Here are some half-baked thoughts and knickknacks (AKA NickNacks) I came up with while watching the New England Patriots in the first half of their preseason finale against the Washington Commanders:
— Offensive line play this preseason has not been a sign of good things to come for Patriots quarterbacks. While the Commanders were sitting their top two guys, New England looked like they were trying to get their guys killed.
— Veteran Jacoby Brissett came out after one series — which included him getting absolutely smoked by A.J. Henry, who came in completely unblocked.
— Why did no one block him? Well, things got bungled up when left guard Sidy Sow ran into right guard Layden Robinson off of play action. Sow was supposed to pull to the right and block Henry, but never got there. You can watch the play here. Ouch.
— Brissett did not return to the game after that drive. The Patriots later announced that he suffered a shoulder injury and was questionable to return.
— Then there was Drake Maye. His first snap from backup center Nick Leverett was a dribbler that barely made it to Maye’s feet. The rookie wisely fell on it. This was not the only bad snap Maye had to deal with.
— Bad snaps weren’t the only problem. On one dropback, Maye’s foot was stepped on by Sow, causing the quarterback’s shoe to come off. Maye continued with his dropback like nothing had happened and still managed to complete the pass to running back JaMycal Hasty.
— It’s worth noting that the Patriots ended up leading at halftime thanks to a Maye leading an impressive drive. He’s known for his big plays. But he’s did a good job of dumping off the ball. The lone touchdown of the first half came from him slipping the ball to running back Kevin Harris, who took it 18 yards for the score.
— Chukwuma Okorafor was called for lining up too far off the line of scrimmage multiple times. This third infraction wiped out what would have been a brilliant touchdown to K.J. Osborn. As the NBC broadcast noted, those penalties have become a point of emphasis this season.
— The play didn’t count on the scoreboard, but it was a great sign for Maye. The rookie quarterback bought time with his legs and uncorked a missile downfield to find a wide-open Osborn.
— Here’s the bad news: The Patriots offensive line struggled while not even going against the Commanders’ starting defense. Here’s the good news: Center David Andrews will be back at center when the regular season comes around.
— Hold on, there’s more bad news: Sidy Sow was down after a play before halftime and went into the blue medical tent.
— Brissett and Maye have been thrown into the deep end this preseason behind a spotty offensive line. Meanwhile, their opponents haven’t been playing their top quarterbacks.
–The Patriots haven’t faced a single starting quarterback this preseason. They’ve barely faced a No. 2 quarterback.
— The Panthers? Bryce Young sat and Andy Dalton was injured. The Eagles? Jalen Hurts sat. The Commanders? Jayden Daniels and Marcus Mariota sat.
— The only No. 2 quarterback the Patriots faced is Kenny Pickett, and even his job status is in question.
— The Commanders’ starter at quarterback was Jeff Driskel. Fun fact: Driskel was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the 29th round of the 2013 MLB Draft. As you might have guessed, he stuck with football.
— I did not realize that Washington’s stadium had a new name. I thought it was still FedEx Field. Apparently, it’s Commanders Field now.
— When will Drake Maye Start in New England? Cris Collinsworth’s stance is the same one that many folks have around these parts:
“He has talent, but he’s not even 22 years old yet. They would love to have him sit and watch and learn. But if he performs like he has in the past two weeks, he might be the starting quarterback on opening day.”
looks awesome
completely different from what we saw in college from him.
— Brissett was close to getting a brilliant deep ball to K.J. Osborn at the end of his first drive. No dice. Osborn got a hand on it and tried to make a one-handed catch, but no dice. That’s been the recurring theme on Patriots deep-balls this preseason. They look good, but there’s one little thing that goes wrong.
— Man, Maye is fast. He had an impressive scramble up the middle on 3rd-and-14 and gained 17 yards. Was it concerning to see him take a hit in the preseason instead of sliding? Maybe. But it’s a sign that he’s a competitor that isn’t afraid to make a play.
— Maye also showed he’s more than just a scrambler. He’s been doing a great job buying time and keeping his eyes downfield. He looked fantastic on a pair of plays where he drifted to his left and hit a receiver on a deep crosser for a big gain.
— Kicker update: The Patriots sent out Joey Slye (not Chad Ryland) to attempt a 64-yard field goal before halftime. He didn’t make it. This was after Ryland came in for the extra point on the team’s first touchdown.
