Hardy & Flynn: Mayo Becoming Playmaker For Patriots Defense
Hardy and Flynn jump away from the Red Sox drama to talk about the New England Patriots going into Monday night's preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Patriots enter an interesting stretch, where they'll play the next three games in 10 days. Former NFL offensive lineman Mike Flynn says managing all the playing time is the biggest question mark heading into Monday night's game.
"How they handle that will be interesting to see, and that is the big topic," said Flynn, who has plenty of preseason experience of his own playing for the Baltimore Ravens from 1997-2007. "Do the starters play tonight or do they play Friday? How are they going to handle the logistics for all the reps for all these players"
Read: What To Watch For In Patriots-Eagles
"It's a unique schedule. When I was in the league it was always has been the third preseason game. Normally I would say treat this game like the first preseason game; the starters play a couple of series. Then in the third game you're in the norm, they play two, maybe into the third quarter and don't play in the fourth game."
But it's a different setup because between the second and the third (game) they have those organized team practices with Tampa. That's going to be physical, so in essence those are going to be game-type reps," said Flynn. "Maybe they play this game and play a little less in the third game. I think you'll see them tonight -- I think it's going to be similar to the first preseason game; a couple of series on offense and defense, some of the younger guys will play a lot. Then they'll have the scrimmages with Tampa and in preseason game number three; maybe they'll tone that one down a bit."
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Flynn would also like to see linebacker Jerod Mayo take further steps to becoming a defensive play maker, which is what the Patriots defense needs most.
"The Patriots, at times, it's great that they bend but don't break," said Flynn. "But you need the guys to make game-changing plays for you, and we saw a little bit of that with Jerod Mayo. To me, if I was a Patriots fan, that would be one of the most exciting things; the way he in pass coverage was free to tackle Darren Sproles, a pass break up, tipping the ball to create that interception, blitzing a bit. They were freeing him up to become a play maker."
Also, Hardy and Flynn give their thoughts on the signing of former Florida Gator, and Olympic silver medalist, Jeff Demps.
Tune in to the Patriots-Eagles preseason game on 98.5 The Sports Hub! Coverage begins Monday night at 5pm with Patriots Pregame!
