Here are some notebook scribbles from the press box during the New England Patriots’ preseason opener against the Houston Texans:
– The new jersey numbers for rookies are sending me through a loop. No. 19 for Christian Gonzalez is a strange choice for a cornerback. No. 38 for Chad Ryland is an even stranger choice for a kicker — and also doubles up on Rhamondre Stevenson’s number.
– That’s before we get into the fact that rookie punter Bryce Baringer took No. 9, which happens to also be linebacker Matthew Judon’s number. Expect many of these numbers to change between now and the start of the regular season.
– Construction news! The north end of the stadium is still very much a work in progress. With about a month until the season, there’s still a lot of work being done on the concourse — and atop the lighthouse.
– The new video board is a lot to take in. It’s super-wide and dominates the north end of the stadium and is loaded with ads on the sides during drives. Overall, it’s a lot to take in.
-Fortunately, the board does go ad-free during some breaks, showing an almost panorama-wide shot of fans in the stands.
– Shenanigans! The new jumbo-sized board is also opening the door for a lot of public tomfoolery and hijinx. The team is using it for a fun new feature that lets fans scan a QR code to use video from their phone to appear on the video board. So far, we saw some goofy faces, a dog in front of a TV and even one person licking their phone while being shown on the board.
– The Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan summed it up best when he called it, “Literally Chat Roulette on the largest outdoor videoboard in the country.”
– Trent Brown had a unique pregame warmup look. The veteran tackle — who was never going to play Thursday — participated in stretches while wearing shades. Why was he stretching in shades when it was overcast out? It’s unclear.
– Mac Jones’ pregame attire caught some attention as well. The quarterback was spotted wearing a Taylor Swift sweatshirt as he entered the stadium. Clearly, he made the most of his trip to the Eras Tour at Gillette Stadium.
– Familiar Faces… The Texans have a long list of former Patriots on their roster, including: DB D’Angelo Ross, TE Dalton Keene, DE Chase Winovich, OL Shaq Mason, TE Eric Tomlinson, DL Byron Cowart and DE Derek Rivers.
– The Patriots did not give No. 2 overall pick C.J. Stroud a warm welcome to the NFL. After an easy nine-yard completion with Christian Gonzalez in coverage, Stroud’s tight went south. He finished 2-of-4 for 13 yards, including an interception and a sack.
– To be fair, the Patriots had a patchwork offensive line starting in this game.
– Stroud was pulled after the second series for Davis Mills. Weird. I thought we’d see more of him out of the gate.
– Second-round pick Keion White is passing the early eye test. He gave the Texans all sorts of problems off the edge. He’s been in the Houston backfield all night. Sure, it’s the preseason opener. But it’s never a bad sign when a rookie is ruining the opponent’s day.
– Preseason games aren’t typically known for their offensive fireworks. But this game in particular is an offensive slog. The blocking has been busted up both ways in this one.
– It looks like defensive lineman Carl Davis is the Patriots’ first in-game injury casualty this year. He was slow to get up after a play in the second quarter, but did walk off the field.
– No Mac Jones tonight as Bailey Zappe took the field out of the gate. He played the entire first half. The Patriots gave him a long run tonight.
