler, a heavy hitter, and a smart enough guy to diagnose the play. He was also signed to the roster after Tank Williams went down for the year, and that was the same role he was supposed to have.
-Lynch makes nice plays on conecutive plays: filling the middle on a dive, and making a nice solo tackle on Westbrook in space.
-Even though they've been able to pass on the Patriots iffy secondary, Philadelphia seems content to run the ball up the middle on 4 consecutive plays. The aforementioned 2 plays involving Lynch, and then a dive stopped by Vince Wilfork and a nice play by Pierre Woods, who stayed at home and got back-up Correll Buckhalter when he cut back.
-And there you go, DeSean Jackson and Donovan McNabb fool veteran corner Fernando Bryant for a 23 yard gain up the right side. It looked like Bryant turned and froze for a second thanks to a play or pump fake, but Jackson had a few steps on him anyway.
-Mike Vrabel gets beat downfield by TE L.J. Smith. That play must have been a surprise to New England, because one of the reasons for all the young linebackers has been Vrabels struggles in coverage. He's alright on short route, but if a TE or RB can stretch the field at all, he's toast. I specifically remember two years ago against the Chargers, he got beat for long touchdowns to LaDanian Tomlinson on simple swing routes, not once but twice.
-McNabb slings a touchdown to Jason Avant in the middle of the endzone, wide open. I don't know who was in coverage, but Spann closed on him well enough. If it wasn't his man, well then good on him, but if it was his man...
Philadelphia scores, 10-0 Eagles with 9:42 remaining in the second
-John Lynch lines up like all the writers and analysts thought he would, as sort of a safety/linebacker tweener, which makes sense. He supposedly doesn't quite have the coverage ability he once did, but he's a solid tackler, a heavy hitter, and a smart enough guy to diagnose the play. He was also signed to the roster after Tank Williams went down for the year, and that was the same role he was supposed to have.
-Lynch makes nice plays on conecutive plays: filling the middle on a dive, and making a nice solo tackle on Westbrook in space.
-Even though they've been able to pass on the Patriots iffy secondary, Philadelphia seems content to run the ball up the middle on 4 consecutive plays. The aforementioned 2 plays involving Lynch, and then a dive stopped by Vince Wilfork and a nice play by Pierre Woods, who stayed at home and got back-up Correll Buckhalter when he cut back.
-And there you go, DeSean Jackson and Donovan McNabb fool veteran corner Fernando Bryant for a 23 yard gain up the right side. It looked like Bryant turned and froze for a second thanks to a play or pump fake, but Jackson had a few steps on him anyway.
-Mike Vrabel gets beat downfield by TE L.J. Smith. That play must have been a surprise to New England, because one of the reasons for all the young linebackers has been Vrabels struggles in coverage. He's alright on short route, but if a TE or RB can stretch the field at all, he's toast. I specifically remember two years ago against the Chargers, he got beat for long touchdowns to LaDanian Tomlinson on simple swing routes, not once but twice.
-McNabb slings a touchdown to Jason Avant in the middle of the endzone, wide open. I don't know who was in coverage, but Spann closed on him well enough. If it wasn't his man, well then good on him, but if it was his man...
Philadelphia scores, 10-0 Eagles with 9:42 remaining in the second
-The Pats are killing themselves. After ending up at 3rd-and-10, Cassel completes a short pass to TE Ben Watson who runs 12 yards for the first down, but a penalty is called on backup tackle Wesley Britt, who was forced into the starting role due to injuries. The play is negated, and THEN a 10 yard holding penalty is assessed. On the resulting 3rd-and-20, Cassel sees no one open but Kevin Faulk underneath. Four yards on 3rd-and-20 just doesn't cut it.
-DeSean Jackson is looking real good, as he nabbs another 8 yard gain. He's got 3 for 44 at this point, but he's looked open on every play, no matter who's on him.
-L.J. Smith wiggles behind Tedy Brushi and gets open for 21 yards. This looks like a repeat of the Superbowl last year, and the AFC Championship game against the Colts the year before. Old, slow linebackers getting beat.
-If DeSean Jackson keeps this up, he might just be able to turn those Philly fans frowns upside down. He grabs a short pass on the left side and dodges man after man, maneuvering in traffic to bring the ball 23 yards down to the New England 7.
