The Bits and Pieces of a Patriots Weekend
Well, you know what they say about pre-season football in the NFL?
No really, do you know because I do not. I do know that it is never a good indication of how the regular season may pan out for any team. It is still a trial period for most teams and coaches to try new plays, let some rookies and newbies get some playtime, and for the New England Patriots, return to the site of last year’s Super Bowl and remember their amazing second-half come from behind victory in which I am still awe-struck.
Here some bits and pieces of what went down in Houston. And with a fumbling backup quarterback, a star defensive end not in action, and a 27-23 loss; I hope the Patriots don’t have a problem in regular season.
The Patriots got a friendly reminder of Super Bowl LI when they returned to Houston’s NRG Stadium Saturday night. Red and blue confetti were found in the Microsoft Surface phone system along the sideline. Could this be a sign from the football gods that the Pats are destined to go the distance again this year?
Tight End Rob Gronkowski played his first preseason game since 2012. The Gronk’s non-play up until now was based on coach’s decisions to limit exposure to injuries the star tight end was recovering from. Gronkowski for 14 of the team’s first 16 plays, but he finished with no catches and no targeted passes.
“It felt good to be out there, get my feet wet, to get the speed of the game. I love to play football,” Gronkowski said.
On the other side of the football, defensive end Trey Flowers did not play Saturday night. Flowers led the team with seven sacks last season. It is not believed that he is dealing with an injury, as he is one of the few top players that was not in action.
Quarterback Tom Brady also started Saturday night in Houston, playing for two drives and completing 6 of 9 passes with 67 yards and one touchdown.
In a post-game news conference, Patriots coach Bill Belichick’s ended with a question on if there was a feeling of nostalgia returning to NRG Stadium, the site of Super Bowl LI.
“That’s all in the past,” he responded. “I mean, it was great, but we’re on to 2017. I don’t think last year, two years ago or 12 years ago is that important. Trying to get this team ready to go, and this year’s team is this year’s team. It’s my responsibility to make a strong commitment to this group. I’m not trying to live in the past. I’m not trying to live in the future. I’m just trying to do a good job with the team we have today.”
New England Patriots backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was hard on himself following Saturday night’s 27-23 loss to the, as he lost a fumble on a crunching sack and later threw a sideline interception when he was attempting to throw the ball away.
“I was just trying to throw it away, but didn’t put enough on it,” he explained, as he was on the move to evade an oncoming defensive end. “It was just a bad play.”
The back-up to Tom Brady did look to stand tough in the pocket, taking some huge hits and leading New England on a scoring drive. The miscues, however, gave the Texans two scores and a 27-23 victory.