Week 2 of the preseason hits Gillette Stadium Friday night as the Patriots host the Panthers.
It feels like it’s been way more than a week since New England opened the preseason with a last-second loss to the Giants, a game in which nary a significant player on either side of the ball saw the field for Bill Belichick’s team.
There were a couple days of fights packaged as joint practices.
The New England defense had a couple sessions of impressive, dominant performances against Matt Rhule’s offense.
Even Mac Jones and the Patriots “new” offense finally got in some good work against his new buddy Brian Burns and the Carolina D, its best work of the summer to date.
But it’s hard to say that the Foxborough boys of fall are yet ready to put summer in the rearview mirror.
Thankfully there is another preseason affair to focus on, another opportunity for Belichick, his rather unique coaching staff and his players to continue to improve and compete.
With that in mind, here’s a look at what Patriots fans might hope to see in the second preseason performance of the summer as New England tries to build on a week of work that’s already been successful on a number of fronts.
1 – Mac and his merry band of playmakers: It had been two-plus weeks of mostly offensive struggles, Jones’ frustrations and new-look concerns prior to this week’s work against Carolina. But Jones and Co. clearly made some productive strides against the Panthers. More plays were run in an efficient and effective fashion. Fewer plays saw the young quarterback bouncing around the pocket or having to tuck and run. Progress was made, Jones and his teammates acknowledged that. The next logical step would be to take that progress to the game field. After sitting out the opener against New York, it would be nice to see Jones, his offensive line and his top-line playmakers make their preseason debuts and make some plays against what is likely to be Carolina’s second- and third-team talent. New England’s offense is going to be a bit of an unknown heading into the regular season, but seeing it make some plays in preseason action and build some confidence would be a nice progression on an August Friday night. It would also up the entertainment factor in this exhibition affair. Let DeVante Parker win a 50/50 (80/20?) ball or two. Let Damien Harris get a couple outside zone runs under his belt. Let Jonnu Smith get a catch-and-run opportunity. Let ‘em play!
2 – Up D ante: While the offense needs to start making more plays and building confidence, the defense in New England probably just hopes to continue doing what it’s been doing for the most part. Christian Barmore, Matthew Judon, Jalen Mills and the rest of the defense was dominant at times in two practice sessions against Carolina and won the two days overall. This came after giving the New England offense fits over the first couple weeks of camp. The unit has clear potential even if there remains clear questions at a few positions. Preseason fans would love to see Barmore blow up a couple plays. Seeing Mills blanket a receiver, bat down a throw and show the celebratory energy he’s brought to the practice field all summer would boost the belief that he’s really a No. 1 cornerback. A unit that’s hopeful of making people forget its performances against the Bills last winter has looked really good most of the summer. Bringing that level of play to preseason game 2 is the next logical step.
3 – Fight to the whistle, not through it: The fighting on the practice field this week was less than ideal. It was unlike really anything we’ve seen in the past for Belichick’s team. Sure it is part of football but it is also counterproductive. Some might worry about playing high-end players in the second preseason game for a fear more fights might ensue or the bad blood from the practice field will spill over. That seems unlikely. Part of the reason for the fights during the week appeared to be that Carolina was playing at a higher intensity and level during many drills than the Patriots seemed to expect. Whether that’s true or not, it won’t be an issue in a preseason game where it’s full-speed, full-contact action and everyone knows it. The officials are on hand to keep things in check, as they are in regular season game. There is only one play going on at a time, not concurrent competition on multiple areas of multiple fields. The teams showed plenty of fight after the whistle on the practice field, if they simply bring that intensity between the whistles on the preseason game field fans will be left with a competitive contest that should result in revealing action for both squads.
4 – Protection plan: Mac Jones made it clear that he hopes to play in the second preseason game, as he should. But one pressing issue with the Jones-led offense that needs to be cleaned up is the offensive line’s pass protection. There are still too many plays that result in sacks or Jones running for his life. One aspect of that is the continued absence of right tackle Isaiah Wynn. After seeing Justin Herron in that spot last week, Yodny Cajuste has been getting reps on that side this past week. The offensive line needs to solidify itself in regards to two things – improved, cohesive blocking from the first unit and figuring out who the reliable depth pieces will be this season when the starting five aren’t able to take the field together. Friday night would be a nice time to see David Andrews and Co. open some holes in the running game, protect Jones in the passing game and display the upside that many expect from the mostly-veteran unit. The offensive line is projected to be a foundational piece of the offensive success but has not looked like it to date this summer. Time for five guys to take five steps in right direction.
5 – Rookie roll call: New England’s rookies have been on a pretty impressive roll this summer and keeping that success rolling on through the second preseason game would only increase confidence in a class that seems to have plenty of early potential. Cole Strange has been good enough as he slides into the left guard spot on the starting line. Tyquan Thornton has opened eyes and made a couple plays in the opener. Marcus Jones looks like he’s competing for playing time right away as a slot corner. Jack Jones is also in the back end mix. Bailey Zappe held his own in his NFL debut. Sam Roberts is more than competitive on the defensive line. LaBryan Ray, Kody Russy and Brenden Schooler are in the conversation as undrafted rookies. The Patriots appear to have a pretty big class of rookies competing to make their collective and individual mark. Seeing those guys get more reps, maybe more reps mixed in with more veteran teammates would be a nice step in the summertime developmental process.