-Wacky, wacky play here. Hank Baskett catches a pass on the sideline a few yards short of the goal line, and dives for the endzone, but the ball comes loose and goes out of bounds through the endzone, resulting in a turnover, giving New England the ball.
-Starting at the Patriots 20 after the touchback, Matt Cassel goes downtown to Randy Moss on the first play, and the Eagles defensive backs nearly piss themselves. Safety Sean Considine and ex-Patriots Pro-Bowl CB Asante Samuel literally jump on Mosses back, resulting in a 47 yard penalty.
-Kevin Faulk gets stuffed in the backfield for a loss of 4. In on the tackle is Dan Klecko, who started his career in New England as a nose tackle. He spent a year or two with Indy, and I lost track of him. A real nice guy and team player. He's also incredibly comical at 5'11" and 275 lbs, like a human bowling ball.
-Cassel looks much better this week, and maybe that's because he hasn't been afraid to throw to his runningbacks and tight-ends. David Thomas snags a short pass over the middle and runs after the catch for 20 yards. Thomas is looking good after two injury plagued years. He was probably a sure thing to make the roster anyway, but if he can play well enough, he might allow the Patriots to get away with keeping only 2 tight-ends on the active roster.
-Ugh, Cassel gets sacked for no gain when he tries to take off running. Just because you CAN doesn't mean that you SHOULD.
-Moss seemingly catches a 7 yard pass for a first down, but he was in motion at the snap resulting in a penalty.
-Cassel misses Chad Jackson, forcing the Pats to settle for a 35 yard Stephen Gostownski field goal.
-DeSean Jackson is looking real good, as he nabbs another 8 yard gain. He's got 3 for 44 at this point, but he's looked open on every play, no matter who's on him.
-L.J. Smith wiggles behind Tedy Brushi and gets open for 21 yards. This looks like a repeat of the Superbowl last year, and the AFC Championship game against the Colts the year before. Old, slow linebackers getting beat.
-If DeSean Jackson keeps this up, he might just be able to turn those Philly fans frowns upside down. He grabs a short pass on the left side and dodges man after man, maneuvering in traffic to bring the ball 23 yards down to the New England 7.
-Wacky, wacky play here. Hank Baskett catches a pass on the sideline a few yards short of the goal line, and dives for the endzone, but the ball comes loose and goes out of bounds through the endzone, resulting in a turnover, giving New England the ball.
-Starting at the Patriots 20 after the touchback, Matt Cassel goes downtown to Randy Moss on the first play, and the Eagles defensive backs nearly piss themselves. Safety Sean Considine and ex-Patriots Pro-Bowl CB Asante Samuel literally jump on Mosses back, resulting in a 47 yard penalty.
-Kevin Faulk gets stuffed in the backfield for a loss of 4. In on the tackle is Dan Klecko, who started his career in New England as a nose tackle. He spent a year or two with Indy, and I lost track of him. A real nice guy and team player. He's also incredibly comical at 5'11" and 275 lbs, like a human bowling ball.
-Cassel looks much better this week, and maybe that's because he hasn't been afraid to throw to his runningbacks and tight-ends. David Thomas snags a short pass over the middle and runs after the catch for 20 yards. Thomas is looking good after two injury plagued years. He was probably a sure thing to make the roster anyway, but if he can play well enough, he might allow the Patriots to get away with keeping only 2 tight-ends on the active roster.
-Ugh, Cassel gets sacked for no gain when he tries to take off running. Just because you CAN doesn't mean that you SHOULD.
-Moss seemingly catches a 7 yard pass for a first down, but he was in motion at the snap resulting in a penalty.
-Cassel misses Chad Jackson, forcing the Pats to settle for a 35 yard Stephen Gostownski field goal.
New England scores, 10-3 Eagles with 1:52 left in the half
-Randy Cross states, "Almost two minutes left, with a veteran quarterback, that's too much time." He's right, but Donovan McNabb has very little to do with it. Quinton Demps takes the ensuing kickoff to the right side, blowing past kicker Stephen Gostowski and beating John Lynch, who was pursuing from the weak side, in a footrace to take it 101 yards in the opposite direction.
