Patriots Stock Watch: Fourth Preseason Game

This is it. The fourth and final preseason game is in the books, providing the last tape for the coaching staff before tomorrow's big roster cut down from 75 to 53 players. A lot of guys were playing for their jobs, and for some their careers, last night. With that in mind, here's a look at who helped their case and who struggled last night.

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Josh Boyce

The rookie from TCU has been playing catch-up all preseason, as a foot injury kept him out of OTA's and other workouts in the offseason. Despite that, Boyce has been solid all camp and finally got a chance tonight to shine. The two things advertised about Boyce coming out of college were his speed and his hands: both were shown off on his beautiful 40 yard touchdown from Ryan Mallett. The rookie put a nice double move on veteran corner Terrell Thomas, used his speed to get behind the defender, and then made a great, full extension finger tip catch. Nice to see these two hook for a long touchdown after narrowly missing on a great opportunity in the first preseason game against the Eagles.

Michael Buchanan

The lanky rookie probably solidified his roster spot with a big game Thursday. Playing the entire game at defensive end, the rookie made an impact throughout, with the end results being 2.5 sacks, four tackles, a forced fumble and a batted down pass. Buchanan probably needs a year in the weight room to be ready for the big time (at 6'6" and 255 pounds he looks like a beanpole out there), but his long frame and natural athleticism give him some real potential as an NFL pass rusher. That potential will likely keep the seventh round pick safe from the looming cuts.

George Winn/ Quentin Sims

Both of these guys are undrafted rookies who haven't gotten many game reps thanks to the team's depth at their positions. With most of the starters dressed but not playing, both guys got a chance to shine and made the most of it Thursday. Winn (Kenbrell Thompkins old teammate from Cincinnati) got the start at running back and was rock solid. The rookie doesn't quite have the explosiveness of some of his more heralded teammates, but he is a tough downhill runner who consistently got good yardage against the Giants first stringers. The rookie finished with 54 yards on his 14 carries and a nice short-yardage touchdown.

Sims is a big (6'3", 202) receiver who can really use his size to outleap defenders for the ball, but he has been buried on the depth chart by the emergence of fellow rookies like Thompkins, Boyce and Dobson. This being the fourth preseason game, Sims played the entire second half (aka Tebow time) and made some huge plays. On both Tebow touchdowns Sims used his size and catch radius to go get the ball high, and he also flashed some nice run after the catch ability by turning a routine 12 yard hitch into a 52 yard touchdown. Consider this: Tebow was 3-4 for 72 yards and touchdowns when throwing to Sims. When throwing to everyone else, he was 3-7 for 19 yards and an interception.

Neither of these guys are likely to survive cutdown day: there's simply too much depth at their positions this year. However, their impressive performances could land them a spot on the team's practice squad (I certainly hope we can keep them around), while also providing positive tape for scouts around the league.

LeGarrette Blount/Brandon Bolden:

Wait Ned, didn't you just say George Winn got the start at running back?

Exactly. Both Blount and Bolden dressed last night, but neither of them played a down. This likely means that both backs have shown enough to the coaching staff to have secured their roster spots. Of course, good news for them is bad news for Leon Washington (more on him in a second).

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Ryan Mallett

Ryan Mallett giveth, Ryan Mallett taketh away. Entering his third year, the one thing that the supremely talented Mallett has been consistent with is his inconsistency. Last night was a perfect example. There was a lot of good from the signal caller. The offense made a lot of positive plays with Mallett in the game, including a touchdown drive in which Mallett really got into a rhythm and began slinging the ball all over the field. He also displayed his canon of a right arm on a beautiful 40 yard touchdown to Josh Boyce. When Mallett is comfortable and in rhythm, he looks like a legit NFL quarterback.

However, the "Bad Ryan" moments were there, and they often came up at inopportune times. He flat out missed Leon Washington wide open deep on third down during his first possession, bringing up a punt. Instead of giving 6'3" Aaron Dobson a chance to win a jump ball in the end zone, his bad underthrow was picked off by Prince Amukamura (who was unlucky enough to have his fingertips land out of bounds, negating the turnover). On the following play, he didn't lead Kenbrell Thompkins enough on a slant route, but was bailed out once again by Corey Webster's interference penalty.

Overall the positives outweighed the negatives of Mallett's 10-16, 117 yard, 1 TD, 1 INT day (the INT that didn't count was his fault, the one that did falls squarely on the shoulders of Dobson). However, the inconsistencies of his game continue to keep him from making the leap from clear backup to potential starter (not over Tom Brady, but somewhere). Oddly enough, the book on Mallett coming out of college was that the physical talent was all there, but the mental aspects of his game needed work. Right now, it seems his mechanical inconsistencies are what keep popping up to derail his momentum as a passer.

