Patriots - Eagles Pre-Season Game 2, What To Watch For
 Tom Brady will get his first playing time of 2014 on Friday against the Eagles. (USA TODAY Images) |
The joint practices are over and now the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles get down to business as they play their second pre-season game at Gillette Stadium on Friday night. Game time is slated for 7:30 p.m. and will be carried both locally and on the NFL Network.
With the injuries mounting again during this year’s training camp, the Patriots will be missing some of their regular starters but we should still see the opening day starters for at least a while for the first time in 2014, including Tom Brady, Julian Edelman and Darrelle Revis.
Here are five things to watch for, from a Patriots perspective in Friday night’s game:
 Julian Edelman will be looking to carry over a strong 2013 into this season. (USA TODAY Images) |
How Well Does the Offense Gel: Granted the offense will still be missing two of its bigger weapons in Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Dobson who haven’t yet been involved in contact during practices but with Brady at the helm this will be our first look at the offense as we’ll see it during the season.
I’ll be curious to see how they handle not having any healthy tight ends, sans the recently signed Steve Maneri who is more of a blocking specialist than a pass catching threat. James Develin looks to get more looks at tight end again.
With a dearth of tight ends, will we see more two-back sets involving Stevan Ridley, Shane Vereen and James White? Contrary to what being chatted about on Twitter, Ridley has looked good in the running game in training camp. He’s been making a strong first cut, has kept his pad level low and is exploding thru the gaps. The team has been giving White a lot of reps because they want to see what he can do. But don’t expect Ridley’s work load to decrease much this season.
The team could also opt to put an extra wide receiver on the field; Brandon LaFell has been making some good strides in the passing game. In the red zone he’ll provide a nice big, physical target for Brady and his role is more crucial now that Gronk and Dobson are both out. Look for a little of both.
 The Patriots need a healthy Vince Wilfork in 2014. (USA TODAY Images) |
Will the Run Defense Stiffen This Week: In 2013, the Pats run defense was a liability…ok it was very bad. Injuries to Vince Wilfork, Tommy Kelly and Jerod Mayo were devastating to the middle of the defense. Rookies Joe Vellano, Chris Jones and later Sealver Siligia were thrust into starting roles.
Now Wilfork and Kelly have returned but both Jones and Siliga are hurting, the team made two trades bringing in Ben Bass from the Cowboys and Jerel Worthy from Green Bay although neither will probably play this week.
In Washington, the Redskins tough running game and offensive line dominated the point of attack. Philly boasts one of the better running games in the NFL led by Shady McCoy who had a great week of joint practices.
This will be a great week to evaluate how well the run defense is evolving and look for the team to improve their tackling, which was poor in Washington last week.
 The QB protection by the Pats offensive line must improve in 2014 and will get a good test this week. (USA TODAY Images) |
The QB Protection Must Improve: Last week, the Patriots offensive line’s protection of both Ryan Mallett and Jimmy Garappolo was spotty. Left tackle Nate Solder left practice early on Thursday, which may force Marcus Cannon to play more at tackle again. Cannon is better suited at guard and in fact we had him projected there in our roster projection. Expect to see Cannon and Sebastian Vollmer start at least initially before the coaches start tinkering.
With Bryan Stork still sidelined, Dan Connolly has taken most of the starting reps at center over incumbent Ryan Wendell. Normally the offensive line woes would be pooh-poohed at this stage as old hand Dante Scarnecchia would always find a way to make the line gel by the start of the season. But coach Scar has retired and new offensive coach Dave DeGuglielmo is the new face of the OL and has his hands full.
The protection must be better than it was last week as Brady will look to hit all of his options in the passing game. It will face a very good test this week.
 Darrelle Revis will play for the first time in a Patriots uniform on Friday against the Eagles. (USA TODAY Images) |
First Look At Revis: Although Darrelle Revis suited up last week against Washington, he didn’t play as Bill Belichick gave him and many of the starters the night off as they evaluated the backups. So this week, Revis will play for the first time in a Patriots uniform.
Thus far, he’s been everything as advertised…which is to say he’s the best cornerback the team has fielded since Ty Law left town, maybe better. Nothing against Aqib Talib who played the last two seasons, but the position has been upgraded immensely with Revis at corner. The only question about him is, will he play on one side or move depending upon the opponent’s best wide receiver.
With Revis and Brandon Browner added to the mix, the team was so deep at cornerback that they traded Justin Green to the Cowboys this week. Revis is so good at shutting down an opponent’s best option; it gives Belichick a lot of options on how the rest of the defense can play. With that thought in mind….
 Big things are expected from Chandler Jones in 2014. (USA TODAY Images) |
Quarterback Pressure Must Be Better: The Patriots are banking on having a much better attacking defense this season. Having Kelly back, as well as the uber-athletic Jamie Collins taking the next step in his development as a pass rusher should complement Chandler Jones on the edge. Once Dominique Easley is able to take the field in a meaningful way should help getting a penetrating force in the interior of the line.
Since 2011 the Patriots have been a primarily 4-3 defense in their base, but this year, we’ve been seeing a lot of 3-4 looks which means edge rushers Chandler Jones and Rob Ninkovich are standing up as outside linebackers. Jones and backup DE Michael Buchanan have been practicing with the linebackers at times. Easley (during walk-thru’s) was seen moving to edge in a 3-4 DE as well as inside which could be the way they envision his use.
In their version of the 3-4, Collins and Mayo are lined up inside with Dont’a Hightower outside. This would allow Hightower to attack more, something he was noted for in Alabama and much better suited. Belichick likes to keep things a little close to the vest during the pre-season but it will bear watching to see how they plan to use the pass rush in 2014. This will be the first time we see the major players involved.
Key Players to Watch:
Malcom Butler- The rookie continues to impress and turn heads in training camp. During Browner’s absence, the rookie was getting reps with the first team defense and looking like he belonged out there.
Strong Safety- The team still hasn’t settled on one guy to play opposite Devin McCourty. Pat Chung, Duron Harmon, Tavon Wilson, Nate Ebner, Logan Ryan and Kyle Arrington have all gotten reps there at different points of camp. Chances are, we may see that into the season as Belichick, depending upon the opponent will mix and match at the other safety position.
Josh Boyce- The 2nd year WR/KR hasn’t had the best of training camps thus far. Dropped passes and missed routes are not something you’d expect from a veteran. And for a guy trying to carve out a role, Friday night may be a pivotal game both in the offense and on special teams.
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