The preseason is over and the Patriots have already started cutting players to get down to the 53-man limit, which is due tomorrow. In addition to Carson Butler, Rob Myers, and Damione Lewis, the Patriots have also cut veteran OL Eric Ghiaciuc. Ghiaciuc was vying for the back-up job at guard and center. With the hits starting, now is as good a time as any to roll out my final 53-man roster projection. This projection does not include any potential trades, and Bill Belichick has remarked today that the phone has been ringing. He did not, however, predict that a trade was forthcoming.
It is being reported that three players have already be informed of their release from the team as the deadline for roster cuts approaches tomorrow at 4 pm. The first two are no surprise: tight ends Rob Myers and Carson Butler. The Pats have three set tight ends in Alge Crumpler, Rob Gronkowski, and Aaron Hernandez, so Butler and Myers were destined to be cut. Myers was on the practice squad last season and could return there if he clears waivers. The third release is somewhat of a surprise. DL Damione Lewis, who the Pats signed in the offseason, is being released. While he hasn’t done much during the preseason, his cause looked to be helped by th erun of injuries along the defensive line. Apparently those injuries weren’t enough to save his spot, though Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com states that the team could bring him back after Week One, at which time his salary would not be guaranteed for the season.
The Patriots fell to the Giants 20-17 for their final preseason game, and with the preseason is officially over, focus across the NFL is now shifting to the regular season. Before we shift our focus that way as well, let’s take a last look back at the final preseason game by recapping the “5 to Watch” I provided yesterday.
The preseason is finally over and all attention is now on the opener Sept. 12 against the Bengals. Week 4 of the preseason was not your typical last game of the preseason, as the starters on both units played two series. So, here’s your chance to grade the Patriots’ performance during their final preseason game against the Giants. To the right of the page is the poll where you can grade the Patriots either an ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’, ‘D’, or ‘F’. The poll will close Tuesday, Sept. 7.
The New England Patriots wrapped up the 2010 preseason with a 20-17 loss to the New York Giants. The defense couldn’t hold on to a late 17-12 lead, allowing the Giants to score on a 60-yard pass down the middle and convert the two-point conversion. The starters for both the offensive and defensive units played two series apiece and had mixed results. On the defense’s opening series, Eli Manning and the Giant offense torched the ‘D’ for 86 yards in 9 plays and a touchdown, but botched the extra point/two-point conversion. The Patriot offense responded and scored a touchdown on an 8-play, 45-yard drive that was set up by a 55-yard kick-off return by RB Thomas Clayton. The Pats scored on a 5-yard pass from Tom Brady to rookie TE Rob Gronkowski.
The Patriots wrap up the 2010 preseason tonight when they visit the New York Giants. The fourth preseason game traditionally is a game where the starters play little-to-no snaps and the players still battling for roster spots make their push for a job. I say “traditionally” because tonight we could see the Pats veer away from that formula after last week’s poor performance against the St. Louis Rams. That, and the roster battles, round out this week’s “5 to Watch.”
For about a week, fans could vote in a poll here on Musket Fire where they graded the Patriots’ performance in Week 3 of the preseason. During Week 3, the Patriots posted a woeful performance against the St. Louis Rams, and fans voiced their displeasure. I personally gave the team a ‘D’ grade, with the 35 points posted by the offense the only thing saving them from an ‘F’. The ‘D’ grade was also the highest vote-getter. To determine the team’s final grade, I averaged the number values for each value and came out with a final average of a 69.7, which rounded up to a 70, or C-. Quite honestly, I feel that this grade is a little inflated, as someone graded them an ‘A’. How anyone could view that performance as ‘A’ material is beyond me. But, as Belichick would say, “It is what is is.” Hopefully, the Patriots will turn in a better performance tonight against the New York Giants.
Source: Yardbarker.com
And I’m not talking about trying to purchase the video. For those of you who haven’t heard, the Patriots’ rookie linebacker Brandon Spikes and an unidentified woman made a video recording a sexual act, and that video was leaked onto the internet. According to reports, it was not Spikes who released the video, but family members think it may have been a cyber-prank. According to Spikes’ agent Terry Watson, it’s an “embarrassing situation” and that it “…doesn’t reflect the kind of person he (Spikes) is.” Besides the fact that he’s now all over the net doing stuff that should be behind closed doors, he now stands to lose some money.
Champ Bailey would look good in Patriot blue. Source: Yardbarker.com
The news that CB Leigh Bodden has been placed on season-ending IR can’t help but bring some trepidation when thinking about the success of New England’s young secondary. With Bodden down, the learning curve is much steeper and progress has to be made much quicker. As it stands right now, second-year man Darius Butler and rookie Devin McCourty will be starting, and while they have big potential, they also have some big steps to take to be a successful tandem. I mentioned in my last post that trading for a veteran corner may be on the Pats’ “To-Do” list to help stabilize the secondary and ease the growing pains of the inexperienced players. To follow up on that thought, I thought about who could be a possible target, and the first one to come to my mind (and also makes some sense) is veteran CB Champ Bailey. “Crazy,” you say? Let’s take a step into my dementia.
Leigh Bodden is done for the year after being placed on IR. Source Yardbarker.com
Yesterday I tried to predict who the 5 players the Patriots would either cut or place on IR today. Today was the day that teams had to chop their rosters down from 80 players to 75 players. While I nailed 3 out of the 5, one of my misses was HUGE and could possibly have season-altering implications for the team. Veteran CB Leigh Bodden was placed on injured reserve (IR), dealing the Pats’ young secondary a major blow. Bodden, after being awarded a lucrative contract during the offseason, was expected to be the veteran presence in a corner back group that, without him, averages about 2 years of NFL experience. Where does this leave the CB group now?
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