Game overview:
This game was cut short into the 4th-quarter when Patriots rookie Isaiah Bolden hit (led with) his head-first in a straight-on collision with a teammate going after a ballcarrier and they had to cart Bolden off and it was scary and they called the (meaningless) game.
The game itself was eye-opening, prior to that…from the standpoint of just how far these two franchises have fallen. This was like a bowl game between the two NFL teams located, geography-wise, where no player wants to play (by choice, if they have a choice). A disadvantaged geography…coaches no player (with options) wants to play for on the offensive side…and thus a long, dark period of becoming NFL bottom feeders has begun for both of them. The starter’s pistol was shot for this downfall when both franchises exacerbated and pushed out their Hall of Fame, all-time QBs out the door without any real Plan B at quarterback.
I was watching a game here between two stiff offenses and their conservative coaching plans. Not a purposeful vanilla plan for the preseason…they’re just boring by nature and limited by QB play, which was their choice not fate.
The Patriots won but I’d say the Packers looked a little better, overall, to me. Two similar styled, similar geography sluggish midland teams for 2023…on a constant descent for the next few years.
Scouting Notes from the game:
-- I discussed the RB situation here in our S.Ex. (Subscriber Extra) post earlier before posting the full game review. It’s important…be sure to check it out.
-- Let’s start with an NE offense review…
Mac Jones (6-9 for 52 yards, 0 TD/0 INT) review: He looked like normal Mac Jones…tall Bryce Young…gets rid of the ball quick on no/one read and when he has to hang in the pocket longer and try to read things further out, everything starts to crumble most of those throws.
Mac is barely a ‘middle class’ QB…a middle class QB (my trademarked label in 2023) is a QB who is a mediocre range/not elite talent, who will NFL succeed or fail as far as his O-Line and offensive coaches/plays can take him. Mac is on the low end of the ‘middle class’ QBs. Actually, I don’t think he’s even that good. He belongs in my other new QB label -- the p_QB…the pampered QB…the QB who played in a golden situation in college, with great programs/dominant programs with all-star O-Lines and weapons…and then the arrive in the NFL and struggles ensue when they don’t have every advantage going for them.
It’s ‘p’ for ‘pampered’…but another p-word could work just the same.
Bryce Young and Mac Jones are p_QBs. Baker Mayfield was probably the same, but I just hadn’t realized it/developed the theory in time. Trey Lance may be a member as well. Sam Darnold…Jameis Winston. The media unwittingly creates some of the ‘p’ with their insane fawning over them all their college careers.
Just a working theory and patent pending.
The current top 3 FF QBs in the NFL…
Patrick Mahomes…who didn’t have a winning record in college and people thought was too much of a gunslinger.
Jalen Hurts…his own coach from a pampered program didn’t want him.
Josh Allen…strong-armed guy who was too erratic and played in a lower-level college program/conference.
The best actual QB in the NFL: Joe Burrow…had to transfer from Ohio State to find a shot at LSU and put that school and coach on his back and took them to greatness. Joe did this all while the media created and fostered the ‘p’ with/for Tua…and look how Tua flopped right away…and is still sketchy.
I’m just saying…’grit’ is a factor/analytic to consider.
Jones is going to start for NE, and everyone assumes Bill O’Brien is going to save him…but just like with Alabama QBs operating in such advantageous, pristine situations that fake out analysts, scouts, and coaches -- wouldn’t the same be true of Alabama offensive coordinators? I bet those play designs really hum, really work to perfection when it’s Alabama’s 10M+ payroll for players against Mercer or Vanderbilt or whatever inferior school.
Bailey Zappe (10-22 for 117 yards, 1 TD/0 INT, 2-5-1) is the real QB talent between he and Mac, and I think Belichick knows it but is stuck…which is surprising since he made a tough call on Brady-Bledsoe long ago. Maybe he’s buying time with Mac v. Zappe. Maybe Bill got super lucky with Brady and is a pretty mediocre head coach otherwise…and weak GM? Also, Bill O’Brien has a vested interest in Mac…and sabotaging Zappe. And Zappe has his issues too…it’s just he’s better than Mac Jones.
There will probably be a QB controversy here this year…and none of it really matter (positively) for FF.
-- One of the reasons why there will be a QB controversy in New England is that GM Bill has given Jones-O’Brien a pretty weak hand at WR.
This passing game just looks so slow with JuJu Smith-Schuster (1-1-0/1) and DeVante Parker (0-0-0/1), and their slow-arse tight ends. Mac was looking to DeVante primarily in this game, when throwing outside of his quick/short strikes.
