What To Watch For: Who Will Catch Passes, And Who Will Defend Them For Patriots?
BOSTON (CBS) -- While the Patriots preseaon debut last Thursday featured a nice ovation for Tom Brady, we really didn't learn much about the team.
Sure, we got another extended look at Jimmy Garoppolo, who in his second season has a lot more work to do, but that was to be expected. We also figured out that Josh Boyce has trouble catching footballs, and Logan Ryan has even more trouble keeping the opposing team from catching them.
Now we're onto Week 2 of the preseason, which featured a pair of joint practices between the Patriots and Saints in West Virginia. The two teams will go at it Saturday night in New Orleans, though don't expect to learn much more in terms of the finished product we'll see take the field in Week 1.
But as with any preseason game, there is always a good amount of intrigue surrounding the game.
How Much Tom Brady?
We didn't think Brady would play last week against Green Bay, but then a few hours before the game that story took a 180. Brady ended up playing seven snaps in a fairly uneventful preseason debut, receiving a nice ovation and show of support from the Gillette crowd.
Brady usually suits up in the second preseason game, missing only two over the last 10 seasons, but he was surgical during Thursday's joint practice in West Virginia:
Those snaps are viewed by many, including Bill Belichick, as more important than preseason game snaps, so given what he was able to accomplish on Thursday, Brady may enjoy most of the Saturday's contest from the sideline. Add in the fact New England will have to go with a makeshift offensive line again (though left tackle Nate Solder was back at practice and could play) and the majority of Brady's receiving options are still sidelined, it's a recipe for another brief appearance for No. 12.
Get ready for more Garoppolo (and maybe Ryan Lindley will make an appearance this time around) on Saturday, which isn't a bad thing for the Patriots. Let's just hope Jimmy is ready to run for his life, again.
Who Will Catch The Passes
Brady's playing time will also likely depend on who is out there to catch his passes. Julian Edelman, Brandon LaFell and Scott Chandler are still sidelined with injuries. Rob Gronkowski was a spectator last Thursday and could see some run on Saturday, though the Pats will have to weight the risk/reward of him playing. Gronk has been going full speed in practice, and after a brief scare on Wednesday when he got rolled up by Jonas Grey, it might not be worth playing him at all this preseason.
So who will be catching passes Saturday night? Danny Amendola saw limited action last week, so he could be in line for an uptick in snaps and potential targets. Josh Boyce was targeted 11 times but only came down with two catches, leaving many to wonder why he's still on the roster (hint: the current lack of bodies at the position). Boyce will still probably see some passes, but that's thanks to the absence of Dobson and now Brian Tyms, whose season could be done with a foot injury. Rookie Chris Harper led the way with seven receptions against the Packers, but the cards are against him to make the team.
It would be nice to see offseason addition Brandon Gibson get those targets, but it always comes down to who is open.
We should note that Randy Moss was at Thursday's joint practice. It's only preseason, so why not send him out there, just for fun?
Picking On Butler
Butler was picked on a lot during the two joint practices in West Virginia, and he's going to be a target throughout the regular season as teams figure out whether he's a true No. 1 corner or not. Drew Brees found receivers Josh Morgan and Joseph Morgan with ease against Butler on Wednesday, but he was much better on Thursday, most notably breaking up an end zone pass to Marques Colston.
Butler has remained humble throughout camp despite all the praise he's received since February, and admitted he had a bad Wednesday practice. He responded with a much better showing on Thursday, putting his previous day's struggles in the past and focusing on the task at hand.
That's what a good corner has to do: Learn from his mistakes and move on.
Saturday night is a bit of a homecoming for the Mississippi native, and he'll have a handful of family in attendance, so we may get an extended look at what Butler can do against another premier quarterback in Brees.
Who Will Be Butler's Counterpart?
Butler remains a question mark, but an even bigger one is who will be tasked with shutting down the other side of the field. As previously noted, Logan Ryan is not the answer.
Veteran corner Bradley Fletcher is the likeliest candidate after getting an extended look last Thursday, and fellow veteran Tarell Brown could make his preseason debut this weekend. But many reported that safety Devin McCourty was lining up opposite of Butler this week in practice. McCourty has hinted that a move back to corner isn't his preference, but if things get desperate, that could be in the cards.
Ryan had a bad game last week and hasn't impressed many in his third training camp, so at the moment he isn't a candidate to be Butler's counterpart.
So when Butler is on the field early on, keep an eye out for who is lining up on the other side.
BONUS: The Rookies
Defensive end Trey Flowers opened some eyes with his first quarter sack of Aaron Rodgers on Thursday, but he also left the game with an undisclosed injury. We'll see if the fourth-round pick is back out there Saturday, putting more swim moves on the New Orleans O-Line.
Also along the defensive line, Geneo Grissom turned some heads in the two joint practices in West Virginia. It will be interesting to see what he, along with fellow rookie defensive lineman and first-round pick Malcom Brown, can do if they get an extended look Saturday night.
And with all the questions in the secondary, rookie corner Darryl Roberts and safety Jordan Richards are worth keeping an eye on as well.
Tune in to Saturday night's Patriots-Saints preseason game on 98.5 The Sports Hub and WBZ-TV -- the flagship stations of the New England Patriots. Pregame coverage on 98.5FM begins at 4:30pm, with a full postgame show following the game. WBZ-TV's pregame coverage begins at 7pm with Patriots All Access, following by Patriots 5th Quarter after the game.
