New England Patriots Preseason Game Recap
Brady a no-show as Patriots fall to 27-10 @ Tampa Bay
Offense: Without Tom Brady as the starting quarterback, it's becoming obvious that the three backups are incapable of running the high-powered offense. Once again, the Patriots were inconsistent in moving the ball and struggled to just 10 points in the entire game. Matt Cassel played into the third quarter and threw for 57 yards while leading the team to a field goal. In the first half, passing and rushing plays were used equally in the simplified offensive gameplan, but despite the attempt to make things easier for the inexperienced players, it did not show any positive results. Cassel converted on a lot of short passes and did not have any long-yardage completions. Kevin O'Connell did not fare much better, passing for 61 yards and completing only 40% of his throws. In the second half, the offensive line tired out so the lack of a significant passing attack isn't all O'Connell's fault.
Matt Guiterrez did not receive any playing time and it will be determined later in the week if he will play in the next game. Laurence Maroney and Sammy Morris split the carries at runningback. They combined for 25 yards on 12 carries and never found their rhythm. Several receivers caught a pass for the Patriots but none had more than three receptions. Backups C.J Jones and Chad Jackson made a small impact with 2 receptions each. The offensive line was pushed around and failed to hold their ground against the quicker Buccaneers linemen. The rushing game was non-existent and both quarterbacks were unable to complete any deep throws. Although the runningbacks couldn't establish themsleves in this matchup, they are a better unit than they showed and will make improvements as the regular season approaches. The passing game is of great concern because there is nobody capable of replacing Tom Brady at quarterback and the backup receivers lack either the speed or intelligence to be a serious threat on the field. In practice, the Patriots worked on game situations such as two-minute and four-minute drills, but have yet to put it to use when it matters.
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Defense: The defensive line was outplayed for most of the game, allowing an unusually high amount of rushing yards and nearly an 80% completion rate. Tampa Bay averaged almost 5 yards a carry and the linemen were unable to stop runningbacks at the line of scrimmage or force them into a tackle. Many rushes were right up the middle and linemen are supposed to cover those gaps in the field. Tampa Bay also attacked the center of the field on short and mid-range pass plays. The linebackers did a decent job of taking away the sidelines on pass routes but did not stay in position to defend the shorter completions. The Buccaneers converted several third downs and got some yards after the catch on plays right down the middle. There were not many deep passes attempted so the Patriots didn't have to worry too much about covering those routes. The secondary was okay in their positioning and tackling and didn't allow any easy scores. After the loss, the defensive line felt they had played poorly and the effort was not what they usually put forth, even in a preseason game. The Patriot starters played only a small portion but it was clear they were not performing up to standards. "I think it was pretty obvious we've got a lot of work to do, based on tonight, in all three phases of the game. We got some experience against a good team, against a fast team, against a playoff team. There's a lot of things we're going to need to do better," said Belichick. This can be extra motivation for a defense filled with veterans who are used to playing at their highest level. Maybe next week is when the unit showcases their talent to its fullest potential.
Special Teams: Stephen Gostkowski made all three field goal attempts and had pretty good distance on kickoffs. The kick returns were effective as the Patriots averaged 25 yards on 4 kickoff returns. The punt returns were non-existent with 2 returns for 3 yards. Chris Hanson punted 4 times for a 42 yard average. He does not have good leg strength and will have to punt towards the sidelines to prevent a decent return.
By Chad Fukuoka
ProFootball-fans.com New England Patriots Correspondent