Foxborough, MA — The Jerod Mayo era is off to a good start with a 17-3 victory over the Carolina Panthers in Thursday night's preseason opener at Gillette Stadium.
Yeah, the games don't count in August. And, sure, it came against backups for the worst team in the NFL last season. However, Coach Mayo said in his post-game remarks that these games matter for players trying to carve out roles on the Patriots roster. To that end, the film will tell the whole story of how players performed. But most of what we saw on Thursday night was similar to the players flashing in practice.
Although these games are meant to highlight players, this was also a dress rehearsal for a new-look coaching staff under Mayo. It was the first time offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt called plays in years, and it was defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington and special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer's first rodeo at their respective posts.
During his post-game press conference, Coach Mayo gave his initial thoughts on how his first game running the sideline went for the entire staff.
"I would love to tell you that the communication was 100 percent on point. But there are definitely things that we need to work out. But for the most part, it was pretty good," Mayo told Patriots.com.
The good thing is the Patriots will have two more auditions before they have to do this for real. That's when we'll dissect Mayo's situational decision-making and preferred game flow. For now, the operation looked relatively smooth without any major hiccups. Not that it was unexpected, but the Patriots looked like a mostly button-upped NFL operation on Thursday. As a team that hasn't had a coaching change in over two decades, it was a good start for Mayo's crew. Now, to the players.
Here are 10 observations from the Patriots first preseason win of the Jerod Mayo era:
1. Player of the Game: Patriots DT Jeremiah Pharms Jr.'s Roster Push Becomes Real
Before the Patriots took the field for Thursday night's preseason matchup, Pharms was already among six interior defensive linemen on my initial 53-man roster.
Then, Pharms was the most disruptive defensive player on the field for New England, logging four total tackles, a sack, and drawing two holding penalties on consecutive plays. Pharms appeared in 12 games for the Pats last season, with over half his snaps coming against the run (48 of 90). As a block-eater in the middle, Pharms impressed on last year's film.
With standout DL Christian Barmore (blood clots) out indefinitely, there are now more opportunities for Pharms and others to carve out roles at defensive tackle. On Thursday night, Pharms was highly active and showed more promise as a pass-rusher than in previous games.
On his first-quarter sack, Pharms noted that the play-action fake by Panthers QB Jack Plummer caused him to get into a run technique initially. Once he read pass, Pharms converted into a pass-rusher, winning his matchup with pure power by walking the guard back for a sack.
Pharms took an interesting path to the NFL. He attended three different schools before finishing his collegiate career at Friends University. He was then drafted by the Pittsburgh Maulers of the USFL. After being a standout for the Maulers, he signed with the Patriots, bouncing from the practice squad to the active roster over the last two seasons.
The 27-year-old is now on track to make the Patriots initial roster, which would cap off quite the journey to being a full-time NFL player.
2. Breaking Down QB Drake Maye's Six-Play Preseason Debut
The loudest crowd pop was when the third-overall pick ran onto the field for the second Patriots possession, while the loudest boos came when he was removed from the game after just six snaps (seven including a penalty).
Understandably, Patriots fans wanted to see more of the raw but exceptionally talented rookie. Not only could the 21-year-old benefit from live game reps, but, let's face it, Maye was what we all came to see on Thursday night in Foxborough (along with Joe Milton).
Coach Mayo said the plan heading into Thursday night's contest was to play Brissett and Maye each a series. The Pats HC added that the team was wary of putting Maye into live action behind the Patriots backup offensive line. New England's line play has been shaky all summer, and with a live rush putting Maye in harm's way, he got his brief work in behind the starting unit.
As for Maye's three drop-backs, his first career preseason pass attempt was a screen pass to running back Antonio Gibson on a successful third-and-12 play. Maye threw the ball with good zip on a deep curl off under-center play-action to WR Jalen Reagor, but Reagor couldn't handle the high heat as the ball went through his hands. Then, Maye quickly dumped a ball into the flat to RB Kevin Harris against a third-down pressure that came up short of the sticks.
