Things to look for as the Patriots wrap up the exhibition season

The New England Patriots face the Washington Commanders tonight at 8pm in the nation's capital to finish off the exhibition season. In only two weeks, the Patriots will be playing games for real. The long wait will be over. It seems like forever since the night the Patriots drafted Drake Maye third overall.

There are still several unanswered questions going into that game. Don’t expect all of them to be answered tonight.

Last week I wrote about things I was looking for when the Patriots played the Philadelphia Eagles. The Patriots had been just coming off the worst practice imaginable two days earlier in a joint practice with Philadelphia. The sky was falling and it was raining sacks.

The Patriots’ game day performance, however, was a complete 180. They played respectable, which is better than almost everyone expected.

The first thing I listed I was looking at was the offensive line. For the most part, they did pretty well, especially the first unit. The final unit was a far different story. I posted on social media that every offensive lineman on the field at the end of the game should be cut before they even get to the locker room. Not even Superman himself, or Joe Milton, could avoid getting sacked with that lineup.

Among the starters, Vederian Lowe was still a major concern for me at left tackle. He was just terrible and almost got Drake Maye killed. More on that later.

I was also looking for Drake Maye to play more than just one series, as he did in the first exhibition game – all the while criticizing how the organization was treating him with kid gloves all during camp. Drake Maye did play a lot and he had people salivating about his play. Most of the attention was shined on the most talked about incomplete pass in NFL preseason history.

I wasn’t as high on Maye’s performance as the majority of people, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is he played a substantial amount and he gave fans hope for the future. That is all I wanted to see.

The third thing I wrote about that I would be looking at was the Patriots’ pass rush without Matthew Judon and Christian Barmore. The Patriots did bring the heat. New defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington’s style appears to be very aggressive and blitz-happy. That is a departure from the bend-but-don’t-break philosophy we have grown accustomed to around these parts for the last three decades.

I heard Boston Sports Journal’s Greg Bedard criticize and mock Covington for blitzing so much. Bedard says it is almost an unwritten rule that teams don’t blitz much in the preseason. It is kind of like how it is almost an unwritten rule to not play defense in the NBA All-Star Game.

I have no problem with what Covington has done. I hate unwritten rules. There are enough rules out there already that we don't need to follow unwritten rules.

The bottom line is I liked what I saw with blitzes coming from various directions. I saw players you don’t usually see around the quarterback a few times in this game including Joshuah Bledsoe and Isaiah Bolden. 

I also saw a lot more stunting up front with the defensive linemen. Deatrich Wise and Josh Uche reminded people "hey, we're still here" by recording a sack each. Keon White keeps showing signs that this could be a breakout sophomore season for him.

This gives me confidence that the Patriots’ pass rush will be just fine this year, even without Judon and Barmore.

OK, now for tonight:

Patriots offensive line

I hate to sound like a broken record, but this will be the biggest question facing the Patriots early on this season – even more than when will Drake Maye be ready to start. I mentioned how unimpressed I have been with Vederian Lowe at left tackle. Quite frankly, I think he sucks. I can’t believe Mayo and his coaching staff believe he is the best option at left tackle. 

Fortunately, Lowe got hurt this week at practice. Greg Bedard mentioned in his most recent podcast that he finds it disgusting that people are happy that Lowe got hurt. I understand that, but it is not like Lowe tore up a knee or broke a leg. From all indications it is a short term torso thing.

But keep in mind if Wally Pipp didn’t randomly decide he wanted to sit out a game, there may have been no Lou Gehrig. If Drew Bledsoe didn’t get crushed by Mo Lewis along the sidelines, there may have been no Tom Brady. Sometimes an injury is fate’s away of steering coaches into making the right decisions.

In the absence of Lowe, it sounds like the starting offensive lineup this week has been the one I advocated in my previous article about the o-line: Okorafor at left tackle, Sow at left guard, Andrews at center, rookie Layden Robinson at right guard, and Michael Onwenu moved out to right tackle. I think that lineup gives the Patriots a darn good line. We shall see how they gel Sunday night.

Javon Baker and Tyquan Thornton

Just like I have been surprised with Mayo’s love for Vederian Lowe, I am surprised to keep hearing how much Alex Van Pelt and Jerod Mayo love the oft-injured, stringbean track-star-pretending-to-be-a-football-player Tyquan Thornton. Thornton has been practicing with the one’s all preseason, and sounds to be a lock at the starting x-receiver spot on opening day.