-Matthew Slater receives the kick for New England, and he must have read my blurb on him in the "Guys To Watch" section. He dashes up the middle for 29 yards.
-And a fat lot of good it did him, as Cassel takes a 9 yard sack on first down, essentially dooming the drive. Trent Cole flat out beat Wesley Britt. There's no other way to put it, he was out-powered and out-run. Where have you gone, Matt Light? A nation turns it's lonely eyes to you, ooh-ooh-ohh.
-Cassell gets a 6 yard pass out to Randy Moss, but he's swarmed before he can go anywhere.
-Cassel misses Faulk over the middle, and there goes our chance to build some momentum
-Holy fucking shit. I, for one, welcome our new DeSean Jackson overlords.
Philadelphia scores, 17-3 Eagles with 1:35 left in the half
-Belichick must be furious; if there's one thing he hates more than giving up scores on special teams, it's giving up STUPID scores on special teams. Actually, looking at it like that, aren't any points given up on special teams intrinsically stupid?-Matthew Slater receives the kick for New England, and he must have read my blurb on him in the "Guys To Watch" section. He dashes up the middle for 29 yards.
-And a fat lot of good it did him, as Cassel takes a 9 yard sack on first down, essentially dooming the drive. Trent Cole flat out beat Wesley Britt. There's no other way to put it, he was out-powered and out-run. Where have you gone, Matt Light? A nation turns it's lonely eyes to you, ooh-ooh-ohh.
-Cassell gets a 6 yard pass out to Randy Moss, but he's swarmed before he can go anywhere.
-Cassel misses Faulk over the middle, and there goes our chance to build some momentum
-Holy fucking shit. I, for one, welcome our new DeSean Jackson overlords.
Philadelphia scores, 24-3 Eagles with 0:00 remaining in the half
-Jackson receives the punt to the left of the left hashmark, and finds a seam up the middle, taking the punt back 76 yards.
-Punter Chris Hanson gets reamed out on the sideline by special teams coach Brad Seely. Hanson snaps back, and Seely calls Bill Belichick over who picks up where Seely leaves off. I can't help but think the normally steady Hanson messed that up somehow. Maybe he was supposed to kick it out of bounds, or simply away from Jackson.
-If it was supposed to be away from Jackson, well, he did run a long way to catch it. Maybe it just wasn't far enough.
Halftime
-What is there really to say, I'm going to take a break and stay calm untill the 3rd quarter starts.
-Alright, I'll say this. The Patriots continue to get killed in time-of-possesion. I'm too lazy to do the math, but I assure you, it's ugly. They can't run it and they can't pass it. If you can't move the chains, the defense is going to get tired awful fast.
Third Quarter
-Matt Slater has his man pants on today, as he comes thisclose to taking the kickoff to the house. He turned on the jets to hit a seam up the middle, and barely got tripped up by a diving defender.
-Cassel finally seems to be getting some time, as he completes two passes, sandwiched around a 4 yard Laurence Maroney run. First a 4 yard dink to Jabar Gaffney, and then a 10 yard out to fullback Heath Evans.
-Evans is an important cog in this offense. Fullbacks are becoming an endangered species, but he is a punishing blocker, a powerful short yardage runner, and an underrated receiver. He does all the right things, from a position where no one expects it.
-New England strings together 3 three straight 3-yard plays: Sammy Morris to the left, pass completion to Jabar Gaffney to the right, and Morris to the left again, setting up a 4th-and-1.
-The hand-off goes to Morris, who hits the off-tackle hole and bursts ahead for 11 yards. That's nice to see from New England, the ability to convert on a crucial 4th down.
-There it goes. A couple of penalties, and an incompletion doom the drive, and then on a 3rd-and-18 the line lets Cassel down. He gets absolutely hammered, and he had no chance to do anything about it.
-Hanson punts it down to the Eagles 4 yard line. The drive started promising, but it left a sour taste in my mouth at the end. Two penalties from veteran linemen (Mankins and Kaczur) and a blown blocking assignment makes me think that it may have been Brady making them look good, as opposed to vice-versa.