Overall, it was a letdown that Maye didn't play much. Eventually, the coaching staff needs to give him a real chance to show what he can do against NFL competition. It's time. He has earned it in practice to at least get a chance to showcase himself with the starters.
New England has a joint practice scheduled with the Eagles on Tuesday, followed by their second preseason game against Philly next Thursday night. Let's see what the week brings for Maye. My guess is he'll play a lot more over the next two weeks.
3. QB Jacoby Brissett Starts the Game and Plays One Drive in Preseason Opener
The Patriots current starting quarterback made a very brief appearance in New England's preseason opener. On a four-play drive, Brissett threw three consecutive incompletions.
After a smooth 11-yard run by Rhamondre Stevenson, Brissett missed throws to a crossing Mitchell Wilcox and a streaking Tyquan Thornton, who had separation on a go route. In Brissett's defense, he started on the opposite side of the field from Thornton before seeing the speedy wideout late in the down. If he had started on Thornton, he could've put more on the throw, but the end result was still an under-thrown pass.
Let's not make a huge deal about one throw in a preseason game. It was also encouraging to see Thornton create vertical separation off the line with a good release. Still, Brissett didn't quite have enough power on the all-arm throw without the benefit of stepping into the deep ball.
4. Rookie QB Joe Milton Flashes Physical Tools in Second-Half Action
When there's a quarterback with exceptional physical tools in camp, there's bound to be buzz about the 6-5, 235-pound quarterback with a rocket arm and college production in the SEC.
There will be some who won't love the attention that Milton is getting while the third-overall pick plays six snaps and then watches the sixth-rounder's late-game showcase. However, let's keep Milton's success in perspective. Like last year's preseason darling Malik Cunningham, Milton's two scoring drives came against defenders battling to make NFL rosters.
Milton is a much better pure passer than Cunningham was. Still, the play script he's running and the level of competition is in the same ballpark as last season's preseason opener vs. the Texans, where Cunningham impressed. Again, this is way more real with Milton than with Cunningham, but let's not stir the pot too much.
To his credit, Milton has improved his base from his Tennessee days to be more balanced as a thrower. As a result, his accuracy and timing are improving, and he looks poised in the pocket to manipulate and read out coverage. You can see how the six years in college benefited him.
Milton's 38-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver JaQuae Jackson was good quarterbacking. The 24-year-old diagnoses the post-snap coverage rotation to see single-high, looks right in his drop with a subtle pump fake to bait the safety in that direction, and then comes back to Jackson to rip the double move for six – nice work by Milton. That's pro QB stuff.
The other clear strength of Milton's game is his mobility. He's sudden with quick-twitch movements to keep himself protected in the pocket, can tuck it and run, and is a tough customer to bring down. Milton probably doesn't get away with the run above against a real NFL defense, but it's still fun.
Milton should make the 53-man roster as the third quarterback. His talent is worth developing on a team searching for a franchise guy. But, knowing what we know from UT and Michigan, he's probably destined to be an entertaining backup who was drafted to be traded down the line. Nothing wrong with that.
5. Patriots Roll Out Three Different Offensive Line Combinations vs. Panthers
The Patriots somewhat surprisingly began the game with their starting offensive line in front of Brissett and Maye for the first two drives, including limited practice participant Chuks Okorafor.
Along with Okorafor playing as the starting right tackle, it was also mildly surprising that veteran center David Andrews and stud right guard Mike Onwenu were out there. New England opened the game with LT Vederian Lowe, LG Sidy Sow, C David Andrews, RG Mike Onwenu, and RT Chuks Okorafor. Okorafor hadn't practiced all week, so we weren't expecting to see him.
The second-string offensive line that worked with No. 3 quarterback Bailey Zappe was LT Caedan Wallace, LG Michael Jordan, C Nick Leverett, RG Layden Robinson, and RT Calvin Anderson. At one point, Anderson and Wallace flipped sides to work at the opposite tackle spots.
Fourth-string quarterback Joe Milton had the following line in front of him: LT Kellen Diesch, LG Layden Robinson, C Atonio Mafi, RG Liam Fornadel, and RT Caedan Wallace.
