Patriots vs. Saints: Postgame Grades, Notes and Quotes for New England

In a textbook example of meaningless preseason scores, the New England Patriots topped the New Orleans Saints in the Superdome, 26-24.  While the Pats will happily take their first preseason win after strong second-half play from their reserves, the final 30 minutes only covered up an ugly showing from the first-stringers.

Indeed, the Saints outclassed the Patriots' starters throughout the first quarter.  As the Tom Brady-led offense went three-and-out on its first three possessions, the Saints cruised to a field goal and two touchdowns behind Drew Brees.  The chasm between the two future Hall of Famers couldn't have been much wider—Brady averaged a heinous 2.6 yards per attempt, while Brees averaged 15.9 yards per pass on 10 attempts.

Jimmy Garoppolo was relatively efficient throughout the night (28-of-33, 269 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT) and once again demonstrated a strong command of the no-huddle offense.  With just over a minute left in the second quarter, he led an 80-yard touchdown drive to put New England on the scoreboard.  Unfortunately, the defense struggled at everything besides stopping New Orleans' two-point attempts, leaving the Pats down 21-7 at halftime.

However, the Pats flipped the script in the second half, outscoring the Saints 19-3.  A defense featuring veteran reserves such as Jabaal Sheard, Bradley Fletcher and Robert McClain stifled New Orleans' JV offense, while Garoppolo fared well with much better pass protection than what he received last week.  Ultimately, the second-year quarterback led a short game-winning drive that ended in a Stephen Gostkowski 35-yard field goal.

There was plenty of good and bad to take away from the win, and the Patriots will face some new questions as the roster-cutdown dates approach.  Read on for your complete recap of New England's second preseason contest.

Position Grades for Patriots

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Position	Grade
QB	B-
RB	B
WR	A-
TE	C+
OL	C+
DL	A
LB	B
DB	C
Special Teams	A-
Coaching	B+

The play of the reserves certainly bumps some of these grades up, particularly on offense.  While many Pats fans will fret over the disastrous first half, they can at least be heartened with the knowledge that New England appears to possess superior top-to-bottom roster depth this season.

New England's run defense was its most consistently strong asset, as the Saints averaged a meager 2.8 yards per carry.  The defensive end quartet of Chandler Jones, Rob Ninkovich, Jabaal Sheard and Dominique Easley performed well against New Orleans' deep tackle rotation, as that position looks like the deepest on the Pats' roster.

On the downside, the offensive line failed to create rushing lanes of its own.  For all the Saints' struggles on the ground, New England's rushing attack was even more toothless, averaging 2.3 yards per attempt.  In his first preseason action, LeGarrette Blount appeared hesitant in compiling 15 yards on 13 carries.  Josh McDaniels clearly wanted to see more off-tackle plays, but the Saints consistently collapsed the edge.  Then again, the line also allowed no sacks and just one quarterback hit, a huge leap from last week's pass-blocking disaster.

Additionally, the back seven had issues covering the Saints' first-string running backs and tight ends.  Backs Mark Ingram and Khiry Robinson repeatedly outflanked the linebackers for a combined 73 receiving yards on six catches.  Old friend Ben Watson also beat starting "Mike" linebacker Jonathan Freeny on a crossing route for a 10-yard touchdown on the second drive, while fellow tight end Josh Hill had his own six-yard score.

We'll touch more on the developments surrounding the offensive skill positions and defensive backs, but in general, the grades would have looked like day and night if they had been separated by half.

1st-Team Offense Flops

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

Granted, labeling New England's starting offense from this game as "first string" is a bit of a misrepresentation.  Six projected starters—Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman, Brandon LaFell, Bryan Stork and Ryan Wendell—sat out, which left the Pats short-handed.  But the Saints were also missing their top three cornerbacks and both starting safeties, which added important context to this woeful performance.

There's no reason to panic given Brady's track record.  Still, the Pats averaged an impossibly poor 1.6 yards per play during their three Brady-led drives.  There's a difference between rustiness and incompetence, and the starting offense leaned more toward the latter on Saturday night.

