Preseason Game Preview Week 1: New England Patriots At Philadelphia Eagles
Time 7:30 ET
Date: Friday, August 9th, 2013
Place: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
The host, Philadelphia Eagles square up against the New England Patriots
Aug 6, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; New England Patriots quarterbacks Tom Brady (12) and Tim Tebow (5) during NFL training camp at the NovaCare complex. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports
for the first game in preseason play. Both teams are eager to finally play again after what has been a grinding off-season to say the least.
First it’s the Aaron Hernandez story, now it’s the Riley Cooper situation. You know…..
Quarterback
The talk about these two teams, the quarterback position. We already know who’s starting at QB for the Patriots. The one and only Tom Brady. But there’s that one guy named Tim Tebow on the team who many think could make it on the 53 man roster to start the regular season. All depending on his valuable asset to the team will Tebow be able to play. So we will have to see how that pans out. Ryan Mallet the other quarterback on the Patriots depth chart could see the most reps throughout the preseason.
The Eagles have strong depth at QB and three guys could see; starter next to their name come the regular season. Michael Vick is the starter on Friday, but Nick Foles is to see the most reps, closely followed by Matt Barkley, Dennis Dixon, and G.J Kinnie, Vick, Barkley, and Foles are the true competitors here. Kinnie and Dixon will most likely be cut if they do not open eyes or be used as a second/third option quarterback to steal Barkley’s spot.
Position Battles
The Patriots and the Eagles are similar in regard to the lack of wide receiver talent. The Patriots have lost Wes Welker and I guess you could say Brandon Lloyd in the off-season. The Eagles have recently lost Jeremy Maclin and Arrelious Benn to injuries. Both teams are praying for a savior this regular season to plug the gap. The New England Patriots are looking for a best option tight end as Rob Gronkowski is nursing imjuries that could have him start the regular season on the PUP list (Physically Unable To Perform). That’s an if and but situation the Pats are looking at, someone like rookie Zach Sudfeld is opening eyes around the league. Sudfeld is 6’7, 260, undrafted out of Nevada and could see a lot of work throughout the preseason as well. There are not many position battles just mainly guys fighting for roster spots.
Other Notes:
Potential is something both of these teams have on their rosters. Sudfeld is one who I already mentioned for the Pats. But the one with the most is DeSean Jackson the WR for the Eagles. Jackson could easily become a top ten receiver in the NFL. He has his chance now that the Eagles are slim at the position. We might see a lot of him this year on SportsCenter. You always have to hold your breathe whenever he touches the ball because of what he can bring to the table. The speed, and athleticism are all there. For the Patriots another guy comes to mind. Aaron Dobson, what hands this guy has. 6’3, 209 out of Marshall. He has star potential, I’d be interesting to see what this guy brings to the table for the Patriots.
Chip Kelly’s fast paced Oregon style offense might be inserted into the NFL this season. It will be fun to see what exactly Kelly does, look out for some different offensive formations. You never know with the Eagles, they could stay missing the playoffs like last year or they can make it. This team has talent, not a lot of it. But you can’t predict the Eagles season this year. It’s the impact of Chip Kelly that has people speculating about the team. The Patriots have been dragging their feet into the preseason but the team has talent. Defense is much improved, offense has holes but potential is there.
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