The Patriots traveled to Atlanta to face Matt Ryan and the Falcons. The Falcons are coming off a year in which they missed the playoffs and had many injuries. The Falcons have many weapons on offense and would put some pressure on the young Patriots defense. As I mentioned in the last post, the Pats have showed some swagger and look like they have something to prove with each snap.
Game two welcomed backed Wes Welker to the offense and Tom Brady threw to him right away. Welker finished with 2 catches for 20 yards. It was a dropped pass that made him feel like he was back; he took a hard hit as he was going down. As many players say, it’s that first big hit that makes you feel back in the game. Brady continued to impress, 10/12, 84 yards, and a TD. He did take a big hit in which he fumbled but the Pats recovered. Second year backup Brian Hoyer looked good as well, 8/15, 94 yards and a TD as well.
The always interesting story at RB became more interesting as veterans Fred Taylor and Sammy Morris both contributed and Lawrence Maroney was a “healthy” scratch. Many have said that Maroney may be on his way out, but Belichick stated that it was his turn to sit in the RB rotation. Taylor looked ready, as he burst for a 28 yard TD run, out running several Falcons on the way to pay dirt. Taylor finished with 11 carries, 54 yards, a TD, and averaged 4.9 yards per carry. Sammy Morris looked like the Sammy from 2008, breaking tackles and running people over. He also had a decent line, 6 carries, 52 yards, a TD, and 8.7 yards a carry.
What added to the great run stats was the offensive line. The O Line still has some holes, but they looked good in the run blocking. Dan Connelly, who is filling in for Mankins as he is still holding out, had some great pulls that lead to big gains and one TD run. Connelly does have his deficiencies, but with time the Pats hope he can become more consistent. The Pats did add Quinn Ojinnaka, an OT from the Falcons for an undisclosed draft pick. Ojinnaka has not been too productive in his career with Atlanta, the Pats did have two practices in ATL, and they might have seen something useful.
The passing game was very efficient and the ball was spread around to 11 different receivers. Rookie TE Aaron Hernandez continues to contribute and connected with Brady for the second TD of the game. Hernandez had 4 catches (five targets) for 46 yards, with a TD. The other rookie TE also was impressive. Gronkowski had 4 catches (4 targets) for 38 yards and a TE (from Hoyer). The only other note was that week one standout; Julian Edelman only had one catch (one target) for 8 yards and was involved in only 6 snaps this game. He did speak with reporters after the game and did not appear to be injured, but Mike Reiss of ESPN Boston has reported that Edelman has not been at practice for the first 2 days this week. Let’s see how the Edelman story pans out.
I like the matchups that the Pats have had so far. I know it is pre season, but it is great for the defense to play against good offensive teams, the Saints and the Falcons. The young guys continued to impress against the Falcons, with the defensive backs continuing to be the standouts. First round pick Devin McCourty, Patrick Chung, and Brandon Merriweather all had 5 tackles in the game, as well as a couple passes defended.
The linebacker position continues to be something to watch. Brandon Spikes continues to impress having another great game with three tackles. Gary Guyton is set to return to the practice field this week and should fight Spikes for the starting ILB position. Guyton has dropped to third in the depth chart as Tyrone McKenzie had another good game and looks like he was before the knee injury. With all of the veterans that have left this team in the last few years, the Patriots have loaded up on some great young talent and if they can understand the schemes, these guys will be feared. Not to mention that Derrick Burgess has yet to get on the field as he just reported to camp. Having Burgess on one side with Banta-Cain on the other, we should see more QB pressures this season.
With the loss of Ty Warren for the rest of the season, the D line is going through some changes. With the 3-4 defense, the DE position is crucial in stopping the run as the NT will take a few blockers up in hopes to let the linebackers run wild. Former BC Eagle, Ron Brace has looked good for the last few weeks and look for Belichick to use him as a DE, but also as a NT backing up Wilfork. To fill in the Void left by Warren, 6 year veteran Mike Wright and former Raider and Brown Gerard Warren will get the starts at each end.
The Pats did beat the Falcons fairly easily, scoring a TD in each quarter. The most impressive thing is the continued improvement in the defense, and the way the offense is looking to establish the run. Let’s not chalk up another Lombardi Trophy just yet, but if they continue to improve, the Patriots will have a great season. Next week, they face first overall pick, QB Sam Bradford and the St. Louis Rams.
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Tags: BenJarvis Green Ellis, Bill Belichick, Boston, Brandon Merriweather, Brandon Spikes, Derrick Burgess, Devin McCourty, Fred Taylor, Gary Guyton, Jarod Mayo, Julian Edelman, Lawrence Maroney, Mike Wright, New England Patriots, NFL, Patrick Chung, Patriots, Randy Moss, Sammy Morris, Tom Brady, Tully Banta-Cain, Ty Warren, Vince Wilfork, wes welker
