The Giants scored the last 15 points last night to down the Patriots.  The Patriots had all kinds of issues last night, especially along the offensive line as the Giants had 8 sacks.  Tom Brady started at QB and he completed 5 of 9 passes for 116 yards without a TD pass or INT.  Brian Hoyer made a brief appearance in which he completed 3 of 5 passes for 31 yards.  Ryan Mallet finished up this game by completing 6 of 16 passes for 57 yards.  Rookie RB Shane Vereen made his debut last night and he carried the ball 11 times for 34 yards (3.1 ypc).  He also caught 1 pass for 8 yards.  BenJarvus Green-Ellis only rushed for 10 yards on 4 carries with 2 TD runs.  He also caught 1 pass for 21 yards in this game.  WRs Matthew Slater (1 rec, 64 yards) and Tiquan Underwood (4 rec, 52 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Patriots in this game.  The Patriots finished up with 66 yards rushing on 22 carries (3.0 ypc) and they also completed 14 of 30 passes (46.7%) for 147 yards as they had the ball for 26:00 last night.

The defense made some big plays for the Patriots, but they had issues stopping the Giants’ running game.  LBs Tracy White (9 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss) and Ricky Brown (7 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss) led the way for the Patriots’ D last night.  Safety Patrick Chung (fumble recovery), DE Andre Carter (fumble recovery) and CB Devin McCourty (interception) also made huge plays in this game for the Patriots’ D.  The Giants finished up with 189 yards rushing on 37 carries (5.1 ypc) and they also completed 16 of 25 passes (64%) for 119 yards in this game.  The Patriots finished the preseason with a 2-2 record.

24-year old RB Richard Medlin is playing pretty well in the preseason for the Patriots.  He came into camp as a huge longshot to make the roster out of tiny Fayetteville State as an undrafted free agent.  Medlin has played in 2 preseason games for the Patriots and he has carried the ball 15 times for 55 yards (3.7 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He also has caught 5 passes for 27 yards (5.4 avg) so far in the preseason.  I have a feeling that the Patriots are going to try to sneak Medlin onto the practice squad as they are pretty deep at RB heading into the 2011 season.

The Lions took apart the Patriots last night as they dominated them the whole game long.  Tom Brady was so-so as he completed 12 of 22 passes for 145 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT.  Brian Hoyer was also not so good as he completed 6 of 12 passes for 88 yards last night.  Ryan Mallet finished up this game at QB by completing 9 of 14 passes for 65 yards without a TD pass or interception.  Danny Woodhead led the way on the ground for the Patriots last night with 28 yards rushing on 4 carries (7.0 ypc).  He also caught 3 passes for 21 yards (7.0 avg) in this game.  BenJarvus Green-Ellis pitched in with 18 yards rushing on 8 carries (2.3 ypc) last night.  WR Wes Welker (3 rec, 71 yards, TD), WR Matthew Slater (1 rec, 53 yards) and TE Aaron Hernandez (5 rec, 46 yards) led the way for the Patriots in the passing game last night.  The Patriots finished up with 61 yards rushing on 17 carries (3.6 ypc) and they also completed 27 of 48 passes (56.3%) for 292 yards last night.

The defense got destroyed by the Lions’ offense last night.  Safety Sergio Brown (9 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss) and LB Jared Mayo (7 tackles, 2 passes defensed) led the way for the Patriots’ D last night.  CB Kyle Arrington pitched in with 2 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack, 1 pass defensed, 1 QB hit and 1 interception was also busy in this game.  The Lions finished up with 114 yards rushing on 33 carries (3.5 ypc) and they also completed 26 of 38 passes (68.4%) for 354 yards last night.  The Patriots are now 2-1 on the preseason.

The Patriots raced out to a 28-0 lead at the half before taking things semi-easy the rest of the way on the Buccaneers.  Tom Brady looked solid in completing 11 of 19 passes for 118 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Brian Hoyer made a brief appearance in which he completed 1 of 4 passes for 6 yards.  Ryan Mallet finished off the game by completing 9 of 14 passes for 71 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 INT (it was returned 69-yards for a TD by CB Elbert Mack of the Bucs).  RB Stevan Ridley looked solid again, leading the way for the Patriots with 84 yards rushing on 14 carries (6.0 ypc).  He also caught 3 passes for 27 yards (9.0 avg) in this game.  Danny Woodhead looked sharp too with 5 carries for 63 yards (12.6 ypc).  BenJarvus Green-Ellis was his usual tough self as he ran the ball 11 times for 51 yards (4.6 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He also caught 1 pass for 6 yards last night.  WR Wes Welker led the way in the passing game last night for the Patriots with 5 grabs for 56 yards (11.2 avg).  TE Aaron Hernandez (3 rec, 42 yards, TD) and WR Chad Ocho Cinco (2 rec, 14 yards, TD) also pitched in for the Patriots in this game.  The Patriots rushed for 200 yards on 36 carries (5.6 ypc) and the also completed 21 of 37 passes (56.8%) for 183 yards last night.

