Quarterback Expectations: Mallett vs. Tebow Time
With Tom Brady unlikely to play more than one or two series tonight, the quarterbacking focus will fall on the team's backups: Ryan Mallett and Tim Tebow. With the preseason being (hopefully) the only chance for fans and coaches to get an extensive look at the backups in live game action, these reps will be important opportunities for both players to impress the coaching staff.
With that said, expect Ryan Mallett to get the vast majority of the reps behind Brady tonight. Mallett has established himself as Brady's primary backup in camp. He has looked noticeably improved from last year in practice so far. The talent has always been there for Mallett, who once was thought of as a potential high-first round pick, but he seems much more comfortable and composed under center now than he did his first two years. It will be interesting to see if that perceived progress translates on the field.
Like Brady, Mallett is a classic pocket passer with a great arm but limited athleticism. His success tonight could largely hinge on the performance of an offensive line missing a lot of its depth to injuries at the moment. However, if the line can keep Mallett relatively clean, he should have a chance to show off his arm and make some throws downfield. It wouldn't be surprising to see some of the team's promising young receivers (rookies Aaron Dobson, Kenbrell Thompkins and Josh Boyce) continue to play after Brady sits, as getting live reps is imperative for any rookies. This could give Mallett a chance to work with some targets who will be contributors this year when the games actually count. The combination of Mallett's canon arm with Dobson and Thompkins ability to stretch the field could lead to a few fireworks if all plays out well.
As for Tebow, expectations should be low. The world's most famous third stringer has only had a couple of weeks to pick up New England's complicated offense and it's fair to say that is still a work in progress. Even if the Pats have any read option schemes drawn up for Tebow, it's very unlikely that they'd unveil them in a meaningless first preseason game. Tebow probably won't play until the fourth quarter, taking the field mostly with guys who wont be on the final roster.
I will say this for Tebow: the guy is many things but never dull. Whether he fails spectacularly as a pocket passer or leads the fourth stringers to a game winning drive late (would either of these scenarios surprise anyone?), I can guarantee that we will be talking about Tebow's performance tomorrow. The fourth quarter of preseason games are normally only slightly more entertaining than watching paint dry. Tebow time will, at the very least, give fans something intriguing to watch late.
