New England Patriots: Complete Report Card from Preseason Week 2 Win

Another preseason game, another resounding victory for the New England Patriots. If only these preseason games...you know, mattered.

Nonetheless, they help us get a good feel of what the make-up of the team will be when the regular season rolls around.

Grading preseason games is risky business, but grading a preseason blowout? Puh-lease. Let's try and temper our excitement over a sterling "report card" and remember that one team came prepared to play and the other didn't. We'll glance over the overall performance in each phase of the game, and try to take come conclusions with us along the way.

Erik Frenz is the co-host of the PatsPropaganda and Frenz podcast. Follow Erik on Twitter @erikfrenz.

Passing Offense

It wasn't a perfect night for Tom Brady and the Patriots pass attack, but it's hard to ignore the hot start. Brady started off 7-of-9 for 74 yards and two touchdowns. He went just 4-of-10 for 44 yards in the second quarter, for a combined 11-of-19 for 118 yards and two touchdowns.

As for the touchdown hook-up between Brady and Chad Ochocinco, don't get delusional and think that this the second coming of Brady-Moss. National Football Post writer Matt Bowen uncovers the details of the play to find that busted coverage contributed more than anything.

Perhaps ESPN Boston analyst Tedy Bruschi put it best with his colorful commentary when he said "against a Tampa defense that had atrocious coverage on the play, my 10-year-old son could have run that route and caught that pass against that coverage." 

Aaron Hernandez has nine catches for 110 yards and a touchdown in two preseason games where he has played almost exclusively in the first half. Any questions about his hip have been answered, and it looks like he could be a big part of this offense in 2011.

Brian Hoyer looked a little off when he was sent in cold, but those are the situations he'll have to get used to, as those will be the only situations he'll see the field in the regular season. Hoyer went just 1-of-4 for six yards on the day. It's a lot different when you don't know when you're going into the game, but that's what Hoyer's life will be like as Brady's backup.

Ryan Mallett's interception didn't look too good at first, but upon further review, he recognized the blitz and was trying to go to his hot receiver. It just so happened his hot receiver wasn't ready for the ball and wasn't expecting the throw.

Grade: B+

Rushing Offense

We might want to nick name the backfield "Runningback-amaniacs," because whatcha gonna do when these running backs run wild on you?!

Running wild would put it lightly. Stevan Ridley, Danny Woodhead and BenJarvus Green-Ellis averaged 6.6 yards per carry. Those numbers are obviously a little skewed, because the Patriots just came out with way more intensity and dictated the tempo from the opening snap. Still, the glimpse into the potential of the backfield is promising.

Ridley, Woodhead and Green-Ellis flexed their pythons Thursday night, but they had help from solid blocking on the offensive line and from tight ends Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez and Will Yeatman. Rookie left tackle Nate Solder also sprung a few nice blocks in the running game, increasing confidence in his ability to play should that be necessary in his rookie year.

Grade: A

Pass Defense

This was the big question mark of the preseason. Thus far, it's been answered with resounding numbers. The Patriots defense has given up just a 48.18 defensive passer rating at this point in the preseason. Yes, it's preseason, but that gives you an idea of just how well the pass defense has performed to this point.

Thursday night's game was no different. The Patriots came out hot, forced two straight three-and-outs and didn't look back. They gave up just 206 yards of passing offense and, once again, held the opposing quarterback without a touchdown.

Jerod Mayo's two-sack performance garnered a lot of attention. We have never known Mayo to be a big playmaker, as he has maxed out at two sacks in an entire regular season (2010). His new role in the 4-3 seems to suit him to make plays in space, though, and it looks like Mayo is ready to bring the mustard in 2011.

The previously-referenced Bruschi piece brings up the stalwart of the night, though, that being Andre Carter.

"The Patriots didn't need to call for pressure because of the huge game he had. It was an important showing for him, proving that he can set the edge in the running game and give an offensive tackle fits with a one-on-one rush.

"He did all that, forcing holding penalties against left tackle Donald Penn, at one point spinning him like a top in pass protection; Carter turned Penn around, and Penn tried to block with his behind. This is important for the entire defense."

Grade: A+

Rush Defense

It's hard to get a good read on a team's run defense in a blowout like this, simply because the opposing team is forced to pass so frequently just to catch up. Thursday was no different, as the Bucs ran just 15 times (11 designed run plays, four quarterback scrambles) as opposed to 36 pass attempts. 

The longest gains they gave up were against the quarterbacks, so even though the blitzing style of defense is helping to create pressure, the Patriots can't lose contain against scrambling quarterbacks and get away with it. The Bucs quarterbacks averaged 9.75 yards per carry.

Grade: Unknown

Special Teams

On nine total kickoffs, only two were taken for a return. The special teams impact has receded like your dad's hairline between the ages of 40 and 50.

On punts, though, Jeremy Ross did a great job of returning with 36 yards on four returns. He's a long shot for the roster, but the more he can prove himself on special teams, the better chance he'll have of at least making the practice squad.

Zoltan Mesko, meanwhile, was very impressive at punter. Three of his five punts pinned the opponent inside the 20-yard line, and he averaged 41.4 yards per punt with a long of 57 yards. He has shown progress in his consistency throughout training camp, shanking fewer kicks than he did last year, and appears to be a long-term fixture at punter.

On a side note, the battle for the fifth cornerback spot between Darius Butler and Jonathan Wilhite may come down to special teams contributions. In that respect, Butler has been on more of the coverage units than Wilhite, and that could work in his favor when the final roster is handed in.

Grade: A 

Coaching

The Patriots came out with a rocket in their butt on Thursday night, flying all over the field, making plays left and right. They came out with a level of intensity that, from the opening whistle, went completely unmatched by the Buccaneers. The coaching staff did a good job of getting the team ready to play at a high tempo for 60 minutes. 

Noticeably, the Patriots put Brian Hoyer in at random points in time. This was to get him used to jumping into a game cold, with no prior knowledge of when or if he would even play. That would be the exact circumstance under which Hoyer would get into the game, anyway, so it was smart to test him in that situation.

The only questionable decision on the part of the coaching staff was keeping Woodhead in to cover a kick in the fourth quarter. Still, I would hardly go so far as to blame Belichick for any potential concussion Woodhead may have suffered as a result of the crushing blow.

Grade: B+

Insight

Here are just a few pieces of insight to glean from the performances overall:

• Aaron Hernandez could be a key cog of the pass attack in 2011, as the tight end already has recorded nine receptions for 110 yards and a touchdown in two halves of preseason football.
• Andre Carter looks everything like the three-down, edge-setting, pass-rushing defensive end that he was in his heyday in the 4-3 defense. He could be the key signing of the free agency frenzy.
• Brian Hoyer has to get more comfortable coming in off the bench. Those will be the only situations in which he sees the field, and 1-of-4 for six yards just won't cut it.
• The defense looks good even without Albert Haynesworth and Shaun Ellis in the line-up. The addition of those two could make the front seven even more scary than it has been to this point.