The Dogged Days

The week leading up to that first preseason game was kind of exciting. We knew it wasn’t really real NFL football but it was the closest thing to it since last February. And now, I can’t even wait until the regular season starts.

Tom Brady will play this Friday night?

Oh.

Well, okay then.

We can’t help but seize upon the smallest of details and craft from it a dark narrative of pigskin doom. This is particularly easy for Patriots’ fans as Bill Belichick does a better job of compartmentalizing information than the NSA. Jerod Mayo misses a couple of days of practice? Any other team would’ve given up something vague; a body part, not expected to be serious, if this was the regular season, etc. What do we know about Mayo’s absence from practice? Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Bupkis.

Rob Gronkowski is spotted “limping as he ran” by pigskin pundit Greg Bedard and suddenly the season is at risk. Or not. It’s 50/50. Whatever.

Overall, the recent news has been mostly good, if incrementally so.

Aaron Dobson and Dominique Easley have donned helmets and shoulder pads. They’re still limited in practice – no 7-on-7 or 11-on-11 work – but they’re at least on the field, participating in positional drills and 1-on-1s. Edelman, Amendola, Thompkins and LaFell have been lighting it up with Tom Brady. Jamie Collins was a one-man wrecking crew in the second day of joint practices with the Eagles. Shane Vereen looks ready to hold off rookie James White. Malcolm Butler looks like the latest in a long line of undrafted free agents to make Patriots roster. Garoppolo to Tyms should never be mentioned in the same sentence as Montana to Rice but I just did because this is the pigskin season for fans to imagine a rookie QB with small hands and a young wide receiver facing a four-game suspension for PEDs becoming HOF locks on the basis of a televised scrimmage.

Yes, of course I’ll be watching this Friday’s preseason match with the Eagles.

I want to see some Tom Terrific and the other starters who rested against Washington get some quality time. I want to visit Revis Island. I want to see Amendola catch passes without pulling a muscle. I want more Malcolm Butler and more Garoppolo to Tyms.

Preseason games are meaningless, unless your pigskin life is on the line. Just ask Asa Watson and Justin Jones. Who else is thinking maybe I should’ve been paying attention during Econ 401?

WR Josh Boyce – In many of the recent roster projections I’ve seen, Boyce has not made the final 53. The consensus seems to be that if Boyce is going to make the team it will be as a kick return specialist. He’s clearly behind Edelman, Amendola, LaFell and Dobson on the depth chart. He’s probably behind Kenbrell Thompkins and he may be behind Brian Tyms. I remain intrigued by his game-breaking speed and I think he’s got a higher ceiling than Thompkins but he needs to show off those wheels Friday night if he’s going to make the team.

DE Will Smith – The Sturm und Drang surrounding the defensive tackle position might help the veteran defensive end who is struggling in his comeback from an ACL injury. He’s on the outside looking in if the Patriots keep four at DE, with Chandler Jones and Rob Ninkovich as the starters and Michael Buchanan and Zach “Massive Upside” Moore as the likely backups. Unlike Buchanan and Moore, Smith doesn’t have much value in the kicking game. He will need to catch and eat Nick Foles Friday night if he hopes to make the team.

DE Jake Bequette – If Bequette were in 3^rd grade, his teacher would be writing “Fails to live up to his potential” on his report card. I’m not sure what Bequette could do this Friday night to make the team after three years of no shows. Friday night he could rack up 3+ sacks and a couple of tackles for a loss, knock down a pass, force a fumble and I don’t know if I’d believe it.

DT Joe Vellano – Injuries to Sealver Siliga and Chris Jones should provide Vellano with plenty of snaps Friday night. At this point, Vellano could legally change his name to “Scrappy” or “Lunch Pail” or “Undersized” or “Weak Against the Run” or “Situational Pass Rusher” and nobody would notice. The sentimentalist in me can’t help but pull for Vellano but the realist in me thinks he should change his first name to “Former New England Patriot.”

RB Roy Finch – He had a rough debut in Washington. He’s competing not only with Brandon Bolden for the 4^th RB spot but also with Josh Boyce for the kick return gig. Bolden is solid but he isn’t a “score from anywhere on the field” kind of guy. If you need 3 he’ll get you 4 and might even get you 8 but he’ll get caught soon after that. Finch has the potential to be one of those weapons Brady needs that we’re always clamoring for. Then again, it may be better to have someone who can pick up the blitz.

TE Phil N. LeBlanc – I guess we’re going to get some Ben Hartsock and Steve Maneri Friday night. Are Dustin Keller’s knees really that bad?

The O-Line – A lot of moving parts here. If Dan Connolly moves to center, it probably means Ryan Wendell is moving on if Brian Stork recovers from his lower leg injury and shows he’s capable of backing up Connolly. If Connolly moves to center it opens up a spot at right guard that could be filled by Marcus Cannon, Josh Kline, Jordan Devey or rookie Jon Halapio. If Stork’s injury hampers his development, it probably puts Wendell back in the pivot and Connolly’s could wind up a salary cap casualty. I suppose I should also be panicking (I am) over Nate Solder’s struggles and whether I feel good (I don’t) about the possibility Cannon or 2013 practice squader Devey would be protecting Brady’s blind side in 2014.

LB Steve Beauharnais – Beauharnais got some props early on but once the pads came on he started to look like the classic tweener; too slow to be effective in coverage and too small to be effective against the run. Is he smart enough to overcome his physical limitations?

There’ll be a pop quiz this Friday night.