The Patriots were sleepwalking again until late in this football game when they actually made a game of it.  Matt Cassel had another so-so effort completing 4 of 6 passes for 37 yards.  Matt Gutierrez wasn’t much better completing 5 of 9 passes for 69 yards with 1 interception.  Rookie Kevin O’Connell brought life to the offense when he came into the game.  He completed 3 of 4 passes for 22 yards in this game including a 16-yard TD strike to WR Chad Jackson.  He also carried the ball 2 times for 15 yards (7.5 ypc) and one of his carries resulted in a 5-yard TD run.  BenJarvus Green led the Patriots in rushing in this game with 28 yards on 6 carries (4.7 ypc).  LaMont Jordan also was effective rushing for 27 yards on 4 carries (6.8 ypc) and catching 1 pass for 23 yards.  The Patriots finished up with 80 yards rushing on 21 carries (3.8 ypc) and they also completed 12 of 19 passes for 117 yards.  The Patriots only had possession of the football for a stunningly awful 20:10 in this football game!

Linebacker Gary Guyton led the way for the Patriots’ defense in this game with 11 tackles.  Linebacker Victor Hobson and safety John Lynch pitched in with 8 tackles apiece.  The Giants finished up with 159 yards on 43 carries (3.7 ypc) in this game and they also completed 20 of 29 passes for 180 yards.  At least next week the Patriots will be inspired to play hard as they finished a woeful 0-4 in the preseason.

The New England Patriots had another dull effort last night against the Eagles.  Matt Cassel started again for the Patriots and he didn’t look that good completing 8 of 14 passes for 60 yards.  He also carried the ball 1 time for 22 yards last night.  Matt Gutierrez was great late in the game for the Patriots as he completed 14 of 20 passes for 217 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 interceptions.  Sammy Morris led the Patriots in rushing last night with 24 yards rushing on 5 carries (4.8 ypc).  C.J. Jones was the Patriots’ leading receiver last night with 70 yards on three grabs (23.3 avg) with a 9-yard TD reception from Matt Gutierrez.  Safety Raymond Ventrone also pitched in on offense catching 4 passes for 49 yards (12.3 avg) last night.  The Patriots finished up with 65 yards rushing on 20 carries (3.3 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 34 passes for 254 yards.

NT Vince Wilfork led the Patriots’ defense last night with 8 tackles.  Linebackers Jared Mayo (7 tackles) and Tedy Bruschi (7 tackles, sack) each also played well for the Pats’ defense last night.  The Eagles finished up last night with 110 yards rushing on 30 carries (3.7 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 31 passes for 280 yards. 

The Patriots also had huge problems on special teams last night as DeSean Jackson returned a punt 76 yards for a TD and Quintin Demps returned a kickoff 101 yards for a TD against them.  I know it’s just the preseason but the Patriots are just painful to watch when they don’t really care if they win or not.

The Patriots have signed 34-year old center Mike Flynn to a 1-year contract.  Flynn replaces center Dan Connolly who was cut because of his poor play in the preseason.  Flynn started 15 games last season for the Ravens.  He has now played in 134 games (115 starts) in his NFL career all with the Ravens.  This was a very solid player to find just sitting at home so this was an outstanding signing for the Patriots.

The Patriots have released veteran tight end Marcus Pollard.  He caught 2 passes for 17 yards in the preseason but the Patriots wanted to go young at TE.  Ben Watson, David Thomas and Stephen Spach will likely all make the team and get a lot of playing time in a Patriots’ offense that likes to use the TE in the passing game quite often.

The Patriots didn’t show much effort in this football game and they never seem to in the preseason so it’s nothing to be worried about.  Matt Cassel again didn’t show much as he completed 6 of 10 passes for 57 yards.  He also couldn’t handle a bad snap by center Dan Connolly which was recovered by safety Sabby Piscitelli of the Bucs who returned it 24-yards for a TD.  Rookie Kevin O’Connell finished the game and he didn’t play well either.  He completed 6 of 15 passes for 61 yards with 1 interception against the Bucs.  Laurence Maroney led the Patriots in rushing with 15 yards on 7 carries (2.1 ypc) and that is not good.  Wes Welker led the Patriots in receiving in this game with 3 catches for 25 yards (8.3 avg).  The Patriots finished up with 56 yards rushing on 22 carries (2.5 ypc) and they also completed 12 of 25 passes for 118 yards.  It’s hard to watch the Patriots offense in the preseason as they only had possession of the football for 22:02 of this game.