Tim Tebow

Ah, yes, this guy. Does it speak volumes that this was, by far, his most effective outing of the preseason. Yes. Were all of Tebow's flaws evident this game? Yes, in the form of four sacks (Tebow's pocket presence, to put it kindly, is poor), one bad interception and a lot of incomplete, inaccurate passes.

But, in classic Tebow form, he did just enough to give his supporters something to hang on to. He was helped out on both fourth quarter touchdowns by the aforementioned Quentin Sims, but you also have to give Tebow some credit by putting the ball in a good place for Sims to make a play. He also had more success running the ball, gaining 30 yards on his six attempts.

Was it enough to save his job? Not if I was running the team, but it's very possible Bill Belichick (with the influence of Tebow's #1 fan Josh McDaniels) sees things differently. It's important to remember (and hard to forget while watching him play) that Tebow is very much a developmental project. If he sticks on the roster, it will be more for his prospects as an asset down the road than anything he might be able to contribute this year.

It's also possible that Tebow could be cut with the understanding that he'd be brought back later in the year. The Patriots know that Tebow would likely attract very little interest on the open market. If Tebow was cut to save a depth player somewhere on the roster, he could easily be brought back later in the year (say around when Cam Newton and Panthers are coming up) to give the defense more looks at a mobile quarterback.

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Aaron Dobson

Dobson has now been the intended target on the Pats last four interceptions (I'm counting the replay negated one by Prince Amukamura because only sheer luck prevented that one from counting). At 6'3" with leaping ability and long arms, Dobson should be able to excel on jump balls and contested plays, but so far defenders have been able to establish position and shield the lanky receiver off towards the sideline. Some of these issues are technique related, some just stem from Dobson needing to get stronger.

Dobson was also advertised as having great hands, but so far he hasn't done a good job of catching the ball cleanly. Ryan Mallett's second quarter interception (the one that did count) hit Dobson right in the hands only to be bobbled and then pop up right to Giants linebacker Mark Herzlich. Dobson has shown flashes of his downfield ability (3 catches for 35 yards last night), but he wont see meaningful snaps this year if he doesn't correct these problems quickly.

Leon Washington

The mere fact that Washington was out there playing while competitors LeGarrette Blount and Brandon Bolden watched was bad enough for Washington. Committing a turnover on a muffed punt was even worse. Washington did have a nice 43 yard punt return, but his work on offense was very pedestrian as well (three carries for 9 yards, one catch for 7 yards). Perhaps we look at Washington's night differently if Ryan Mallett doesn't miss the veteran back open deep on the game's first drive, but the actual results don't look great for a guy who is presumably fighting for his job.

I personally think Washington should stick. Muffed punt aside (and lets note that Washington is used to fielding kickoffs, not punts), he is still the best option at kick returner, a position that has been a revolving door of mediocrity the past few seasons. He brings additional value as a backup to scat back Shane Vereen, as well as being known a solid veteran presence in the locker room. Whether or not those factors overcome the numbers crunch won't be known until Saturday, but last night didn't help Washington's chances.

Adrian Wilson/Daniel Fells

Remember when Tebow to Fells was a regular part of the Tebow era in Denver? Unfortunately for Fells, the fact that he was catching balls from Tebow meant he was playing in the second half of the fourth preseason game, something that is never a good sign for an established veteran. Fells is a smooth, athletic receiving tight end, but he doesn't bring much as a blocker and will find himself behind Zach Sudfeld (and eventually Rob Gronkowski) on the receiving pecking order just at his position. With Sudfeld and Gronk in the fold, it looks like Jake Ballard's blocking will be valued more than Fells' receiving.

Wilson was another veteran who played deep into this game. Patriots fans might remember 2011, when Brandon Meriweather playing deep into the fourth preseason games raised some eyebrows. Meriweather, of course, was cut days later. Wilson is a long-time veteran who is respected throughout the league, but he has done little to stand out in training camp or the preseason. At this point, a decision to keep him might reflect more on his value as a locker room presence than on the field.

We'll see what happens tomorrow, but remember that Wilson was splitting first team reps with Steve Gregory at the start of camp. Last night Gregory was watching with starters while Wilson was defending passes from the likes of David Carr and Curtis Painter. Maybe Kyle Arrington will get that #24 jersey back after all.