Granted, this was just a meaningless exhibition game and the Jaguars were obviously not prepared to match New England. However, New England did what they had to do and most importantly, they executed.
Here are 10 thoughts following New England’s preseason opener.
1. Brian Hoyer Increased His Trade Value
Back-up quarterback Brian Hoyer played to the best of his ability tonight and, quite frankly, he was pretty darn impressive.
2. Taylor Price Could Pass Brandon Tate on the Depth Chart
Brandon Tate has been non-exsistent throughout the preseason so far and second-year wide receiver Taylor Price has made the most of it with his stellar performance against Jacksonville.
Price stole the show as he reeled in five passes for 105 yards and one touchdown.
3. Stevan Ridley Took Multiple Strides Forward
Who would have thought that Stevan Ridley would kick off his preseason with a three touchdown performance?
4. Ryan Mallett Was Near Perfect
The 74th overall selection of Ryan Mallett in this year’s draft was arguably the most shocking pick of them all. However, tonight, Mallett gave a glimpse as to why Bill Belichick drafted him with a high draft pick.
5. Darius Butler Struggled and Could Be on the Cutting Block
After watching tonight’s game, there was nothing that Darius Butler did that impressed me.
The third-year player out of Connecticut was simply not effective in coverage and was often times at the wrong end of a reception.
6. Nate Solder Fit in Nicely
How would I rate Nate Solder’s debut as a New England Patriot? Pretty solid.
7. New England Played in the 4-3 the Entire Night
As expected, New England played in a 4-3 defense rather than their traditional 3-4 alignment.
8. Dane Fletcher Played Like an Animal
The second-year inside linebacker out of Montana State played like an absolute animal against the Jags.
Dane Fletcher came into the game as the team’s starting inside linebacker and tallied up five total tackles.
9. Why Didn’t Chad Ochocinco Play?It’s kind of obvious why Tom Brady didn’t play—because rookie Nate Solder would be protecting his blindside. But why didn’t Chad Ochocinco play?
Ochocinco still has a lot of work to do and could have definitely benefited in playing a few series tonight just to get his feet wet in New England’s offense in a real game situation.
10. Jermaine Cunningham Took a Positive Step Forward
Jermaine Cunningham’s stats may not be too impressive, as he only recorded one sack, but he was definitely putting pressure on the quarterback.
I hope they really play like this all the rest of the games, so get your tickets and let take it to the SuperBowl !