Ups and downs for the Patriots
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| Jimmy Garoppolo shined against the Eagles (Jared Wickerham - Getty Images) |
Ups
1. Jimmy Garoppolo: Jimmy Football has continued his improvement, throwing for an impressive 6-12 and 72 yards, capitalized by touchdowns to James Develin and Brandon LaFell. The more important part is that he came in directly after Brady, allowing him to play against the Eagles starting defense. And he went on to take advantage of the defense with impressive plays.
2. Kenbrell Thompkins: He made several catches with the starting offense, including an impressive back shoulder catch from Tom Brady for a TD. He finished with 3 catches 32 yards and a touchdown.
3. Brandon LaFell: He made some impressive catches, including a TD from Garoppolo where the defender tipped the ball with LaFell hauling it in. He finished with 2 catches for 29 yards and a TD. He also did some good things in the run game with blocking.
4. Stevan Ridley: Starting the game, Ridley made some nice runs with the starting offense. Even though he only had 45 yards on 9 carries with no TDs, they were good runs. The one "fumble" he had was not a real fumble due to him being down, but losing the ball is never good.
5. Roy Finch: After a shaky first preseason game, Finch held onto the ball, and made some impressive returns. He also contributed on offense, catching several passes and even scampering in for a touchdown. Finch made his case to make the roster tonight, and if he keeps this up, I truly think he will.
6. James Develin: The human Swiss Army knife can do it all. He demolished defenders as a blocking FB, caught passes from the TE position, and dominated in everything that he did. He could become one of the unspoken heroes of this Patriots team.
7. Malcolm Butler: He made plays all night. Whether it was good coverage or creating turnovers, he was everywhere. He caused a fumble by stripping the receiver for his first defense snap, starting across from Darrelle Revis. He later on created another fumble after stripping the ball, which he then recovered. He will make this team and contribute right away.
Downs
1. The referees: Words cannot describe the hatred I hold for these people following these last few preseason games. They are missing calls, making bad calls, and just ruining the game of football. It may be preseason, but they are just not improving the game in any way.
2. Steve Maneri: To be fair, he was a tackle the last time he was in New England. But the one blemish in the starting offense was when Maneri didn't turn to the outside on a Tom Brady pass that was picked off by loud mouth Cary Williams, who returned it for a touchdown. After hearing reports that the Patriots have been in contact with other TEs, I don't think Maneri's stay in Foxborough will last too much longer.
3. James White: After being talked up all offseason, White didn't do much on offense. He ran the ball 10 times and only had 27 yards. He did catch one ball for eight yards, but his expectations are high. Ridley has the lead for starting RB right now. White will need to show something if he wants to be given the trust to be the starter.
4. Ryan Mallett: He did play well, he played very well, but the success of Garoppolo against the ones did the most damage to Mallett's chances. Despite a very impressive night, Mallett has clearly slid in the coaches' eyes. He likely made his case to stay on the team for the near future, but it was against back ups for the Eagles.
5. Voe Vellano: There were several plays tonight where Vellano got pancaked and completely taken out of the play. If Jerel Worthy can come in and make the team, Vellano could be on his way out.
With all that said, the Patriots played well as a unit and there was more positive than negative. The conclusion of the game doesn't matter, but how they played does. Overall, this was a good week for the Patriots in a number of ways, without many glaring negatives.
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