Let’s start with the good news – the Pats made it through a training camp and preseason without a major injury! That in and of itself is a reason to feel good, eventhough there was a tense six hours when Brady had his knee scare.
Tomorrow comes the cutdown to 53, but here are some thoughts on the last preseason game and who is trending up and who is trending out.
– Aaron Dobson was up and down last night, but I think he needs time. He’s still a raw player and needs to learn how to play the pro game. The biggest thing is learning to use his strengths (height) to his advantage. He’ll need to progress over the course of the season.
– I’ve been hard on Ryan Mallett but he showed some pretty good stuff last night. Don’t know if he did enough to entice a team to go after him in a trade next offseason, but I feel well enough that he wouldn’t be a total disaster if he had to fill in for TFB at all.
– Kenbrell Thompkins is good at football. I’m excited to see what he does with Brady and the impact he makes, which should be immediate. Reminds me of Deion Branch with his secure hands and ability to win at the line with quickness.
– Leon Washington played a lot last night, and had a fumble. Kind of surprised he was even on the bubble to begin with, but still think he makes it.
– Jake Bequette and Michael Buchanan both played well last night, and the timing couldn’t have been better. Something tells me both could make the team, and with Jermaine Cunningham missing yet again, I think his time in New England might be over.
– Logan Ryan will play a lot next week and I’m sure he’ll be targeted and have his share of mistakes. But I like him as a player, he’s physical and has improved consistently over the course of camp.
– Duron Harmon seems pretty solid to me as well. Definitely has had his lapses, but overall, like his Rutgers mate Ryan, he’s a solid player. I’ll be looking for him to improve as the season goes along and perhaps push Steve Gregory at some point for safety snaps.
– Thursday morning I was leaning toward Adrian Wilson making the team. This morning I’m leaning toward him not making it.
