Here are some knick-knacks (AKA NickNacks) and noodling I did during the New England Patriots’ preseason game against the Tennessee Titans:
– I’m glad I wasn’t at this game. It was 94 degrees at kickoff (and felt like 103) in Nashville according to the WBZ broadcast.
– We had our first challenge of the preseason, which led to a bizarre sequence. Bill Belichick threw the red flag on a play where Malik Willis chucked the ball out of bounds as he was being tackled to avoid a sack. Upon replay, it appeared that Willis’ knee may have down before he got the ball off.
– Officials disagreed, ruling that the play would stand. Patriots color commentator Scott Zolak couldn’t believe it on the WBZ broadcast: “What? We looked at the video board up here. It’s in the stadium. Everybody in the stadium knows that both knees are down. How do you lose that challenge? My God.”
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– It wound up working out great for the Patriots. On the next play, Willis threw a pass that bounced off of receiver Josh Whyle’s hands before getting picked off by Calvin Munson. The linebacker made a terrific play, snatching the ball out of the air inches about the turf.
– Zolak called the catch “Almost Franco Harris-esque. Immaculate Reception.” It was also reminiscent of Julian Edelman’s famous catch in Super Bowl LI.
– I’ve heard about players leaving it all out on the field. Ronnie Perkins may have left a little too much. Cameras caught him throwing up right before a snap — before getting the tackle on the play. (Here’s the clip. Warning: It features a guy barfing.)
– No Mac Jones tonight. We finish the preseason with only a few drives from the starting quarterback — and only a brief look at the starting offense overall.
– It’s probably best for Jones’ health overall that he didn’t play. This was the starting offensive line Friday night: LT Andrew Stueber, LG Chasen Hines, C Jake Andrews, RG Bill Murray, RT Sidy Sow. You don’t want your starting QB behind a patchwork line of rookies and bubble players.
– That means Bailey Zappe got the start. It wasn’t great. He went 4-of-6 for 42 yards and was sacked twice.
– In Zappe’s defense, he didn’t have a lot of help. That offensive front left up a lot of pressure. Meanwhile, he had multiple passes bounce off receivers’ hands.
– We got some good news about Christian Gonzalez’s injury. There were some minor concerns about the first-round pick after leaving practice this week with an injury. On Friday, he was on the field in uniform warming up with the team. Meanwhile, ESPN’s Mike Reiss reports that the injury is “not a very serious situation.”
– Marte Mapu finally made his on-field debut. The third-round pick has drawn praise all preseason, but hasn’t played due to injury. On Friday, we saw him playing both linebacker and safety, showing that intriguing versatility.
– Yup, Mapu can hit. Tyjae Spears found that out when he got smoked by Mapu in the flat on Tennessee’s second drive.
– Matt Sokol is a bubble player who’s in consideration for a backup tight end spot. Dropping a quick pass on 3rd-and-6 on the opening drive won’t help his case.
– I continue to be impressed by rookie Bryce Baringer. His first kick was a 52-yarder with great hangtime to force a fair catch.
– It’s a positive sign when Patriots play-by-play man Bob Socci describes a punt as “This one plummets from the heavens.”
– Jack Jones has been making some plays in run support. With his size, that was always a concern with his game. But Friday night, he did a great job getting penetration and setting the edge.
– With that said, he still got stiff-armed into oblivion later on in the first half.
– Zappe. Yikes. The second-year QB tried to make a play by scrambling and reversing field. Instead, he had the ball stripped by a defender, giving Tennesee the ball at the 5-yard line. That’s the opposite of the safe, stable play we saw from him last year.
– Man, J.J. Taylor is slippery and fun. He broke two or three tackles on the second kick return of the game — and was a threat to take it to the house if he kept his balance.
– Injury note: Veteran Riley Reiff was shaken up in the second quarter after a run. He was taken to the medical tent and later to the locker room. Unfortunately, it’s the preseason, so we won’t get any further updates.
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– Kevin Harris’ first six carries basically went nowhere. His seventh? He slipped through a crease for a slick 5-yard touchdown.
– Short night for Bailey Zappe. Trace McSorley entered the game at quarterback midway through the second quarter.
– The first half ended with a wild sequence between Patriots LB Diego Fagot and Titans running back Julius Chestnut. On one play, Fagot went low to up-end Chestnut, flipping the running back and forcing a fumble (which Tennessee got back). A couple of plays later, Chestnut absolutely roasted Fagot in coverage on a 12-yard touchdown catch.
