Patriots Down Eagles: Thoughts From Preseason Opener

Now maybe this isn't for you "morning people", but did anyone else wake up Thursday, look in the mirror, realize what day it was, and get a big smile?

I did for one reason: football's back.

The two sports I follow most closely—ironically both called football—begin midway through August. While the premier and champions league run until May, the NFL only goes until February.

Six months without real football. I shudder at the thought.

Anyway, here's six quick thoughts (well, quick for me) on the first preseason game between New England and Philadelphia:

1. Michael Vick? Color me shocked.

The more I think about this move, the more I like it for Philadelphia. I've heard the move described in the same way just about everywhere from ESPN to local radio to national radio.

They call it a "risk vs reward" scenario. Some pundits think the reward is worth the risk, a lot of pundits do not.

Me? I just don't see that much risk. There's a massive PR hit, sure. Everyone's going to wonder why Philadelphia is making this move. Does it unseat Kevin Kolb? (Probably not) Will it mess with McNabb's head? (No, he lobbied to get him there) Will there be protesters a mile deep at Philadelphia games? (Probably, but they're braver souls than I to go toe-to-toe with Philly fans)

So what's the risk? That he's suddenly going to go open a new dog fighting ring and get himself landed back in federal prison? I just don't see it. The contract is bigger than I expected, but he's only making $1.6 million this year, with a $5.2 million option on the horizon if he's a good boy.

He's got the chance to get himself back on respectable ground, eliminate his debt, get out of bankruptcy, and still hit free agency at the ripe age of 31.

Philadelphia just might be the best place to accomplish that.

2. Tom Brady Looks A-OK.

I heard a rather preposterous thing said on ESPN by Merril Hoge that Tom Brady's career might be better served because he hasn't exposed himself to the year of hits during his prime that he would've taken had he not been injured last year.

Now putting the obvious recovery from knee injury stuff aside, I disagree on a couple levels. First, Tom Brady's career has had a very odd arc compared to many franchise quarterbacks.

Obviously, he ended up getting playing time right away, thrown into the starter's role in just his second season when Drew Bledsoe was injured.

If Brady were to take a serious stab at some of the career records, he really is done a disservice by losing a year at the head of one of the most potent offenses in the game.

But even if you assume the career records were already out of reach for Brady, his chance at being the best quarterback of all time is going to come with his ability to produce two things: single season records (which he has done for one season so far) and Super Bowl titles.

Brady will likely never end up with the career numbers in terms of yards, completions, touchdowns, etc. that Peyton Manning will, but if he wants to take a serious stab at the "best of all time" mantle, he's definitely taken a big step back by losing a prime season to injury.

Either way, we'll have to see how he continues to perform through the season, but the early signs seem to be good.

3. Rookies Making Big Plays

There was a couple great plays made by a few rookies that I think deserve special mention.

Julian Edelman, a Wes-Welker carbon copy out of Kent State, had an awesome punt return for a touchdown, but his work with the first team offense was especially good to see.

He was likely in because Welker was not playing, but he did well.

He's probably the backup best suited to filling the role of that slot receiver/slasher so the offense won't have to adjust too much whether he or Wes is in, but he performed very admirably and got open a good deal.

Also, Darius Butler played very well, putting in a few key blocks on Edelman's touchdown return, looking sharp throughout the game and intercepting the two-point conversion attempt by Philadelphia that proved key late in the game.

The backups did let the Eagles' backups put up some points, but at this point it's more about getting the little things right than it is about results. 

Still, the fact those two stood out and were able to make some great plays was a good sign for their chances of making an impact in the regular season.

4. Now's the Time to Temper Expectations

Listened to a good deal of sports radio today and, luckily, there's more pressing matters in New England than the Patriots first preseason game.

I ended up hearing more calls last night and tonight about Michael Vick than about the Patriots and what they'll do this season, which was a welcome change.

Preseason games are great for a number of reasons, but analyzing what the team's going to do all four quarters when it comes to the regular season isn't really one of them.

For instance, the Patriots were clearly very comfortable in a three-receiver set and that looks to be their primary offensive set going into this season.

One one key play on 3rd-and-one with Andrew Walter behind center in the third quarter, the Patriots elected to run with a three-receiver set and an empty backfield.

With one yard to go (and a host of running backs on the roster), I wonder how often the Patriots would elect for such an obvious passing play, but at this point it's impossible to tell if they just wanted to see more passes out of Walter, if they actually prefer a short pass to the slot, or if they just didn't want to run into the teeth of a Philadelphia defense with their backups.

Still, good signs all around from the Patriots' first team. I think the Eagles still have some work to do offensively, but they've got a lot of young guys still finding their feet in the NFL and it will take some time.