-Kevin Kolb is into the game now for the Eagles, and he is tearing up the New England secondary. He completes passes of 15, 12,12 22, 9, and 3 yards as a part of a 12 play Philly drive.
-Kolb goes 6-9 for 73 yards, and Tony Hunt rushes for 9 on 3 carries, but they were all powerful runs up the middle. The Pats are looking haggard.
-David Akers closes it out as the drive stalls after two consecutive Kolb incompletions. His kick is good from 24 yards.
-Punter Chris Hanson gets reamed out on the sideline by special teams coach Brad Seely. Hanson snaps back, and Seely calls Bill Belichick over who picks up where Seely leaves off. I can't help but think the normally steady Hanson messed that up somehow. Maybe he was supposed to kick it out of bounds, or simply away from Jackson.
-If it was supposed to be away from Jackson, well, he did run a long way to catch it. Maybe it just wasn't far enough.
Halftime
-What is there really to say, I'm going to take a break and stay calm untill the 3rd quarter starts.
-Alright, I'll say this. The Patriots continue to get killed in time-of-possesion. I'm too lazy to do the math, but I assure you, it's ugly. They can't run it and they can't pass it. If you can't move the chains, the defense is going to get tired awful fast.
Third Quarter
-Matt Slater has his man pants on today, as he comes thisclose to taking the kickoff to the house. He turned on the jets to hit a seam up the middle, and barely got tripped up by a diving defender.
-Cassel finally seems to be getting some time, as he completes two passes, sandwiched around a 4 yard Laurence Maroney run. First a 4 yard dink to Jabar Gaffney, and then a 10 yard out to fullback Heath Evans.
-Evans is an important cog in this offense. Fullbacks are becoming an endangered species, but he is a punishing blocker, a powerful short yardage runner, and an underrated receiver. He does all the right things, from a position where no one expects it.
-New England strings together 3 three straight 3-yard plays: Sammy Morris to the left, pass completion to Jabar Gaffney to the right, and Morris to the left again, setting up a 4th-and-1.
-The hand-off goes to Morris, who hits the off-tackle hole and bursts ahead for 11 yards. That's nice to see from New England, the ability to convert on a crucial 4th down.
-There it goes. A couple of penalties, and an incompletion doom the drive, and then on a 3rd-and-18 the line lets Cassel down. He gets absolutely hammered, and he had no chance to do anything about it.
-Hanson punts it down to the Eagles 4 yard line. The drive started promising, but it left a sour taste in my mouth at the end. Two penalties from veteran linemen (Mankins and Kaczur) and a blown blocking assignment makes me think that it may have been Brady making them look good, as opposed to vice-versa.
-Kevin Kolb is into the game now for the Eagles, and he is tearing up the New England secondary. He completes passes of 15, 12,12 22, 9, and 3 yards as a part of a 12 play Philly drive.
-Kolb goes 6-9 for 73 yards, and Tony Hunt rushes for 9 on 3 carries, but they were all powerful runs up the middle. The Pats are looking haggard.
-David Akers closes it out as the drive stalls after two consecutive Kolb incompletions. His kick is good from 24 yards.
Philadelphia scores, 27-3 Eagles with 4:12 remaining in the 3rd
-Slater has another 29 yard return. It's a compliment when I say that he made that lengthy return look almost boring.
-Matt Gutierrez is in at QB for New England, and while I feel good that an 2nd year veteran who was an undrafted rookie is getting a real chance to show himself off, I feel bad that he's probably going to die at the hands of the ravenous Philly defenders.
-Gutierrez is already distancing himself from Cassel, as he completes a beautiful 24 yard pass to C.J. Jones on the right sideline. Sean Considine had some really good coverage, but he put it over the top of the Eagles safety and dropped it right onto Jones.
-BenJarvus Green-Ellis is getting his number called for some in-line carries, but he's not making much of it. Two yards over the left side and a loss of 3 in the middle.
-Gutierrez drastically overthrows rookie tight-end Jonathan Stupar, but it turns out Stupar pushed off the defender, which makes it 2nd-and-23.
-I may have to reasses my sympathetic assessment of Cassel, as Goots is getting it done. He first completes an 8 yard pass to Kelley Washington, and then on 3rd-and-15 he slings it out to Chad Jackson, who ran an incredibly nice route, for 16 yard and the first down.
