I swear to Hoodie, I’m not going to call week three of the preseason a “dress rehearsal” but it’s really the last time we’re going to get anything much of interest before the annual scrubfest against the Giants. This will be the last time we see anyone important before the bullets are real against the Texans, and for that reason, there will be plenty to react to from tonight’s game.
A good place to start would be these five lingering questions, where you can swap in Eric Decker for Kenny Britt. If he remembers how to catch he’s got to be close to a roster lock. If he’s not, you know he fell off a cliff. There’s no question all eyes will be on the receivers, especially Phillip Dorsett. If he busts a big play, things will look on track. Better than a big play, I’d rather a tough catch, but that won’t get the kind of attention a long gain would.
As has been the case in the preseason I’m diverting from the usual gameplan because, well, preseason games are minimally gameplanned. All they want to do is avoid bad plays that have no chance for success. Otherwise, it’s vanilla ice cream on both sides of the ball. However last week showed a bit of an exception with de facto defensive coordinator Brian Flores sending more blitzes than I can recall seeing in the preseason.
This week there will be even more of a focus on the defense because Cam Newton is the kind of quarterback that the Patriots don’t blitz. He’s also the kind that gave them fits last year, so this first half at least should be an excellent test for the new front.
More on that and everything else I’ll be watching in the final dress re… meaningless audition of the summer.
- Defense vs. Mobile Quarterback: The buzz around the defense has us all excited. The potential of an attacking defense has us all aroused, but there’s a big difference between attacking a non-gameplanned offense and one that is specifically designed to exploit the Patriots’ weaknesses. Even tonight won’t give us a complete picture but it will tell us a bit about how the defense plans to deal with mobile quarterbacks and they’re going to see one right off the bat in Week One. For the most part, I think the defensive personnel for the regular season is clear. The only real question I have is whether or not their middle linebacker will be better. Is it Elandon Roberts or is Ju’whaun Bentley making a push there? Can they get sideline to sideline? Can they track down Cam Newton when the play breaks down and he tries to run? These are the areas to put under the microscope, especially on third down.
- Phillip Dorsett and Eric Decker: And then there were two. I’m writing and tweeting way too much about this because frankly, there just isn’t a whole lot of uncertainty right now. One of these guys needs to flash against the Panthers for us all to feel fully confident that the Pats will have a top-five offense. Not that our confidence really matters. Tom Brady is what matters and that’s why the Pats will be fine regardless. Still, make a play Dorsett or Decker. Please.
- Jeremy Hill: Rex Burkhead has to earn my trust that he can stay on the field. And while I have concerns about ball security with Hill, I continue to believe he’s going to get a shit ton of carries, at least in September. If he looks like he did when he had 29 touchdowns in his first three seasons the Pats will suddenly have a new look backfield from what they had last year with Dion Lewis (who I loved and miss). Hill is the kind of big, tough runner that defined the Pats early in the dynasty with Antowan Smith and Corey Dillon and I’d love to get back to that. He can also catch the ball a bit which could make him really effective.
- Punt Returner: Another one of the few questions remaining, I’m hoping we see Cyrus Jones out there returning punts, because he’s really the last chance we have at putting an impact returner back there, at least weeks one through four. While I think Jonathan Jones could very well be the slot corner, Cyrus could be a factor there too. His career got off to a disappointing start, but the Patriots would be at their best and most efficient if Cyrus won both those jobs. It would also be a major dagger in the Pats recent draft misses narrative. This is probably asking a lot of Cyrus, but it’s basically now or never and he’s got to do it in his first game since tearing his ACL last year.
- No Injuries: This is it, the last chance to potentially lose someone in a meaningless game. So far the only major casualty has been Isaiah Wynn and as disappointing as that was, he was not a starter. We’ll see plenty of starters in this one, including vital components like Dont’a Hightower and that Brady guy. I’d rather have the Pats lose 100-0 and everyone look like a JV high school team than have a critical player lost in this final game. If they survive this one intact, a big part of our attention can turn toward the regular season.