I am hoping, and believing, that it is all a smoke screen to overhype Thornton to try to deal him to another team before the opener. In my book, he is on the bubble to even make the team and it will take him doing something, anything, in this final preseason game to prove to me otherwise. I just haven’t seen anything from him, ever, in a game situation.

For all the swearing and bitterness Javon Baker showed when he got drafted by the Patriots in the fourth round, he still hasn’t shown me any reason to bring the popcorn and I still haven’t seen anyone in wheelchairs stand up when he plays.

I’ve seen flashes of his potential, but consistency appears to be a problem that will dog him his entire career. On the plus side, it appears he is a favorite target of Drake Maye. I am hoping he makes a big play tonight.

The wide receiver battle, as a whole, is the most competitive. That is why Thornton is very much the wildcard in the equation and could screw things up. I would hate to see the Patriots keep Thornton and lose Keyshaun Boutte. Maybe it is my love for LSU wide receivers, but I’ve always been impressed with Boutte. I think he has the ability to be something special. He has shown terrific hands all preseason, both in games and in practice.

What was Boutte's biggest downfall? Not getting a second foot down inbounds in a critical spot at the end of the season opener against the Eagles last year. Belichick never gave him a second chance after that. Demario Douglas got a second chance after Belichick benched him for fumbling in a game against Miami, and Douglas is now viewed as the best weapon on the Patriots’ offense.

Jaheem Bell

I took a look back at an article I wrote following the Patriots draft and noticed I had given them an A+ for their draft pick of Jaheem Bell in the seventh round. Bell has yet to stand out in camp, although he has his moments and has proven to be a viable red zone target. But I want more. I want to see him flexed around at different positions, including in the backfield.

New England has been decimated with injuries to their tight ends in recent days. Hunter Henry and Austin Cooper are both, currently, sidelined. Mitchell Wilcox has been awful.

This opens up the door for Bell. He should have a lot of playing time tonight so let’s see if he can make a play and maybe even score a touchdown. I am rooting for him (to live up to my A+ rating).

Bailey Zappe

I have to think Zappe is in the same boat as Tyquan Thornton. I want to believe the Patriots are touting these two in order to be able to trade them for something… anything. 

Mayo almost forgot to mention Zappe while answering a question during a morning press conference this week as to whether or not all the quarterbacks will play in the final exhibition game. Mayo replied, "all the quarterbacks will play – Brissett, Maye, Milton."

He then started to turn to address another question, before realizing his omission and turned back, adding, “And Zappe.”

Just like I would hate to see the Patriots lose Boutte if they choose to keep Thornton, I will go ballistic if the Patriots lose Joe Milton for nothing. There is no way, if the Patriots cut Milton, that he makes it through waivers. And I don’t see any way the Patriots carry four quarterbacks on the roster. Hence, the conundrum.

If Zappe does see the field for any extended time tonight, it has to be to showcase him. Has to be. Patriots’ fans should root for him to throw two touchdown passes – not so he cements his spot on our roster, but so another team takes note and offers a seventh-round draft pick for him.

Mayo and the coaching staff

This is a tough one to measure, but I am beginning to worry that Mayo is in over his head. I heard somebody ask him this week if it bothers him to be referred to as a player’s coach. Mayo’s response was that he didn’t care what people in the media refer to him as. He added that all that mattered to him is that he is referred to as a great head coach. He didn’t say that he hopes to be referred to someday as a great head coach. He said he is (present tense) a great head coach.

Mayo comes across as very arrogant. He also mentioned, recently, about the arrangement between him and Eliot Wolf when it comes time to make personnel and roster decisions. He referenced other teams and how certain head coaches have butted heads with their GM, but that so far his relationship with Wolf has been amiable. He said he hopes it stays that way. 

The insinuation, to me, was that everything will be just fine with him and Wolf as long as Wolf goes along with everything Mayo says.

Mayo said that he was treating this week’s preparation and daily routines for Washington the same way he would treat a week during the regular season. In other words, this is a trial run for the regular season.

We still don’t know how Mayo’s game management will be. We don’t know how good his game planning will be. We don’t know how well he will be able to make adjustments at game speed. We don’t know how involved he will be with his players on the sideline. Will he sit in on group meetings? Will he ever sit on the bench and talk one-on-one with a player and go over something on the tablet with them? Will he be standing shoulder to shoulder with Alex Van Pelt and being intrusive in his play calling?

These questions won’t be answered in a preseason game, but we may catch a glimpse of some things. Last week, we saw Mayo throw his first challenge flag, and win. I also saw him get into it a little bit with one of his defensive players as he came off the field. If Mayo is treating this game as a regular season game, it will be notable how he acts during the game.