The Patriots defense was sharp last night.  LB Tracy White (6 tackles), safety Sergio Brown (5 tackles) and LB Jared Mayo (5 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 tackles for a loss, 2 passes defensed and 3 QB hits) led the way for the D last night.  CB Kyle Arrington pitched in with 3 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception.  The Buccaneers rushed for 64 yards on 15 carries (4.3 ypc) and they also completed 17 of 37 passes (45.9%) for 180 yards last night.  The Patriots are now 2-0 in the pre-season.

The Patriots kept most of their starters out of the game last night and they still destroyed the Jaguars!  That shows what kind of depth the Patriots have on their roster right now.  Brian Hoyer started the game at QB and he looked like a surgeon as he was slicing and dicing the Jaguars’ secondary.  Hoyer completed 15 of 21 passes (71.4) for 171 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs as he was very impressive last night.  Rookie Ryan Mallet was also very, very impressive in his first game action last night.  He completed 12 of 19 passes (63.2%) for 164 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  Rookie RB Stevan Ridley was a workhorse for the Patriots last night as he carried the ball 16 times for 64 yards (4.0 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He also caught 7 passes for 47 yards (6.7 avg) with 1 TD grab last night as he was impressive.  RB Richard Medlin also looked good as he carried the ball 14 times for 54 yards (3.9 ypc) with 2 TD runs last night.  WR Taylor Price (5 rec, 105 yards, TD) and TE Aaron Hernandez (6 rec, 68 yards) led the way for the Patriots in the passing game last night.  The Patriots rushed for 141 yards on 41 carries (3.4 ypc) and they also completed 27 of 40 passes (67.8%) for 335 yards as they had possession of the ball for 34:55 last night.  The offense looked really sharp for the Patriots last night.

LB Tracy White (6 tackles) and LB Dane Fletcher (6 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss and 1 QB hit) led the way for the Patriots on D last night.  DT Darryl Richard was a standout also as he finished up with 3 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks, 1 pass defensed and 2 QB hits.  The Jaguars rushed for 98 yards on 23 carries (4.3 ypc) last night but the Patriots’ secondary was outstanding as the Jags only completed 11 of 26 passes (42.3%) for 95 yards.  The defense was almost as impressive as the offense was as the Patriots played an outstanding all-around game last evening.

The Patriots had a so-so effort last night in New Jersey.  Tom Brady made a brief appearance as he completed 4 of 8 passes for 51 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT.  Brian Hoyer replaced him and he played most of the rest of the game as he completed 15 of 26 passes for 266 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT.  Zac Robinson finished up this game at QB and he completed only 1 of 5 passes for 6 yards.  Laurence Maroney led the way for the Patriots on the ground in this game with 32 yards rushing on 9 carries (3.6 ypc).  Thomas Clayton pitched in with 7 carries for 26 yards (3.7 ypc) in this game.  WRs Darnell Jenkins (5 rec, 93 yards, TD) and Rod Owens (2 rec, 73 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Patriots last night.  Rookie TE Rob Gronkowski only caught one pass last night but it went for a 5-yard TD.  The Patriots finished up with 73 yards rushing (3.2 ypc) and 310 yards passing in this game.

The Patriots were pretty awful on defense in this game despite only giving up 20 points.  LB Tyrone McKenzie led the way for the Patriots in this game with 10 tackles.  LBs Dane Fletcher (8 tackles) and Rob Ninkovich (7 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, 1 sack and 2 QB hits) also had solid games for the Patriots.  The Giants finished up with 160 yards rushing (5.0 ypc) and 254 yards passing in this game.  The Patriots finish up the pre-season with a 2-2 record.

2nd year QB Brian Hoyer is starting to look like he might be a solid long term backup for Tom Brady.  Hoyer has completed 17 of 31 passes (54.8%) for 205 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs (96.8 QB Rating) so far this pre-season.  It appears that Bill Belichick has found another QB that no one else knew much about as Hoyer signed on as a undrafted free agent last year.  Could he be another Matt Cassel?  Only time will tell.

