Apologies for my tardiness, but I missed my flight to get to training camp… Okay, obviously I am teasing, making light of an offensive lineman’s unpunctuality.
But anyway! Monday morning has dawned, shedding new light upon what we witnessed Thursday night (or Friday morning if you’re in one of the more UK type time zones).
Or does it?
Well, the Patriots certainly thought so as Saturday they signed a tackle! The position we have been crying out for!
Whilst, like me, you may not of heard of Micah Vanterpool, he is a tackle, and I don’t know about you, but right now I’m hoping he’s a diamond in the rough that Adrian Klemm can polish until he’s darn shiny!
As we look back at the first pre season game for the Patriots of 2023, it really is the o-line that is the glaring issue. And so, about that light that needs to be shed.
Now, with that said, it doesn’t really need to be said how pre season games aren’t really about the statistics or even the scores, but about evaluating the players. As Patriots fans we have had a little taster of some of the newbies.
Keion White showed up and proved his versatility when it comes to which side he can play on. He was flipped to the left side in the game’s second quarter after a late in the first quarter tackle on the Texans quarterback. But, we kind of already knew was destined to be great. Just listen to the college tape on him, total bruiser.
Fortunately for the fans and for him, first round draft selection Christian Gonzales improved after his “welcome to the NFL” moment that was so early in the first quarter we could almost say it doesn’t even count as the preseason! Okay perhaps not, but the guy improved during the game and the media darlings were impressed.
There wasn’t exactly much to report on the play by play situation. The defense played well, the offense were pretty bland, but in my opinion that was mostly due to the offensive line and their lack of cohesion together. But with any luck by September we may have some more solidity there.
The offense had some late game sparks I’ll admit, and Malik Cunningham was the match to light that flame with his movement to get outside of the pocket well on containment, producing a beautiful throw to Tre Nixon in double coverage, towards the final four minutes of the final quarter. But before you say I am beating the drum for Cunning-hum (see what I tried to do there? – okay, okay I’m sorry) this was the first game of the preseason and I am waiting to see Mac Jones in action in September. This fan is a bit of a self confessed homer, and my quarterback is Mac, baby.
One more positive to throw into the mix was the Jalen Mills experience. Experiment? Either way, the huge loss that was felt with the retirement of Devin McCourty had a small bandage stuck over it by some quality Jalen play. In particular, an early first quarter interception and an end of the first quarter off the corner safety blitz to stop the runner. I have high hopes that this guy will add some kindling to the fire that should be stoked in the locker room this season, too.
So, we chalk up the first loss of the preseason, but now as they say, we are on to Green Bay! Go Pats!
So wonderful to have you back Ms Clare