-Green-Ellis gets stuffed again for a loss of 2, and that closes out the 4th quarter.
Fourth Quarter
-Heath Evans comes up huge. He had an 8 yard catch earlier, between two Green-Ellis runs, and he tallies another here. He slips loose of the coverage, catches the ball, and runs away from the defenders for some extra yardage.
-Ray "Bubba" Ventrone shows his face, and comes up with a catch on a play that looks almost exactly like the one before. Ventrone came out of the WR spot instead of the backfield, but he still ended up running a long in routetowards the right sideline, getting down the the Philly 1-yard line.
-Chad Jackson shows off those physical gifts that made him a 2nd round pick. He ran a corner route, and Goots threw a jump ball to his outside shoulder. Jackson looked absolutely Moss-esque as he jumped up and reached behind his back to snare the touchdown.
-Matt Gutierrez is in at QB for New England, and while I feel good that an 2nd year veteran who was an undrafted rookie is getting a real chance to show himself off, I feel bad that he's probably going to die at the hands of the ravenous Philly defenders.
-Gutierrez is already distancing himself from Cassel, as he completes a beautiful 24 yard pass to C.J. Jones on the right sideline. Sean Considine had some really good coverage, but he put it over the top of the Eagles safety and dropped it right onto Jones.
-BenJarvus Green-Ellis is getting his number called for some in-line carries, but he's not making much of it. Two yards over the left side and a loss of 3 in the middle.
-Gutierrez drastically overthrows rookie tight-end Jonathan Stupar, but it turns out Stupar pushed off the defender, which makes it 2nd-and-23.
-I may have to reasses my sympathetic assessment of Cassel, as Goots is getting it done. He first completes an 8 yard pass to Kelley Washington, and then on 3rd-and-15 he slings it out to Chad Jackson, who ran an incredibly nice route, for 16 yard and the first down.
-Green-Ellis gets stuffed again for a loss of 2, and that closes out the 4th quarter.
Fourth Quarter
-Heath Evans comes up huge. He had an 8 yard catch earlier, between two Green-Ellis runs, and he tallies another here. He slips loose of the coverage, catches the ball, and runs away from the defenders for some extra yardage.
-Ray "Bubba" Ventrone shows his face, and comes up with a catch on a play that looks almost exactly like the one before. Ventrone came out of the WR spot instead of the backfield, but he still ended up running a long in routetowards the right sideline, getting down the the Philly 1-yard line.
-Chad Jackson shows off those physical gifts that made him a 2nd round pick. He ran a corner route, and Goots threw a jump ball to his outside shoulder. Jackson looked absolutely Moss-esque as he jumped up and reached behind his back to snare the touchdown.
New England scores, 27-10 Eagles with 13:53 remaining in the 4th
-The Patriots seem to have battoned down their deep coverage, leaving Kevin Kolb with just short routes to look to. It all comes at a price though, as their allowing some guy named Ryan Moats to run for some decent yardage. He runs for 4 and 5 yards, and inbetween those two runs Kolb completes two passes for 11 yards.
-Kolb manages to drive out to the 43 before a penalty stalls the workman like drive. The longest plays were a trio of 7 yard passes, and Sav Rocca punts it away.
-The Patriots take over on their own 3, and try the time-honored, gutless strategy of running the ball from your own goal line. Green-Ellis doesn't pick up any yardage.
-Goots completes a short dump off to Ray Ventrone on the left side, and Bubba takes off for 21 yards to give the Patriots some room to work with. Maybe the New England coaches found something Ventrones coaches in high school and at Villanova missed.
-BenJarvus Green-Ellis gets around the left end for 9 yards. I don't just like this guy because of his name, I like him because he's like a human pinball, He doesn't look that thick, but he runs with surprising power, and he looks like constatly pulsating with energy.
-Gutierrez goes deep down the right side to Chad Jackson, but the Philadelphia defender was draped all over him, resulting in a 25 yard defensive pass interference call.
