Gold Stars And Penalty Flags: Patriots First Preseason Win Is Costly
BOSTON (CBS) -- Pats get their first preseason win but it may have come at a cost. The fear is Julian Edelman has a torn ACL and everything is trending in that direction. Here are your gold stars and penalty flags.
The Gold Stars:
Tom Brady gets a gold star. 12 for 15 for 174 yards and 2 touchdowns. His blemish was an interception and coach punished him by not letting him back in the game. If this was the so called dress rehearsal contest, Brady wore a tux and looked clean. He directed the offense at a strong pace and they put up 24 points in the blink of an eye. Brady looks ready and that's a great thing for the Pats.
Watch Tom Brady Wish For The Best In Edelman's Injury
Chris Hogan gets a gold star. The minute Edelman went down, Hogan stepped in and started carrying the load. 4 catches for 70 yards and a touchdown. He beat the Lions on a long route and beat them also in space. Hogan has had a great preseason and training camp. Looks like he's ready for the regular season.
Stephon Gilmore gets a gold star. So far, so solid. Stephon has locked down that number one corner spot and taken on all preseason top receivers. He's tackling strong and making plays when the ball comes his direction. The Pats finally have their number one corner and he's fitting in nicely.
The Penalty Flags:
The injury bug gets a penalty flag. This situation with Julian Edelman isn't good. This is trending in a bad way and we they are talking about a torn ACL. Edelman is Brady's go to guy but more importantly he's a gamer and something this team needs. Julian moves the chains and makes the tough catches. Also, thumbs up to the players in the league. News spread that Edelman went down and an outpouring of support came from all over. Injuries are part of the game but a non contact knee injury is the worst. Let's give the injury bug a game misconduct.
Cameron Fleming gets a penalty flag.
The Pats are trying to find a swing left tackle and it has been tough. Nate Solder has been out and Cam Fleming was the latest try at replacement. Fleming didnt have a great game and at points he just looked gassed. He got beat more than he should have and when it comes to Brady's blind side, that can't happen. The Pats may be in a bad spot here. Hopefully Dante Scarnecchia can work some magic.