The Patriots also had a dull effort on defense as the Bucs pushed them around with there running game.  Linebacker Jerod Mayo led the Patriots in tackles with 7.  CB Antwain Spain and linebacker Mike Vrabel each had 6 tackles apiece against the Bucs.  The Buccaneers finished up with a stunning 170 yards rushing on 36 carries (4.7 ypc) and they also completed 19 of 25 passes for 125 yards.  The Buccaneers had possession of the football for an amazing 37:58 of this football game.  Like I said earlier in this article…..don’t be worried as this was just a preseason game.

The Patriots have lost offensive tackle Barry Stokes for the remainder of the season due to a back injury.  This won’t hurt the Patriots too much as they just signed Stokes for depth reasons.  Stokes will be essentially replaced on the active roster by John Lynch.

The Patriots have signed 36-year old safety John Lynch to a 1-year contract.  He will essentially replace Tank Williams who is out for the season as a enforcer on running downs as a box safety.  Lynch played in 13 games for the Broncos last season and he made 59 tackles, defensed 3 passes and he had 1 sack.  Look for Lynch to fit right in with the older veterans dotting the Patriots roster as he can still deliver a big hit.  Lynch has now played in 224 games in his NFL career and he has made 1,075 tackles, defensed 93 passes, has 13 sacks, has forced 16 fumbles and he has picked off 26 passes.  This was a good low risk/high reward signing for the Patriots.

Bill Belichick took all of his lumps with the Browns early in his career and he has learned well from his mistakes.  He really assembles great rosters and he is a master tactian in gameday battle.  He often sleeps in his office working 18 hour days so enough with the whole “cheating” argument.  Belichick has now coached 8 years in New England and he has compiled a 91-37 record (71%) during the regular season and he is 14-3 (82.4%) in the post season in his career with the Patriots.  He has led the Patriots to three Super Bowl Championships (2001, 2003 and 2004) and he came really close to winning a 4th last season before Eli Manning pulled a rabbit out of his hat.  Look for the Patriots to be back with a vengeance in 2008.  Belichick now has a 127-81 (61.1%) career record in the regular season in his NFL career and he is 15-4 (78.9%) in his post season career.  He is quite simply…..the best coach in the NFL right now without a doubt.

The Patriots have placed safety Tank Williams on the Injured Reserve List ending his season due to a knee injury.  The 28-year old Williams played in 13 games (2 starts) with the Vikings last season and he made 18 tackles and defensed a pass.  The Patriots were going to use Williams as a in the box safety and at outside linebacker in some defensive formations so they will miss him.

The Patriots pulled the usual not playing many key players in the preseason as they don’t seem to care if they win or lose.  Not that it’s a bad way to go because you can’t get hurt if you don’t play.  Matt Cassel started the game last night and he was truly awful completing only 1 of 4 passes for 11 yards with an interception.  Matt Gutierrez followed him in the game and he was 10 of 16 for 76 yards with 0 TDs and 1 interception.  Rookie Kevin O’Connell looked like the best QB that the Patriots played last night.  He completed 6 of 13 passes for 57 yards with 0 TDs and 1 interception.  He also carried the football 2 times for 22 yards (11.0 ypc) last night.  The Patriots wanted to see what they have in LaMont Jordan so they kept feeding him the rock last night.  Jordan carried the football 19 times for 76 yards (4.0 ypc) with 1 TD run.  The Patriots didn’t get a lot of yards despite holding onto the football for 34:39.  They rushed for 133 yards on 34 carries (3.9 ypc) last night.  They also completed 17 of 33 passes for 133 yards against the Ravens.

Rookie linebacker Shawn Crable was all over the place for the Patriots’ defense last night.  He had 4 tackles, 1/2 a sack and he also intercepted a pass.  The Patriots were especially stout against the run holding the Ravens to 35 yards rushing on 21 carries (1.7 ypc).  The Ravens also completed 16 of 30 passes for 169 yards last night.  The defense looked great for the Patriots last night although the Ravens aren’t exactly an offensive powerhouse.