Patriots Drop Preseason Opener, 13-10

The Patriots dropped their preseason opener 13-10, to the Buccaneers on Friday night.  The score doesn’t matter as much as player’s individual performances.  So, the following is a list of players who stood out to me:

Matt Gutierrez: played well as the team’s quarterback in the second half.  Went 6/10 for 66 and had a strong zip on all of his passes.  When needed, he also provided some really nice touch.

Matt Cassel: Got of his training camp slump, and performed well in the second quarter, leading the team on a touchdown drive.  Also continued to show the ability to scramble and run.

Sammy Morris: Played decently at runningback, although he didn’t exactly stand out.  However, he did show the ability to lower his shoulder, and pick up some yards after contact, which I did not expect from him.

Kevin Faulk: Had some nice carries and some nice catches.  Averaged 3 ypc and 8.7 ypr.

Kelley Washington: Made a couple of nice grabs to finish 2-23.  A performance like this obviously can’t hurt his case.

Jabar Gaffney: Didn’t play a lot (with 1st unit), but was able to make two catches in the opening two series.

Bam Childress: Had a nice punt return and a nice catch over the middle for 15.  Finished 2-17.

Chris Dunlap: Got some extended playing time and looked pretty good.  Ran some nice routes, and also pulled in a 17 yard grab.  He outplayed CJ Jones and Kelvin Kight.  We’ll see if he can make a move for a practice squad spot.

Danny Baugher and Tom Malone: Wow.  Maybe that’s why they didn’t sign Berger.  I think I prefer Baugher slightly, but Malone held his own as well.

Willy Andrews: Five tackles on defense and kick return duty.   Wow, he’s going to claim a roster spot.

Mike Richardson: Only had one tackle, but was very impressive in coverage, as he had a couple of near interceptions.  From what I’ve seen throughout mini camp, training camp, and now the preseason, Richardson deserves a roster spot and some playing time.

Oscar Lua: Looked pretty good commanding the defense.  At one point, I think he made back-to-back-to-back tackles.

Brandon Meriweather: Was all over the field.  Made good plays in coverage, some hard hits, and disturbed the play that caused the fumble.

Justin Rogers: Led the team with six total tackles, on was in the backfield disturbing things on more than one occasion.  He could actually be a solid pickup.