-Aftan an incompletion, and a costly Ray Ventrone pass interference penalty the Patriots face 2nd-and-20. Gutierrez does his best, getting the ball out to Ventrone for 8 yards and scrambling for 5, but on 4rd-and-7 and going for it, he's sacked for a loss of 7. It seems like anytime the going gets tough, the offensive line turns into a sieve.
-The Patriots defense stiffens after they punt the ball away, and force their first 3-and-out of the night. Linebacker Vince Red came off the edge to stuff Ryan Moats for a loss of 1, and then a false start penalty makes it 2nd-and16. Moats then gets to the outside for 12 yards, where he's forced out by Matthew Slater, now playing defense. After a 3rd-and-4 incompletion there's a really interesting punt play. Rocca kicks the ball out of bounds at the New England 9, but the play is called back automatically due to an illegal formation, and this time Rocca punts it 52 yards, and out of bounds, pinning the Pats at their own 1.
-Goots is still in, and still dealing the heat. Rookie TE Tyson DeVree had been cut by the Patriots earlier in the summer, but brought back after Marcus Pollard was cut, and he really makes a statement on this play. He gets open deep, and hauls in a 32 yard pass to bail the Patriots out of their own endzone.
-Goots misses Ventrone over the middle, but comes back to hit Green-Ellis for 18 yards up the left side. He is really showing Cassel up.
-An incomplete to Jonathan Stupar brings us to the two minute warning. Immediately afterwards, he takes another step towards saving C.J. Jones' career by dropping in a beautiful 37 yard pass right on the sideline. Viva la Gutierrez!!!
-Unfortunately they foul up the next two plays with an incompletion and a 5 yard penalty on a Chad Jackson false start.
-Ventrone continues to wear the man pants, snaring a 9 yard pass over the right hash. I honestly never saw this coming. When I heard he was taking reps at receiver, I said, "Oh, how cute, he'll do ANYTHING to stay in the NFL." Now, he may actually be the best choice for a number 2 receiver.
-Okay, maybe that was hyperbole, since most of those yard have come against scrubs, and we've barely seen Gaffney, and I'm assuming Welker stays in the slot.
-Kolb manages to drive out to the 43 before a penalty stalls the workman like drive. The longest plays were a trio of 7 yard passes, and Sav Rocca punts it away.
-The Patriots take over on their own 3, and try the time-honored, gutless strategy of running the ball from your own goal line. Green-Ellis doesn't pick up any yardage.
-Goots completes a short dump off to Ray Ventrone on the left side, and Bubba takes off for 21 yards to give the Patriots some room to work with. Maybe the New England coaches found something Ventrones coaches in high school and at Villanova missed.
-BenJarvus Green-Ellis gets around the left end for 9 yards. I don't just like this guy because of his name, I like him because he's like a human pinball, He doesn't look that thick, but he runs with surprising power, and he looks like constatly pulsating with energy.
-Gutierrez goes deep down the right side to Chad Jackson, but the Philadelphia defender was draped all over him, resulting in a 25 yard defensive pass interference call.
-Aftan an incompletion, and a costly Ray Ventrone pass interference penalty the Patriots face 2nd-and-20. Gutierrez does his best, getting the ball out to Ventrone for 8 yards and scrambling for 5, but on 4rd-and-7 and going for it, he's sacked for a loss of 7. It seems like anytime the going gets tough, the offensive line turns into a sieve.
-The Patriots defense stiffens after they punt the ball away, and force their first 3-and-out of the night. Linebacker Vince Red came off the edge to stuff Ryan Moats for a loss of 1, and then a false start penalty makes it 2nd-and16. Moats then gets to the outside for 12 yards, where he's forced out by Matthew Slater, now playing defense. After a 3rd-and-4 incompletion there's a really interesting punt play. Rocca kicks the ball out of bounds at the New England 9, but the play is called back automatically due to an illegal formation, and this time Rocca punts it 52 yards, and out of bounds, pinning the Pats at their own 1.
-Goots is still in, and still dealing the heat. Rookie TE Tyson DeVree had been cut by the Patriots earlier in the summer, but brought back after Marcus Pollard was cut, and he really makes a statement on this play. He gets open deep, and hauls in a 32 yard pass to bail the Patriots out of their own endzone.