Brady will presumably revert to his world-beating ways when his top targets return.  The bigger concern could be along the offensive line.  While the pass protection improved upon last week's seven-sack catastrophe, the unit still consistently failed to set the edge in the running game.  No one expects Chris Barker or Cameron Fleming to excel, but it was slightly alarming to see foundational starting tackles Nate Solder and Sebastian Vollmer experience as many issues as they did.

Ultimately, the Patriots might be more encouraged that some of their returning starters received their game reps of the summer.  Still, this game set the bar low, and next week's game against the Carolina Panthers likely represents the offense's last chance of the preseason to generate some tangible success before the games count.

New-Look Secondary Sputters

Bill Feig/Associated Press

Failure is perfectly acceptable, perhaps even encouraged, during the preseason.  Coaches need to see a wide permutation of personnel combinations, and players need cross training at positions where they could be emergency fill-ins.  With that in mind, the new starting secondary is probably an idea that should end up in the garbage bin.

As Bleacher Report foreshadowed leading up to the game, the Pats moved starting free safety Devin McCourty to right cornerback, where he played the first quarter opposite Malcolm Butler.  Duron Harmon replaced McCourty as the deep-half safety, while Jordan Richards and Tavon Wilson saw time in the box.  

As a pure outside corner, McCourty exhibited some limitations dealing with Brandin Cooks' speed.  The most concerning issue came on Cooks' 45-yard touchdown, which occurred after the second-year receiver split New England's Quarters coverage.  McCourty didn't cushion Harmon by carrying Cooks route deep enough, but Harmon also committed the cardinal sin of the deep safety by letting Cooks get deeper than him.

McCourty did have a nice pass breakup on a throw to Brandon Coleman in the end zone, but those kinds of communication issues are the problems that crop up within a secondary that hasn't received enough reps with each other. 

Unfortunately, none of New England's reserve corners really distinguished themselves against the Saints' reserves (Logan Ryan in particular was beaten deep multiple times, a recurring problem from last week).  Tarell Brown has flashed in practice recently, but perhaps wanting to preserve the veteran, Bill Belichick held Brown out of action despite letting him dress.  Right now, inserting Brown and moving McCourty back to his natural safety spot feels like the logical course of action, though that's not always the route Belichick chooses.

Harper and Lewis Seize Opportunities

Charles Krupa/Associated Press

Last week, the Patriots gave the likes of James White, Josh Boyce and Brandon Gibson the majority of the offensive spotlight.  In Week 2, Gibson was again productive with eight catches for 68 yards before limping off with an apparent knee injury at the end of the fourth quarter.  But with White and Boyce exiled to the bench for much of the game, bubble candidates Chris Harper and Dion Lewis were Saturday night's biggest winners.

Harper leapfrogged Boyce on the depth chart and received first-team reps with Brady, lining up opposite Danny Amendola.  Though nothing worked on the Pats' first three drives, Harper made plenty of hay with the reserves en route to a team-high 69 receiving yards on five catches, serving as Garoppolo's top target.

Harper also returned all the punts and kickoffs, averaging 27.5 yards on two kick returns and 10.7 yards on three punt returns, including a 28-yarder that set up the game-winning field goal.  This adds a layer of special teams value that could pay big dividends during the final roster cuts.  The 5'11", 185-pound undrafted rookie showed good variance in his route tree and seems to possess the requisite quickness to get open on the intermediate in-breaking routes the Pats love to use.

Meanwhile, Lewis surprisingly received the passing back reps in the first half despite White being healthy.  After missing most of camp because of injury, the fourth-year back showed intriguing hands and agility, compiling 48 yards and a touchdown on eight total touches.  Perhaps more importantly, Lewis appeared solid in pass protection—an issue that has hindered White and Travaris Cadet.

Starting Lewis may have been a case of Belichick rotating through an uncertain passing back competition.  White certainly didn't hurt his stock in the second half with 43 yards from scrimmage, including a three-yard touchdown run.  Even if Lewis doesn't necessarily hold the pole position, though, he made a positive first impression.  The passing back role might still be a two-man race, but it appears Lewis will be the one pushing White for the job.

