Felger & Mazz: Patriots Preseason Surprises & Disappointments With Greg Bedard
BOSTON (CBS) -- With the 2016 NFL season just days away, it was all football, all the time to start Tuesday's Felger & Mazz.
That's because SI.com's Greg Bedard was in studio for his weekly visit, and it wouldn't be a Bedard appearance without his Studs & Duds from the Patriots' preseason. Though they changed things up a bit, with Bedard breaking down who surprised him, and who disappointed, during New England's slate of games that didn't count (you can watch the full segment in the video above):
Surprises
Jacoby Brissett
"Coming out of college there was talk on how he wasn't accurate enough. The kid was accurate in the preseason, throws a nice deep ball and has a nice pocket presence," Bedard said of Brissett.
Marcus Cannon
"After killing him all last year, I thought he looked really good. There was a lot of talk about him getting into shape – congratulations, you're a professional. Thanks for getting into shape. But I thought it served him well and hopefully they found a spot for him at tackle," said Bedard.
Chris Barker (now on the Patriots' practice squad)
"I thought the kid did really well," said Bedard. "Remember the name, Mazz."
Disappointments
Nate Solder
"He's the same player he was last year and doesn't move his feet well anymore," Bedard said of the left tackle. "It's not a good sign going to Arizona. I figured he would take another step, a year away from the cancer recovery and with Dante back. I figured he would be better at this point, but he's not. He's a work in progress."
Jimmy Garoppolo
"He hasn't made enough progress and the game hasn't slowed down for him enough," Bedard explained (he went into further detail on Garoppolo earlier in the show) "He should be better and more comfortable at this point, and it's not there."
Chris Hogan
"I expected more. From what I saw in Buffalo and some other stuff I've seen, I thought he'd be a more dynamic presence. But he gets no separation and doesn't turn on a dime like [Julian] Edelman or [Danny] Amendola," said Bedard.
Bonus: Chris Long
"I thought he was OK. He's just a guy, at this point. He's done a nice job doing all the different things they ask here. He never had to do that elsewhere. All of that is nice, but getting to the QB in passing downs, he's average at this point," Bedard said of the veteran defensive lineman.
Tony Massarotti also shared his surprises and disappointments from the preseason:
Surprises
Chris Long
A.J. Derby
Jacoby Brissett
Disappointments
Nate Solder
Martellus Bennett
Stephen Gostkowski
And whenever Bedard is on the show, Felger & Mazz hit him with 10 questions from around the world of football. Will the Patriots win 12 or more games for the seventh straight season? Which team is in the most trouble? You can watch that segment here
