New England Patriots thread (MOD WARNING - #4503)

Garoppolo looking good. I think Mallett's on his way out.

Corvus Maximus wrote: »

Finch looked good in that series, a real sneaky, tricky little munchkin.:D

You're ok with munchkins at RB? I know were upset with our abundance of tiny WRs.

munstermagic11 wrote: »

Boyce with a poor drop, followed by a dumb penalty; then Tyms with a top catch for a TD.
Even with the 4 game suspension, Tyms winning that battle.

Absolutely agree with you there. Right now, Tyms is a cert for me. He also has similar size and a catch radius to Dobson, which is something we've lacked in recent years.

Sorry Corv, was just winding you up. I just remembered how vocal you are about all the midgets. I loved Woodhead and didn't want him to go last year myself.

me89 wrote: »

Brady Picked off by Cary Williams of all people on the first drive.

You might want to sit down before you read this.....

The New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles had just concluded Friday night's preseason game and coach Bill Belichick stayed on the field to shake hands with several Philadelphia players. Soon enough, in a flurry of black Eagles jerseys, Belichick somehow wound up across from cornerback Cary Williams, who earlier this month referred to the Patriots as cheaters. By the end of their brief conversation, they shared an embrace.

"I told him I was sorry for the words that I said. That was just out of pure emotion, sometimes you say things without really thinking about them," Williams said to ESPN.com after the game

"That was a situation where playing these guys in the playoffs [while Williams was with the Baltimore Ravens], you develop a hate for them and you try to use any type of anything to get your mind on, or get going. In that situation, I could have chosen my words a little bit wiser.

"But it's mutual respect between two men. We were able to come together. I told him that I was sorry and I have nothing but the utmost respect for the organization and him as a GM and a coach."

Williams was asked how Belichick responded to his remarks.

"He said there were no hard feelings and he said he appreciated the comments I made this week, and things like that," Williams said. "It was just two guys respecting each other, understanding that there is some history there. It's not necessarily bad blood but it's the spirit of competition. I said some things I wish I could take back."


Williams had been critical of the Eagles holding joint practices with the Patriots before Friday's preseason game, but changed his tune once he arrived here for three sessions with New England.

"Tom Brady is a wonderful quarterback," Williams said earlier this week. "He's a guy that is definitely a true Hall of Famer. He's a great leader. Those guys are class acts. I've got a lot of respect for this organization, especially the players who play within it. I've always had respect for the guys. I just made a statement and that was that."

Williams added that his meeting with Belichick after Friday night's game came by chance.

"I know, with experience, sometimes he will shake the coach's hand and he's running back to the locker room. That's my first time ever seeing him after a game," Williams said. "I really wasn't looking and he just came up to me, and we were right there.

"We just happened to be in the right place at the right time, and he said what he said, and I said what I said, and there's nothing but mutual respect."

http://espn.go.com/boston/nfl/story/_/id/11360008/cary-williams-philadelphia-eagles-leaves-preseason-game-new-england-patriots-hamstring-injury?ex_cid=espnapi_public

So Bill went to him on the field and initiated the contact. That's our Bill, old skool, classy and an eye to eye kind of guy with no bullshít. And fair play to Williams for stepping up like a man and admitting his silly comments were nothing but thrash talk.

Kelly has been with the first team defensive unit all camp & preseason, so his release is a surprise for me. No harm though that Bill seems to be moving towards a young & aggressive front 7, that will be playing out of a 3-4.

Looking back to the third preseason game, the only preseason game every year which is probably the closest to a real game. A couple of thing jumped out a me.

KT showed the inconsistency he needs to get rid of. He made a nice reception on a 3rd & 19 from Brady. He then made an absolutely terribly drop on the next play. Brady got great pass protection on the play, waited for KT and then put the ball right on the money. KT got wide open, catches the ball centre mass on his chest and drops it inexplicably. On a positive note, the very next play Brady went right back to KT and he makes the catch. For me that showed the trust Brady has developed with KT and it was good to see KT put the bad drop out of his head on the next play.

Julian Incredibleman again showed he is on a different level to the rest of our WR corp. He was a flawless 8 for 8 with Brady.

Very disappointed that Brian Tyms still hasn't had a run out with Brady. Because he continues to be consistent and show his talent and threat down the field. No way will he clear waivers and make it to the practice squad.

The O line provided some very good pass protection during the game. But their run platform didn't have a good night at all.

Brandon Browner has been pretty unimpressive in the last two games. He played the 4th quarter against 3rd & 4th stringers and was burned on a couple of routes. You don't want to see that happening to a potential starter. I'll go back to my original opinion after we signed him and say I think we should have tried him at SS.

Good to see Dennard back on the field and healthy again. For me, he starts opposite Revis all the time.

Logan Ryan needs to wake up and get back to last seasons form. I hope he's not going to do an Arrington - have a great first season and then slide backwards.

Malcolm Butler continues to impress at CB. Even when he was beaten with a couple of passes, he has been right on the money, millimeters from breaking up the pass. His coverage is very good and his concentration levels are impressive.

The front seven had an very good run out. As usual Nink sets the tone. Jones showed some dominating versatility and had a very good night.

And now for the most meaningless game of preseason, the final one.