As for how they performed, we'll wait for the film in After Further Review to assess it thoroughly. Watching live, Leverett continued a strong summer by standing out as the backup center. His combo block on an inside zone (RPO) scheme on Kevin Harris's touchdown run needed some maple syrup for that stack of pancakes. Leverett has looked reliable as a top interior backup.
On the flip side, the tackle position remains a question mark. Again, we'll reserve judgement for AFR. It's difficult to evaluate offensive line play in real time. But my concern level at tackle remains high.
6. Patriots Fans Get First-Look at Rookie Receivers Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker
Patriots fans hoping to get first impressions of second-round pick Ja'Lynn Polk and fourth-round selection Javon Baker got their wish on Thursday night. The duo combined for five catches for 25 yards in their preseason debut. Polk's chain-moving third-down reception from Zappe was the type of play you expect him to make at this level. Baker wasn't as consistent, catching two of his four targets while having a miscommunication with Zappe on a fade route. Hopefully, we'll see more from these two on the film and in future game action.
7. WR Kayshon Boutte Tries to Separate Himself in Crowded Receiver Room
The Patriots leading receiver in Thursday night's win is someone with a loyal sect of fans who want to see him make the roster: Kayshon Boutte.
Boutte continues to have moments where he's football's equivalent of a AAAA player. With three catches for 53 yards, Boutte can make plays against reserves in the pros. However, we're still waiting to see him consistently flash against stiffer competition. Boutte is doing what he can to get those opportunities by maximizing his snaps. Eventually, that could lead to more reps in practice with the regulars in the Patriots offense.
It was also interesting that Tyquan Thornton was a starter on Thursday night and then was pulled from the game with the other starters. That's usually an indication that a player's standing on the roster is on the safer side. Former Rutgers standout JaQuae Jackson's route running, displayed on his touchdown catch from Milton, has also flashed in camp. Jackson has a good skill set that will keep him around as a scout team receiver.
8. QB Bailey Zappe Takes Third-String Reps in Extended Preseason Run
After the Patriots top two quarterbacks took the first two drives, Zappe played the next six series, completing 12 of his 20 passes for 108 yards.
Zappe's yards per attempt (5.4) were indicative of what he has been recently. Besides a few intermediate throws to Boutte, Zappe didn't show much aggressiveness down the field. He flashes solid mobility to escape or maneuver the pocket, but it looked like he got antsy behind his line when he ran into pressure on third down. No one was open initially, so Zappe might've been looking to run for the first down.
There's value in a backup quarterback who can hit the layups presented to him by the scheme. Zappe was fine on Thursday night. Still, when you see Milton's dynamic physical tools, the rookie's upside is too tempting to keep Zappe as QB3 over the sixth-rounder.
Don't rule out Zappe having some late-round trade value. You can do worse as a backup quarterback. These preseason reps feel like a showcase to create a market.
9. Other Defensive Standouts in Win Over Panthers
A few other defensive standouts who translated their practice production to live game reps were edge rusher Oshane Ximines and linebackers Christian Elliss and Joe Giles-Harris.
Ximines must continue stacking positive days together, but he looks poised to make the roster. The former Giant went through three different head coaches in New York, falling out of favor with the staff there. In New England, he's been difficult to block throughout the summer. Ximines capped off a good start to camp with a sack on Thursday night.
Elliss (five tackles, sack) and Giles-Harris (four tackles, two pass breakups) were also flashing during practice. Although they're considered long shots to make the roster, they're trending up.
10. New Kickoff Unveil, Kicker Competition and Other Special Teams Notes
These two teams were hiding their more exotic schemes on the new kickoff rule because Thursday night was a dud for the "dynamic" kickoff. WR David Wallis had a few nice punt returns, including a 23-yarder that set up a touchdown drive. As for the kickers, Chad Ryland made both extra-point attempts, while Joey Slye was good from 42 yards. There's still not much to separate the two kickers, although Slye's leg strength has caught the eye.
DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer
