Meaningless Pigskin Observations

It's a good thing this one didn't count.

Okay. No Mac. No Judon. No starting offensive linemen. (I'll stop there but there were a whole lot of no's for the Pats last night.) Still, while stipulating to all caveats and there were plenty of them, it was hard not to think bad thoughts watching the Patriots struggle against the Houston "Nobody has Them Going to the Super Bowl" Texans. 

A Grain of Salt or Two for the Patriots First Preseason Game

Yes, the game was meaningless, much like these comments (meta-meaningless?) but whatever. In the spirit of being stupid on the Internet is no crime, here's a whole lot of salt shakin'...

Did we just get the answer to the question "How do they replace Devin McCourty?" or was Belichick just showcasing Jalen Mills for a potential trade? If it's the latter I'd prefer a competent swing tackle. 

The depth on the offensive line is not deep. It's "barely get your feet wet" deep. If you don't think that's a big deal, remember that Trent Brown and Riley Reiff - the presumed starters at tackle - both have injury histories, Cole Strange didn't play because he's hurt, and Michael Onwenu is coming off off-season surgery. It's a safe assumption one or two of the guys we saw last night is likely to be needed for multiple games during the regular season. 

In a word: Yikes!

As for who will back up Rhamondre Stevenson, I'm not sure any of the running backs we saw last night want the job after the beating they took behind that O-Line. Put another way: Last night it was hard to tell if the Patriots skill position players actually have any skills.

On the other hand, while recent reports from camp have not been kind to second year WR Tyquan Thornton, he did make one rather spectacular play on a downfield reception, probably the lone highlight for the Patriots offense in the first half. Will it keep him on the Patriots roster? Maybe not, but it should keep him in the league. I mean, teams are still trying to make N'Keal Harry happen so why not Thornton?

Remember Danny Etling? Anyone?

Having said that, I'm finding it hard not to be excited by what I saw from Malik Cunningham last night. Some guys just have that ineffable it and Cunningham sure looked like one of those guys last night. I hope Trace McSorley enjoyed his time in New England because it looks like Cunningham isn't going to be Edelman 2.0, after all. The TD run was exciting but Cunningham should've gotten the score on the pass that clanked off Tre Nixon's hands; on the run and on target.

The consensus amongst pigskin cognoscenti has been that the Patriots defense will need to carry the team in 2023 (while hoping Mac Jones and the offense led by Bill O'Brien doesn't suck). It sure looked that way last night.

Mills, Daniel Ekuale, and rookie Keion White all made big plays. White, the Pats 2nd round pick in this year's draft definitely looked the part, as it seemed like he was around the ball whenever he was on the field. Seeing him play with Matt Judon and Christian Barmore should be fun. 

If the offense does suck, at least it looks like the Patriots have a punter who can flip the field in rookie Bryce Baringer. He did have one touchback but also dropped two inside the 20 white averaging 50 yards per punt.

And that's about that.

So?

Okay…

The Glass Half Empty Guy in my head is thinking it's more than a little coincidental I was thinking about doing some work on my basement, a location I've heard so much about in conjunction with the Patriots and the AFC East in 2023. It's looking like it's going to be a long, cold winter.

The Glass Half Full Guy in my head, aside from finding the Glass Half Empty Guy to be exhausting, notes that we didn't see any starters last night (give or take a cornerback). And while it's never too early to panic, let's not forget; it's August. Not even the Ides of August.

Thank the Pigskin Gods for that.

Go Pats!