-Goots misses Ventrone over the middle, but comes back to hit Green-Ellis for 18 yards up the left side. He is really showing Cassel up.
-An incomplete to Jonathan Stupar brings us to the two minute warning. Immediately afterwards, he takes another step towards saving C.J. Jones' career by dropping in a beautiful 37 yard pass right on the sideline. Viva la Gutierrez!!!
-Unfortunately they foul up the next two plays with an incompletion and a 5 yard penalty on a Chad Jackson false start.
-Ventrone continues to wear the man pants, snaring a 9 yard pass over the right hash. I honestly never saw this coming. When I heard he was taking reps at receiver, I said, "Oh, how cute, he'll do ANYTHING to stay in the NFL." Now, he may actually be the best choice for a number 2 receiver.
-Okay, maybe that was hyperbole, since most of those yard have come against scrubs, and we've barely seen Gaffney, and I'm assuming Welker stays in the slot.
-I was down on C.J. Jones too, after his comedy of errors late in the game against Baltimore, but he may actually be carving out a space for himself on this team. He get wide open in the endzone, and hauls in the fastball for the Patriots second touchdown of the game.
New England scores, 27-17 Eagles with 00:46 left in the game
-With 46 seconds left in the game, they hand the ball to Ryan Moats three times to bleed off the clock, but he's unable to pick up any real yardage and the Patriots burn their 3 time outs in an effort to get one or two plays.
-Second round draft pick, CB Terrence Wheatley is back to receive the punt. He's got an incredible top gear, but we don't get to see it as he mangles the reception, and has to dive on it.
-Rather than see any more of the shenanigans, Belichick has Goots take a knee and that ends it.
-Second round draft pick, CB Terrence Wheatley is back to receive the punt. He's got an incredible top gear, but we don't get to see it as he mangles the reception, and has to dive on it.
-Rather than see any more of the shenanigans, Belichick has Goots take a knee and that ends it.
The Philadephia Eagles defeat the New England Patriots, 27-17
Postgame Thoughts
-That may be the final nail in Matt Cassel's coffin. Through 40 minutes of the game he stunk up the place, but with around 4 minutes left in the 3rd, Matt Gutierrez came and in turned things around. He passed for 217 yards and 2 touchdowns, going 14-20. Cassel went 8-14 and managed just 60 yards.
-I have a few possible explanations: Tthe first team offensive line is racked with injuries, which allowed the first team Philly defense to dominate them. That could be true, but Cassel also had Randy Moss, Ben Watson, Laurence Maroney, and all the first team skill players. Even if the offensive line is banged up, shouldn't he have been able to manage SOMETHING. It's also reasonable to think that after Philly took a big lead thanks to the consecutive kickoff returns for touchdowns, they may have skipped a few steps down the depth chart, allowing some of their lesser seen players to play.
-Whatever the reason, Gutierrez sparked and Cassel's name was mud, especially evident from his repeated booing at the hands of the sold out Gillette Stadium Crowd.
-Ray Ventrone and C.J. Jones were the main beneficiaries of the Matt Gutierrez Bandwagon. Ventrone grabbed 4 balls for 49 yards, and looked like a real wide receiver. Like seriously, I would've never know that he's played safety for the last 8 years or so. He showed great hands, good awareness, and the necessary athleticism to play the position. Jones, meanwhile went from goat to great, catching 3 passes for 70 yards. At this point, he has to have surpassed Chad Jackson on the depth chart, and to be honest, Jabar Gaffney hasn't done much either. Jones has shown nice speed, terrific hands, and great situational awareness, being able to time up his steps to grab some balls tight to the sideline and stay inbounds. Jones now leads the Patriots with 7 catches for 120 yards (17.1 YPC), and Ventrone is second with 97 yards on 8 catches (12.1 YPC).
-Do the Patriots even HAVE runningbacks anymore? Faulk, Green-Ellis, Morris, and Maroney split 16 carries among them, gaining just 44 yards for a 2.75 YPA average. Morris was the only one who resembled effectiveness in any way, going 5 for 24 (4.8 YPA). LaMont Jordan was conspicuously nowhere to be seen.