Devin McCourty: Cornerback Didn't Feel Great

Bill Feig/Associated Press

Earlier this offseason, McCourty was explicitly clear on his desire to remain at safety.  The ultimate program man and a team captain, he won't raise a fuss if Belichick does indeed keep him at cornerback, but he again reaffirmed his discomfort in moving back to cornerback after the game, per MassLive.com's Kevin Duffy:

"

McCourty on the transition to corner: "It didn't feel great, and I don't think it looked great, either."

— Kevin Duffy (@KevinRDuffy) August 23, 2015"

We've already covered McCourty's miscommunication with Harmon and his general struggles on the outside, so there's no need to rehash that here.  The more fundamental problem is an issue of fairness.  When McCourty signed his five-year, $47.5 million deal this offseason, he did so while comparing his value to the safety market.  His $9.5 million average annual value (AAV) is sandwiched evenly between Earl Thomas ($10 million) and Jairus Byrd ($9 million).  And his fully guaranteed money ($22 million) sets the bar at the position, something he surely extracted during the final hours of bargaining.

If McCourty moves back to corner, the Patriots both undermine his negotiating position and probably overpay for someone who was a subpar corner in 2011 and the first half of 2012.  McCourty's AAV would be tied with Aqib Talib for 10th among cornerbacks, which doesn't hold nearly as much cache as being a market-setter at safety.  The on-field issues with McCourty at cornerback are self-evident, but the off-field implications of that move might be even thornier.

Jimmy Garoppolo: Pass Protection Praiseworthy

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After barely escaping in one piece last week against the Green Bay Packers, Jimmy Garoppolo might as well have been in a bubble against the Saints.  I referenced New Orleans' woeful pass-rushing stats earlier (no sacks, one quarterback hit), and Garoppolo deflected the praise to his secondary after the game, per WEEI's Christopher Price:

"

Garoppolo: The o-line did a tremendous job today. I barely got touched. I feel a lot better than last week.

— Christopher Price (@cpriceNFL) August 23, 2015"

To his credit, Garoppolo was much more decisive on this night.  Holding the ball when the first read doesn't come open is a common malady for young quarterbacks, and Garoppolo has been no exception based on his film thus far.  But apart from a fourth-quarter interception in which he threw off his back foot, he demonstrated strong pocket presence and decisiveness throughout the contest.

He'll face more pressure if he starts during the regular season, but avoiding those unfavorable situations in the first place is a critical skill for the quarterback.  Garoppolo has lots of work to do from the snap to the release, but this game was a positive step forward following last week's beating.  With a sterling 76.2 percent completion percentage thus far this preseason, he has proved he'll steadily move the ball down the field with adequate protection.

Brandon Gibson: Unsure on Knee Injury

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Though the New England Patriots escaped the Superdome largely unscathed, the one injury that did occur could further thin an already rickety position.  Brandon Gibson limped off the field on New England's penultimate drive with a right knee injury, and after the game, the Providence Journal's Mark Daniels and ESPN.com's Mike Reiss delivered conflicting quotes from Gibson about his status:

"

Gibson: "I'm alright. I think so." Said he has to talk to the trainers after the x-ray results come in.

— Mark Daniels (@MarkDanielsPJ) August 23, 2015"

"

Patriots WR Brandon Gibson, w/ heavy limp in locker room, had initial tests on injured knee. "Just pray for the best, that's all you can do"

— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) August 23, 2015"

Some fans might recall that Gibson suffered a debilitating torn patellar injury against the Patriots as a member of the Miami Dolphins in October 2013.  However, that injury was to his left knee, so this isn't related to that issue.  Still, for someone with one comprised knee, any long-term problems to Gibson's right side could submarine his roster shot.

The 28-year-old vet has impressed in camp since signing a modest one-year deal in the offseason, potentially vaulting ahead of Aaron Dobson for the No. 4 wide receiver role.  But Gibson doesn't contribute on special teams, so he'll need to continue reinforcing his offensive value the rest of the preseason to retain his tenuous hold on a roster spot.  If this knee injury sidelines him for multiple weeks, that could open up a slot for his competition, most likely Dobson or Harper.