Four Ups, Four Downs From Patriots' Preseason Win Over Panthers
BOSTON (CBS) -- If the goal of the final preseason game is to get a real good look at how the starters are shaping up for the season opener, then Bill Belichick got about all he could have wanted out of Friday night's game in Carolina.
There were plenty of positives -- notably, the work of the starting defense to limit Cam Newton and the Panthers to just two first-half field goals -- to feel good about with the season opener less than two weeks away, but they were balanced out with a heavy dose of negatives that will give the coach plenty of material to work with in the meeting rooms and on the practice field in the coming week.
Here are the ups and the downs from the Patriots' come-from-behind 17-16 victory over the Panthers.
FOUR UPS
Dion Lewis
The fifth-year running back has not accomplished much in his career (171 rushing yards, 21 receiving yards, 2 TDs), but he might have earned a spot on the Patriots roster with his performance on Friday night.
The 5-foot-8, 195-pound back simply looked to be operating at a different speed from everybody else on the field. He complemented that quickness with some elusiveness, and he came up with a touchdown catch midway through the fourth quarter to cut the Panthers' lead to just two points.
He finished the night with 20 receiving yards on four catches -- as well as the game-winning touchdown reception -- to go with 12 rushing yards on three carries.
It's too early to say Lewis can be an official Shane Vereen replacement, but there's no doubt that the 24-year-old looked like a player worthy of a roster spot. He can, at the very least, help to fill that void.
Tarell Brown
Going into this game, most people wanted to see who could look capable of starting at cornerback opposite Malcolm Butler. Enter Tarell Brown.
The veteran corner made some impressive plays to break up passes in the first half -- one over the middle in the first quarter on Corey Brown, another one on Brown in the end zone. He showed veteran deftness to get his arm in front of Ted Ginn Jr. to break up another pass as well.
He's obviously no Darrelle Revis, but all of that praise earned by Brown in practice translated to a performance in game action on Friday.
Malcolm Butler
Speaking of cornerbacks, there is no doubt that Malcolm Butler is the Patriots' No. 1 man.
He simply looks the part of an NFL cornerback, which is really saying something for an undrafted second-year player who went to West Alabama. Granted, most unknowns don't make history-altering plays to win Super Bowls to cap off the first year of their careers, so that certainly helps Butler's confidence.
Butler did get beaten badly once by Corey Brown but was bailed out by a bad drop from the receiver. Butler also took an illegal contact penalty which negated a New England sack, but overall he made the plays he needed to and looks ready for Week 1 as the team's top corner.
"Two-Minute" Tom Brady
The quarterback had a rough night overall, but when he took over with 2:13 left in the second quarter, he was Vintage Brady.
The QB went 5-for-6 for 71 yards and a touchdown, and his only incompletion was a pass that was batted down at the line of scrimmage. He hit Scott Chandler for 15, Chandler again for six, Chris Harper for six more, and Danny Amendola for 25. He then capped off the drive with an absolutely picture-perfect lob pass to Chandler at the front left pylon of the end zone. It was beautiful -- reminiscent of Brady's game-winning touchdown to Brandon LaFell in last year's divisional round win vs. Baltimore.
Pret-tay, pret-tay good. And at least one trio of fans agrees:
Extra Point: Stephen Gostkowski
This guy is a monster. In a good way. He drilled a 53-yarder to put the winning points on the board in the fourth quarter, and the kick would have been good from about 65 yards.
FOUR DOWNS
"Rest Of The Time" Tom Brady
The ending for Brady was nice, but the rest of the night was a rough go.
Taking out that final drive, Brady went 2-for-7 for 13 yards and two interceptions. One could make the case that Aaron Dobson did the quarterback no favors by losing a battle for the ball on the first INT, but one could also note that Brady threw the pass behind the receiver, forcing a much higher degree of difficulty on the catch.
Before that impressive touchdown drive, the Patriots offense accomplished this:
3 plays, 8 yards, PUNT
3 plays, 1 yard, PUNT
4 plays, 15 yards, INTERCEPTION
3 plays, 11 yards, INTERCEPTION
3 plays, 7 yards, PUNT
3 plays, 0 yards, PUNT
Certainly, that doesn't all fall on the quarterback's shoulders. But we've all come to expect more out of Brady.
Run Blocking
This might actually be a problem come the regular season. Granted, Bryan Stork and Ryan Wendell weren't playing, but there is a lot of work to be done in the area of blocking for the running backs.
Jonas Gray had nowhere to go in the first half, nor did Brandon Bolden. Dion Lewis was able to create some yards for himself, and LeGarrette Blount was able to barrel forward for some yards against the backups in the second half. But overall, the running backs combined for 64 yards on 20 carries. Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo actually ended up being tied for second on the team with 18 rushing yards apiece.
That's not ideal, obviously, and while it's expected to improve with the return of Stork and Wendell, the fact is that this team will likely need rookies Tre Jackson and Shaq Mason to contribute at some level this year. And the results thus far through the preseason have not been encouraging in the run game.
Reggie Wayne
Nobody expected the veteran receiver to hit the ground running after just a couple of days with the Patriots, and his presence on this list is not meant to be a mark against him. It is merely to say that there is, clearly, much work to be done in terms of Wayne catching up to speed on the Patriots playbook. Thus, with the season opener less than two weeks away, expectations for Wayne playing a role in the games that matter might want to be tempered for the time being.
Certainly, not all veterans have been able to pick up the Patriots' offense at all. Wayne should be all right in that regard, but it might take a while.
James Develin
Dealing with injuries is a necessary evil in football, and unfortunately for fullback James Develin, he's in that situation after Friday night.
The third-year Patriot has played an important role in Josh McDaniels' offense, as he was a key factor in both victories over the Colts last season, when the Pats ran for 423 combined yards in the two games.
But it did not look good for him in the fourth quarter on Friday night, when he caught a pass but got his right cleat stuck in the turf while getting spun around by linebacker David Mayo. The fact that Develin appeared to smash his shin off a diving member of the Panthers defense on the way to the turf likely didn't help matters.
Develin needed a cart in order to get off the field, and if you understand how tough that man is, you know that the cart's presence speaks volumes for the extent of his injury. It wasn't exactly the loss of QB1, but it's nevertheless a tough blow for the Patriots.
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