-No one really looked good on defense today. John Lynch showed that he wasn't completely calcified, Terrence Wheatley showed that he can make tackles after allowing the catch, and the line showed that it can positively disappear when they face an offensive unit with some bite. The linebackers got burned in coverage, and the secondary wasn't much better. The only thing I can say in their defense is that the offense let them down by not amassing any time of possesion until late in the game. The Patriots only had the ball for 10:42 in the first half before holding the ball for basically the same amount (10:55) in the 3rd quarter. The end result looked respectable, 31:53-28:07 in favor of the Eagles, but a 19:18-10:42 line in the first half was enough to wear the defense down.
-What can we take from this? Gosh, not much. Our receiving situation is far more muddled, in a good way, what with Ventrone and Jones pushing for spots. Our secondary and offensive line are banged-up and largely inneffective. The Patriots haven't drafted an offensive lineman early in the draft since Mankins in '05. I think it could be due to the rising cost of offensive lineman, and if that's true, New England's economic concerns could put a damper on the season.
That'll do it for me, I'll be back soon with some baseball-related content.
-Sox
-That may be the final nail in Matt Cassel's coffin. Through 40 minutes of the game he stunk up the place, but with around 4 minutes left in the 3rd, Matt Gutierrez came and in turned things around. He passed for 217 yards and 2 touchdowns, going 14-20. Cassel went 8-14 and managed just 60 yards.
-I have a few possible explanations: Tthe first team offensive line is racked with injuries, which allowed the first team Philly defense to dominate them. That could be true, but Cassel also had Randy Moss, Ben Watson, Laurence Maroney, and all the first team skill players. Even if the offensive line is banged up, shouldn't he have been able to manage SOMETHING. It's also reasonable to think that after Philly took a big lead thanks to the consecutive kickoff returns for touchdowns, they may have skipped a few steps down the depth chart, allowing some of their lesser seen players to play.
-Whatever the reason, Gutierrez sparked and Cassel's name was mud, especially evident from his repeated booing at the hands of the sold out Gillette Stadium Crowd.
-Ray Ventrone and C.J. Jones were the main beneficiaries of the Matt Gutierrez Bandwagon. Ventrone grabbed 4 balls for 49 yards, and looked like a real wide receiver. Like seriously, I would've never know that he's played safety for the last 8 years or so. He showed great hands, good awareness, and the necessary athleticism to play the position. Jones, meanwhile went from goat to great, catching 3 passes for 70 yards. At this point, he has to have surpassed Chad Jackson on the depth chart, and to be honest, Jabar Gaffney hasn't done much either. Jones has shown nice speed, terrific hands, and great situational awareness, being able to time up his steps to grab some balls tight to the sideline and stay inbounds. Jones now leads the Patriots with 7 catches for 120 yards (17.1 YPC), and Ventrone is second with 97 yards on 8 catches (12.1 YPC).
-Do the Patriots even HAVE runningbacks anymore? Faulk, Green-Ellis, Morris, and Maroney split 16 carries among them, gaining just 44 yards for a 2.75 YPA average. Morris was the only one who resembled effectiveness in any way, going 5 for 24 (4.8 YPA). LaMont Jordan was conspicuously nowhere to be seen.
-No one really looked good on defense today. John Lynch showed that he wasn't completely calcified, Terrence Wheatley showed that he can make tackles after allowing the catch, and the line showed that it can positively disappear when they face an offensive unit with some bite. The linebackers got burned in coverage, and the secondary wasn't much better. The only thing I can say in their defense is that the offense let them down by not amassing any time of possesion until late in the game. The Patriots only had the ball for 10:42 in the first half before holding the ball for basically the same amount (10:55) in the 3rd quarter. The end result looked respectable, 31:53-28:07 in favor of the Eagles, but a 19:18-10:42 line in the first half was enough to wear the defense down.
-What can we take from this? Gosh, not much. Our receiving situation is far more muddled, in a good way, what with Ventrone and Jones pushing for spots. Our secondary and offensive line are banged-up and largely inneffective. The Patriots haven't drafted an offensive lineman early in the draft since Mankins in '05. I think it could be due to the rising cost of offensive lineman, and if that's true, New England's economic concerns could put a damper on the season.
That'll do it for me, I'll be back soon with some baseball-related content.
-Sox
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