FOXBOROUGH — Here are some half-baked thoughts and knickknacks (AKA NickNacks) I came up with while watching the New England Patriots open up the preseason against the Carolina Panthers:
— Fans who braved the rain Thursday night didn’t have to wait long to see the perceived future of the franchise in action.
— Jacoby Brissett got the start. But in a bit of a surprise move, he was pulled for Drake Maye after one series.
— The rookie’s arrival got about as big a roar as he could get from the crowd on hand.
The crowd at Gillette Stadium moments before the opening kickoff of the Patriots’ preseason opener against the Panthers.(Nick O’Malley, MassLive)
— It wasn’t exactly a huge turnout Thursday night in the rain. Even for a preseason game, turnout was noticeably sparse.
— The big headscratcher of the night was the Patriots’ handling of Maye. The QB of the future played just one series in the first quarter before being pulled for Bailey Zappe.
— Personally, I’m perplexed by the decision. I’d say I’m borderline bamboozled and bewildered. I’m outright flummoxed.
— You’d think the Patriots would want as many live reps as they could get for Maye in order to get him up to speed. Apparently that’s not how they plan to handle it (at least early on).
— As for Zappe, he’s looked like the odd man out in the team’s QB battle. The third-year quarterback has seen his opportunities dwindle in camp and even had a session where he got zero reps in team drills.
— What’s the endgame here? Zappe was cut last season. He doesn’t seem to carry much trade value, so there’s little point in showing him off to other teams. With four quarterbacks on the roster, why give him such an extended run with some of the team’s top units?
— The question from the headline stands: What the heck were the Patriots thinking? (It should be noted that we plan to ask Jerod Mayo just that after the game.)
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— Fans didn’t hide their disappointment. Boos rained down when it became apparent that Zappe was coming in after just one series from Maye.
— The Patriots took the field for the first time this season, and things sounded a little different in regards to music choices.
— The players made their way to the locker room with an interesting remix of “Dream On” by Aerosmith.
— Then there was the big change: The Patriots came out of the tunnel to a song that sounded like “Crazy Train,” but wasn’t actually the Ozzy Osborne classic.
— Instead, the Patriots took the field to “Let’s Go” by Trick Daddy, featuring Twista and Lil Jon. It’s a rap song that heavily samples “Crazy Train.” In fact, the songs sound so similar that you might not notice the change until the rap verses start.
— This was not a change I was prepared to see this season.
— Your first Keeper(s) of the Light this year: The Major League Rugby champion New England Free Jacks were on hand to ring the bell at the top of the lighthouse.
— Your Patriots captains out for the coin toss: center David Andrews and safety Kyle Dugger. Interesting to see Dugger step in as one of the team’s new leaders.
— Some notable players who didn’t play Thursday: WR Pop Douglas, S Jabrill Peppers, CB/PR Marcus Jones, LB Ja’Whaun Bentley, TE, Hunter Henry, DL Davon Godchaux and LB Matthew Judon.
— Judon was spotted in pads during warmups and even made the rounds playing catch with fans around the stadium.
— Judon was also spotted standing on the opposing sideline during warmups by himself. It was a curious move, one of many the veteran linebacker has made while he’s publicly angled for a new contract.
— Tonight’s starting offensive line: LT Vedrian Lowe | LG Sidy Sow | C David Andrews | RG Mike Onwenu | RT Chukwuma Okorafor
— No Bryce Young for the Panthers. Instead, the team turned to undrafted rookie Jack Plummer behind center as the starter. The newly acquired Jake Luton was also available.
— It’s worth noting: Jack Plummer is not related to former NFL quarterback Jake Plummer.
— Rookie wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk continues to impress. He’s been a consistent target throughout camp and made some tough catches in the rain Thursday.
— Elsewhere, Kayshon Boutte had a brilliant catch mid-way through the second quarter. The second-year receiver went up high to snap a pass from Zappe that just cleared the fingertips of the defender. Boutte almost scored on the play as well.
— Your first (preseason) of the 2024 Patriots season goes to running back Kevin Harris.