Kendrick Bourne (3-34-0/4) was the 3rd starter in three WR sets. He looked like the best/most active of the starters here.
The Patriots have some juice among the rookies, but they won’t likely impact right away…
Rookie Demario Douglas (2-17-0/2) rotated in with the starters and looked fine/solid…a little skittish, but he’ll be solid.
Rookie Kayshon Boutte (2-49-1/2) is the one starting to spark more than Douglas. Boutte-Douglas may be starters for NE next season. Boutte is an enigma…so good for a stretch at LSU in 2021, then disappeared (virtually) last season. Tested poorly pre-Draft. Started slowly in camp, but is coming on now.
-- Packers QB review…
Jordan Love (5-8 for 84 yards, 1 TD/0 INT) still doesn’t capture my attention (positively). Very scripted and struggles like the middle class QBs when everything is not short and sweet and perfect conditions, in general. I will say, watching him here, compared to watching Mac Jones -- Love looks like Mahomes compared to ultra stiff, ultra scripted Jones.
Honestly, any thoughts of the Patriots being ‘good’ this year…I had it stomped out watching Jones again in direct comparison to Love, who also isn’t ‘good’ to my eye.
I thought Love, nor Jones, nor Zappe looked all that great in their play…and their O-Line was part of the issue, especially the backup group for Zappe…who feels ‘left to die’ in the preseason games with bad protection. It means the Pats aren’t deep on the O-Line, in general…and I don’t know that their starters are all that special either.
Rookie Sean Clifford (13-19 for 137 yards, 0 TD/0 INT) seems the least phased with bad protection among this group of QBs (on either side). Clifford looks very competent this preseason. Another rookie QB better than Bryce Young. Clifford is the #2 for GB. Alex McGough is getting no chance…especially when they cut this game short, he lost his play time.
I would not be shocked if by the end of the 2023 season, Zappe was put in over failing Jones and ditto Clifford for Love.
-- Packers WR notes…
Love was forcing it to Romeo Doubs (2-52-0/2), and Doubs made some terrific catches…but like always, he was never open and he has to make miracle catches tightly covered to exist. It usually only works in practice, but he came up good here.
Love’s favorite receiver? It might be Luke Musgrave (2-13-0/3). That’s my gut feeling after two preseason games. I don’t know that it will create TE1 Musgrave this year, but I know this -- Musgrave looks really good, and Love is not ignoring him.
Two 2nd/3rd team WRs looked really nice here…(GB has a lot of young WR talent/depth)…
I’m starting to think UDFA rookie Malik Heath (5-75-0/5) will probably overtake Doubs within the next 3 months or within two years. He looks like the better Doubs to me. A 4.64 40-time at the Combine hurt his draft stock…and he’s a little mouthy, and maybe not too bright, which could hold him back. But all that aside -- he can go. Big upgrades coming for him in the rookie rankings. I’ve been convinced by him…that he’s something-not-nothing.
I’m more a fan of rookie Grant DuBose (2-27-0/4). He could be the one that supplants Doubs and Heath long-term…a professional, talented, unheralded young WR.
Guys like Heath, Dubose, also Samori Toure from the 2022 Draft…they’re all talented -- but where/when are they gonna play enough to matter for FF? Especially as Green Bay wants to run two TEs and run the ball?
-- Patriots RB notes…
Rhamondre Stevenson (4-27-1) played a little bit here, and looked really good/ready to go.
Kevin Harris (10-31-0, 1-9-0/1) took the most work…and, well, he is likely to be cut/put on the practice squad. I loved Harris two years ago…but not so much scouting him deeper for his draft in 2022. I hoped he could grind it out in the NFL and be that potential star from a couple years ago, but I don’t know if his injuries caught up with him or what -- but he looks too slow, too one dimensional to make it in the bigs.
-- IDP Notes…
Pats rookie CB Christian Gonzalez (4 tackles) has a very good chance to be this year’s Sauce Gardner. He is everything I said he would be, so far. Arguably, Gonzalez and RT Dawand Jones were the two best non-QB assets available in the 2023 NFL Draft…and some teams had a shot of getting both of them, but they passed on them…in Dawand’s case the league passed on him several times.
Packers rookie EDGE Lukas Van Ness (2 tackles) hasn’t stood out to me at all.
However, Pack UDFA rookie CB Carrington Valentine (2 tackles, 2 PDs) has been terrific. He might be a Week 1 starter on some other NFL teams right now. He’s another with a load of talent but a suspect attitude/mouth/mindset. But the guy is a terrific young corner outside of that.
