New England Patriots: What We've Learned Through Week 2 of Preseason
We are just two weeks away from the beginning of the regular season, and the New England Patriots still don't know who will be their starting quarterback in Week 1.
That's a weird phrase to type, but it's the truth of the matter as we await for Judge Richard Berman to rule on Deflategate and whether Tom Brady will be suspended for the first four games of the regular season.
That being said, there are a lot of things that we do know about the Patriots, as they have been practicing for nearly a full month and have already participated in two preseason games.
There are still a lot of things left to be determined as the Patriots whittle their roster down to 53 players, but in the meantime, here are a handful of things we have learned about the Patriots to this point.
The Patriots Have Injury Issues at Wide Receiver
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Brandon LaFell. Julian Edelman. Brandon Gibson. Brian Tyms.
All four of these wide receivers have been dealing with some form of an injury this summer. The first two are being held out of practice—LaFell on the physically unable to perform list and Edelman still unclear as to whether or not he'll play in Week 1, according to ESPN.com's Mike Reiss.
Gibson and Tyms have already landed on season-ending injured reserve, as announced by the team.
LaFell and Edelman are two very important receivers in the Patriots offense; LaFell for his ability to win one-on-one battles on the outside and Edelman for his ability to get open and find soft spots in the underbelly of the defense. Any extended absence for either of the two would not bode well for the Patriots offense, especially if Tom Brady is suspended for any period of time at the beginning of the season.
For that reason, it's no surprise that the Patriots have called in the cavalry.
Reggie Wayne May Be the Best Solution to Those Injury Problems
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Given the aforementioned injury woes at wide receiver, the Patriots made the only move they could make by going out and signing former Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne.
Earlier this week, I wrote that expectations should be tempered with regard to Wayne's ability to make immediate contributions to the Patriots offense. That being said, unless they wanted to put the offense in the hands of wide receivers like Josh Boyce, Chris Harper and Jonathan Krause, this was the only move they could make.
ESPN.com's Mike Reiss notes that Wayne's salary (one year, $1.1 million, $450,000 signing bonus) is an indication of the kind of faith the Patriots have in his ability to contribute.
"This isn't a minimum-level deal. The pure guarantee is the $450,000 signing bonus, and if Wayne makes the roster (which is likely), his $1.1 million base salary becomes fully guaranteed. At that point, he'd be guaranteed $1.55 million, with the chance to earn the remaining $1.25 million in per-game roster bonuses and incentives for receptions.
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Wayne's production has dipped lately, but the Patriots don't need him to be a big-play threat. All they need is a steady, reliable presence that can play either on the outside or in the slot. That's exactly what Wayne has been throughout his career, and that hasn't stopped even as injuries have mounted over the past couple of years.
Tom Brady's Strong Practices Have Not Translated to Games
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Tom Brady should never be among the Patriots' top concerns. That being said, now would be a good time for him to get in rhythm.
The Patriots' franchise quarterback has played only 16 snaps so far in the preseason, according to stats website Pro Football Focus. In that time, he has thrown nine passes and completed just three of them for 23 yards. He has been on the field for five drives, and the offense has stalled out after three plays on four of them.
If there was ever a time to correct those issues, this is that time, according to Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.
"This week will be kind of a chance for us to do some of the regular-season-type preparation things we would do in terms of film study, meetings, practicing against ourselves but preparing for another team and all the things that go along with that. It's I think an important week for us in terms of starting to develop a little bit of a routine, especially for players that haven't been in this program before for them to understand what the expectations are, what the routine is, where they should be at various points during the week leading up to the game.
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There's also another layer to the importance of this week as it pertains to Brady. Depending on the events that take place in the court proceedings, this could be Brady's last chance for significant playing time until Week 6 if his suspension is upheld.
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Jimmy Garoppolo's Practice Struggles Are Easily Negated by Strong Game Play
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It hasn't always been pretty in practice for Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, but you may not necessarily know it based on his performance in the Patriots' two preseason games so far.
Through two weeks of preseason action, Garoppolo has completed 48-of-63 pass attempts (76.2 percent) for 428 yards (6.8 yards per attempt), one touchdown, two interceptions and a passer rating of 85.9.
He was sacked seven times in the Patriots preseason opener against the Green Bay Packers, but he made the necessary adjustments to get the ball out more quickly in his second outing against the New Orleans Saints, and he was not sacked at all in that game. He also missed just five of his 33 attempts against the Saints, showing off the quick release, accuracy and pocket awareness that the Patriots will need from him if he has to play in the regular season.
The Patriots have been gearing him up just in case; thus far, Garoppolo has earned 126 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus, which is 110 more than starter Tom Brady and 126 more than third-stringer Ryan Lindley.
Devin McCourty May (or May Not) Be Moving Back to Cornerback
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The Patriots are always up for a little experimentation among their roster.
It was experimentation that led to defensive end Jake Bequette working at tight end during training camp this summer; it was experimentation (and a hint of desperation) that led to wide receiver Matthew Slater playing safety in 2011; and it was experimentation that led to cornerback Devin McCourty moving to safety, and then back to cornerback, and then back to safety.
Against the New Orleans Saints, McCourty was once again lining up at cornerback. In that game, McCourty let up two catches on three targets for 36 yards and notched a pass breakup in the process. But according to Doug Kyed of NESN.com, he may not be making the move on a full-time basis. McCourty was back working out with the safeties at practice on Tuesday, and rightfully so; he has evolved into one of the best free safeties in football during his two-plus years full-time at the position.
The Patriots may have a need at cornerback, but they would potentially be creating an even bigger need at free safety if McCourty were to be moved from the position.
Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained via team news release. All advanced stats obtained via Pro Football Focus.
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