Patriots Gameplan: Preseason Week 4 at the G-Men

The regular season is fast upon us! But first, we must sit through one last preseason scrub-fest. For many of those wearing the Flying Elvis tonight, it will be the last time they might ever put an NFL football helmet on. In that regard, I enjoy watching players on the fringe leaving it all out there like it’s the Super Bowl.

The hope is that no one important touches the field tonight. Of course, some who are kinda important will have to. Julian Edelman will likely see a good dose of snaps. So will Hoy-dog, not that anyone really cares about him. But the very most important pieces should be protected. Isaiah Wynn was an unfortunate casualty but appears to be the only significant injury loss of the summer.

Today’s final preseason gameplan will once again just be five areas to focus on. Next week we get into the PatsProp in-season schedule — Posits Monday, Film Tuesday, Scouting Wednesday, and Gameplan Friday being the blog staples.

Here’s the final “gameplan,” bring on the regular season!

1. Cornerbacks

I wrote a piece on the cornerbacks this week and it’s clear that jobs will be won or lost in the secondary tonight. How much does Jason McCourty play? And which position? Crossen and Jackson should likely go head-t0-head on the outside, maybe for one spot. Cyrus Jones in the slot could mean a lot for his chances too.

2. Punt Returner

I’d love to see Cyrus Jones bust one tonight. Between him and McCarron, I think we’ll get a good idea of what the Pats have planned at punt returner. Though I still think there’s a very good chance the guy returning punts against the Texans isn’t on the roster right now.

3. Vincent Valentine

I see a lot of value in keeping Vincent Valentine and I continue to believe he’ll be on the team. Tonight could be his time to shine with Lawrence Guy and Danny Shelton likely to sit. Frank Herron is another who will get a bunch of snaps inside. Brown is fading, Shelton might be too expensive.

4. Wide Receivers

It’s time to shine for one of the receivers who hasn’t seen any game action until this point. Braxton Berrios (if he plays) and Devin Lucien are two who could play close to the entire game. Riley McCarron it’s now or never for you too. I’m not sure there are jobs to be won on the 53-man roster, but it would be good to see some promise for the future from one of these guys that they can get to the practice squad. Honestly, of all of them, Lucien was the most impressive from what I saw at training camp.

5. Derek Rivers

I thought Rivers was really quiet last week after beasting against the Eagles. That’s going to happen against a quarterback like Newton where the pass rush must be ultra-disciplined. It causes hesitation, which can neutralize you. I’d bet Flowers, Clayborn and maybe even Wise don’t touch the field. That leaves Rivers, Keionta Davis and Eric Lee to see a bunch of snaps.

Final 53-man comes out tomorrow. It’s sure to be an interesting Labor Day weekend as they always are. Shocking cuts, trades…it’s all on the table. But come Tuesday the 2018 roster will be in place, however temporarily, and it might look a lot different than any of us can know.

There’s never a dull moment in Patriots Nation and this is always a weekend to hold your breath over.

But first, one last mostly chill game down in Jersey before things get nuts.