Patriots Stock Watch: 3rd Preseason Game



The scoreboard (40-9) told the story tonight, as a dominating performance by Detroit's defensive line combined with four first half Patriot turnovers to dash the Patriots hopes early. The lopsided final result was reminiscent of a 34-10 beatdown at the paws of these same Lions back in the 2011 preseason.

Despite the final score, there were some positives to take from this game, as well as some serious issues that will make some nasty film sessions when the team returns to Foxborough. Here's a look at whose stock is rising and falling as the final roster cutdown approaches.

Buy:

Rob Ninkovich

I highlighted the pass rush as something to watch going into this game. The pass rush as a whole was decent, but "Ninko" particularly had himself a night. The veteran DE was a constant presence in Detroit's backfield, be it blowing up run plays or keeping Matt Stafford from ever getting comfortable in the pocket. He even had a tipped pass on an athletic play against Stafford towards the end of the first half. Some of his teammates may have been shown up tonight, but Ninkovich looks like he's in midseason form already. 

Kenbrell Thompkins

The rookie receiver had a bad drop early on a Tom Brady throw that would've converted a third down. He promptly responded by catching 8 balls for 116 yards, including an impressive 37 yarder on which his initial juke at the line created near-instantaneous separation. While all of the team's rookie receivers have flashed, Thompkins' consistency really seems to have solidified his standing as the team's top rookie (for now) and Brandon Lloyd's old spot as the #2 receiver.

Logan Ryan

Injuries to Alfonzo Dennard and Ras-I Dowling have led to a ton of reps so far this preaseason for the rookie from Rutgers. That continued tonight, with Ryan playing throughout the night, including some time with the starters during the first half. Ryan held up pretty well overall, as he was part of a first team defense that actually did a pretty good job considering how many turnovers put the defense in bad spots. The kid will never be a star but, to borrow Bill Belichick's favorite word, he looks "competitive" out there against NFL players. He better too, as any prolonged absence from Dennard (be it for legal or injury related reasons) could push him into an important role at nickel corner.

Hold:

Tom Brady 

Hard to judge Brady tonight, as the offensive line (more on them soon) never gave him enough time to get comfortable all game. However, Brady's occasional struggles against physical, pressure-driven defenses are well documented, and tonight's game was a painful reminder of the Hall-of-Fame Quarterback's one real weakness: Pressure up the middle (well, that and Brazilian supermodels). Brady had one throwaway that was dangerously close to intentional grounding, and his interception was a forced ball into double coverage. No concerns here; Brady will be as good as ever when the real games start, but tonight was a reminder of how quickly New England's seemingly unstoppable offense can get derailed by a team that can bring pressure up the middle.

Ryan Mallett

Consistency continues to be an issue with Mallett, but there were some flashes for the young QB. Mentally, the backup looks much more comfortable than past years, as he seems calm and collected making his reads, even at times when under pressure. However, his mechanics break down sometimes on shorter passes, leading to alot of passes winding up at his receiver's feet (Philadelphia fans still call this "McNabb-ing it". At this point, Mallett looks like a competent backup, but there still is plenty of room for improvement.

Sell: 

Offensive Line

I considered singling out Sebastian Vollmer, who got eaten alive by Jason Jones, but decided it wouldn't be fair to only mention one member of a group that got it's ass kicked all game. Everyone knew coming into the game that Detroit's monstrous defensive line would pose a challenge for the Pats, but the starting offensive line simply did not answer the bell. Give Will Svitek a pass, lining up across from Ndamukong Suh is not an envious task for anyone, let alone someone playing out of position at guard for emergency purposes. However, everyone else out there will be out there on September 8 when the Pats open their season against Buffalo, and every member of the offensive line didn't perform well tonight. There was little protection for Tom Brady and almost no movement in the running game the entire time the first stringers faced off. Just an ugly night for this group.

Zach Sudfeld

The rookie tight end made what seems like the first mistake he's made since training camp opened, fumbling after catching a seam route to stall what had been a promising opening drive. It was the result of a nice, well-placed hit by Lions safety Glover Quin, but also was a play where Sudfeld absolutely should have been able to hold onto the football. Ball security is a must for any offensive player, let alone one vying for big snaps early on with Rob Gronkowski's likely absence. For his part, the rookie tight end didn't see another target until late in the fourth quarter.

Brandon Bolden

Yes, Shane Vereen had a fumble too, but Vereen's roster spot is safe. Bolden, on the other hand, is in a real battle for his job and could ill-afford his first half fumble on a screen pass from Brady. His final stat line says it all: 1 carry for 6 yards, 1 reception for -5 yards and a lost fumble. Yikes.

Jamie Collins


It's a little difficult to judge Collins, who got most of his time with an overmatched second-string defense, but the athletic rookie seemed to struggle tonight with his tackling. Hard to tell what was wrong tonight, as Collins had impressed as a sure tackler both in practice and the preseason previously, but open field tackling was an issue for the defense as a whole tonight. Just ask Reggie Bush. Or Joique Bell. Or...you get the point.