The Patriots only had the ball for 16:14 last night and they still almost beat the Rams.  Tom Brady was outstanding as usual completing 18 of 22 passes for 273 yards with 3 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Brian Hoyer finished up the game by completing 1 of 3 passes for 5 yards with 1 TD pass.  Benjarvus Green-Ellis led the Patriots in rushing last night with 13 yards on 5 carries (2.6 ypc).  Kevin Faulk only had 1 carry for 3 yards last night but he also caught 4 passes for 34 yards (8.5 avg).  Randy Moss (3 rec, 74 yards, TD) and rookie TE Rob Gronkowski (3 rec, 66 yards, 2 TDs)  led the way in the passing game for the Patriots last night.  WRs Sam Aiken (4 rec, 22 yards) and Wes Welker (2 rec, 41 yards) also pitched in last night for the Patriots.  The Patriots finished up with 28 yards (2.5 ypc) and 260 yards passing last night. 

LB Jared Mayo (10 tackles) and safety Patrick Chung (10 tackles) led the way for the Patriots’ D last night.  The Rams finished up with 136 yards rushing (3.3 ypc) and 326 yards passing in this game.

The game did start off with a bang for the Patriots due to WR/KR Brandon Tate who returned the opening kickoff 97 yards for a TD.  He caught 2 passes for 17 yards last night in addition to returning 3 kickoffs for 164 yards (54.7 avg) and 1 punt return for 0 yards.  If Tate can stay healthy for the Patriots this year look out!

The Patriots got physical on Thursday Night as they pushed the Falcons around.  Tom Brady was razor sharp completing 10 of 12 passes for 85 yards with 1 TD pass.  Brian Hoyer was efficient in completing 8 of 15 passes for 94 yards with 1 TD pass.  Rookie Zac Robinson finished up the game at QB for the Patriots by completing both of his pass attempts for 17 yards.  Fred Taylor looked like a back 10 years younger than he is in this game as he carried the ball 11 times for 54 yards (4.9 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Sammy Morris was also tough with 6 carries for 52 yards (8.7 ypc) with a TD run.  BenJarvus Green-Ellis pitched in with 12 yards rushing on 7 carries (1.7 ypc) in this game.  Rookie TEs Aaron Hernandez (4th round) and Rob Gronkowski (2nd round) led the way for the Patriots in the passing game Thursday Night.  Hernandez caught 4 passes for 46 yards (11.5 avg) with a TD and Gronkowski caught 4 passes for 38 yards (9.5 avg) with a TD grab.  The Patriots finished up with 120 yards rushing (4.0 ypc) and 179 yards passing in this game.

The DBs were the standouts on D in this game for the Patriots.  Rookie CB Devin McCourty (5 tackles, 1 pass defensed), safety Patrick Chung (5 tackles) and safety Brandon Meriweather (5 tackles, 1 pass defensed) led the way for the Pats’ D on Thursday Night.  The Falcons finished up with 98 yards rushing (3.9 ypc) and 168 yards passing in this contest.

The Patriots are probably smiling today as they usually don’t take the pre-season too serious.  That being said they did beat the Super Bowl Champs last night.  Tom Brady wasn’t in the game too long as he completed 5 of 8 passes for 67 yards.  Brian Hoyer replaced Brady and he looked solid in completing 8 of 13 passes for 106 yards.  Rookie 7th round pick Zac Robinson struggled in his first taste of the NFL completing 3 of 8 passes for 48 yards.  Chris Taylor led the way in the running game for the Patriots last night with 8 carries for 39 yards (4.9 ypc).  BenJarvus Green-Ellis was also busy last night with 11 carries for 34 yards (3.1 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Laurence Maroney was tough around the goal line as he carried the ball 8 times for 30 yards (3.8 ypc) with 2 TD runs last night.  Julian Edelman was busy for the Patriots last night with 6 catches for 90 yards (15.0 avg) and he also returned 2 punts for 43 yards (21.5 avg).  The Patriots finished up with 125 yards rushing (3.6 ypc) and 204 yards passing last night.

Defensively the kids looked good for the Patriots last night.  Rookie linebacker Brandon Spikes led the way for the Patriots last night with 8 tackles.  2nd year safety Patrick Chung pitched in with 7 tackles.  Rookie cornerback Devin McCourty had 3 tackles and he also returned 3 kickoffs for 111 yards (37.0 avg) last night.  The Saints finished up with 100 yards rushing (3.4 ypc) and 205 yards passing last night.

The Patriots did have a problem on kickoff coverage on one play as Saints’ WR Larry Beavers returned one 97 yards for a  TD.