Sometimes we glimpse the future. Sometimes all we see is a moment about to become history. Maybe it's one and the same. Could Ralph Webb be Dion Lewis 2.0? Only in the sense that he might get claimed off waivers by the Cleveland Browns when the Patriots try to slip Webb through to the practice squad.
I do think Kyle Van Noy was right when he said the Patriots defense would surprise people. I know I was surprised. We all thought they were going to be better than that, didn't we?
Maybe there's nothing to be learned from the preseason other than who your swing tackle is going to be.
I sure hope so.
The Patriots first preseason game is squarely in the rear view at this point. We're on to... the next practice, I guess. Okay, so it's the Eagles in this week's live speed scrimmage. The Eagles. You remember them? Perhaps the greatest country-rock band of the 70s or any other decade for that matter. Wait, what? The Philadelphia Eagles? Yeah. I'm still in denial. And regardless of the outcome, a preseason game isn't going to change anything that happened last February.
But there's more to be learned, isn't there? Well, maybe. For me it's more about the human drama; the hopes and dreams of the young men auditioning for the role of pigskin hero. I see you…
Let's start with Ralph Webb. Yes he was playing against 3's and 4's but he did look a lot like Dion Lewis, didn't he? I'm pretty sure that was the third 2-point play from SB51 he scored on; the toss play James White actually ran in for the winning TD because Lewis had gotten hurt at the end of regulation. Could Webb find a spot on the Final 53? With White, Rex Burkhead, Sony Michel, and Brandon Bolden seeming locks, and Jeremy Hill and Mike Gillislee in a "two men enter, one man leaves" battle for the 3rd and 1/goal-line big back role, the numbers do not work in Webb's favor. Would I keep Webb over Hill or Gillislee? I'm working with a small data sample here but… Yes. Yes I would.
I like the Riley McCarron and Braxton Berrios stories, too, though I'm not sure what I can make of either one of them with catching passes from the pasta-based arm of Brian Hoyer or "Nuke" LaLoosh - I mean, Danny Etling.
As for Etling, color me curious. I don't see Belichick keeping three QBs or maybe I should say I'd keep Webb over Etling and roll the dice on Etling making it to the practice squad. I wouldn't bet on it though. Too many GMs in the Other 31 who have got to think, "Belichick and McDaniels saw something in this kid, why not?" Put another way, who would you rather have as your 3rd QB? Brock Osweiler or Danny Etling?
In some ways I think the preseason is a bit like reality TV shows. Who do I like? Who do I want voted off the island/house/stage?
I'm still intrigued by Phillip Dorsett's speed but is he that much faster than Devin Lucien, who went from "camp body" to "another guy who might benefit from Julian Edelman's four-game suspension?" Lucien got open with some big catches when every other Pats receiver seemed to be double-covered. Who you got? Speed or size?
The wide receiver position is every bit as stacked as running back; Chris Hogan, Cordarrelle Patterson, Kenny Britt, Eric Decker, Dorsett, Lucien, McCarron, and Berrios are all vying for a roster spot. One of those guys will wind up playing for the Jets in 2018. Hogan and Patterson (along with Edelman) are considered locks in the consensus view of pigskin pundits and bobbleheads. After that? I do like Edelman's nickname ("Honey Nut") for Berrios. I doubt that will be a factor in the coaching staff's evaluation but the fact Edelman came up with a nickname for the kid says he's seeing something in practices, doesn't it?
The early reports from OTAs and training camp on 2nd year TE Jacob Hollister weren't too much of a surprise based on the promise he flashed in his rookie season but last Thursday I honestly feared for his life watching him wait for those lobs from Hoyer as the defensive backs closed on him like the raptors from "Jurassic World." With Gronk, Dwayne Allen, and Hollister, the Patriots look stacked at TE. I guess the only question here is whether rookie Ryan Izzo, who blocked well, sealing the edge, last Thursday night could be a cost effective replacement for Allen as block first/catch later tight end.
Why haven't conspiracy theorists posited the Trent Brown trade was really a "player to be named later" from the Jimmy Garoppolo trade? The Niners gave up a starting left tackle for a swap of draft picks after getting Jimmy GQ for a second round pick. I suppose the 49ers still "win" the trade, even if you stack it up like this…
49ers get Jimmy Garoppolo and a 3rd round pick.
Patriots get Trent Brown, a 2nd round pick and a 4th round pick.
On the defensive side of the ball, I'm not alone in watching how Deatrich Wise, Jr., and Derek Rivers develop. Rivers, and FCS talent coming off a rookie season lost to an ACL, has the deeper back story but more than good pigskin narratives, the Patriots need these two young edge defenders to make that second year leap.
There's another story on the defensive side of the ball that intrigues me, perhaps more than others, and that's the Geneo Grissom at linebacker experiment we saw last Thursday night. Grissom has played well on special teams but has struggled to find a position on defense, lacking the size to play his college position of defensive end. The Pats certainly have issues and uncertainty at linebacker. Could Grissom help provide depth or fill a 3rd down pass-rushing role from the second level?
Or maybe rookie Ja'Whaun Bentley will provide some juice at linebacker. More than the stats it was interesting to see Bentley with the green dot on his helmet. Trust is not given easily by Belichick and his coaches.
Okay, yes, after the most first-team defense's performance Thursday night I'm grasping for non-plastic straws here. Grissom? Bentley?
It's just the preseason.
In Bill we trust.
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