What To Watch For In Patriots-Saints Preseason Opener: The Jimmy Garoppolo Show
By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- Football.
It's back.
Not all the way back, but certainly back enough, as the Patriots will host the Saints tonight at Gillette Stadium in the preseason opener for both teams. The football year has officially begun.
While there's not nearly as much on the line in these preseason games, this is a fascinating summer in the world of the New England Patriots. Nobody on the outside knows exactly how Bill Belichick plans to handle the workload at the most important position on the field this summer -- and they've been not-so-politely told to not even bother asking about it.
The New England defense suddenly finds itself facing expectations to be as equally dominant as the offense, but mixing in some new bodies is never a sure thing.
And then there is the ever-present reality that football is a violent game, and that nothing is more critical than health. With exactly one month to go until the real games begin, the Patriots still have a number of question marks in that department.
So, there is much to be learned in these first three preseason games, and it will all begin at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday evening. With that, here's what to keep an eye on when this game kicks off in Foxboro.
OK, Who's Playing?
The Patriots had quite the scare on Tuesday, when Julian Edelman departed practice after hurting his left foot -- the same left foot that ended his regular season prematurely last year and then required offseason surgery after he had played in two playoff games. They appeared to have dodged a bullet when Edelman was back on the field Wednesday, but it's not an overstatement to say that those uncertain hours on Tuesday afternoon put the 2016 season in jeopardy. Edelman is that important.
While that setback will likely be enough to prevent Edelman from playing in this game, we've still got a number of uncertain situations up and down the roster. Danny Amendola hasn't practiced yet, so he's out. Rob Gronkowski hasn't played a preseason game in years, but with new tight end Martellus Bennett, and the need to get game work in with Jimmy Garoppolo, might No. 87 see the field? (According to Jeff Howe, Gronkowski won't.)
In the backfield, Dion Lewis hasn't yet practiced, and newcomer Donald Brown has had spotty practice participation. Likewise with undrafted rookie D.J. Foster.
On defense, there will be a need for the Patriots to see what they can do at defensive end, now that Rob Ninkovich is out for at least a month with a torn triceps.
Basically, it's always difficult to try to predict who exactly will be playing in a preseason game coached by Bill Belichick. And we won't get complete answers until game time.
Butler v. Cooks
Through very little fault of his own, Malcolm Butler found himself at the center of much debate this offseason regarding his contract. He never explicitly said that he's a No. 1 cornerback and therefore should be paid like one, but ... well, he should be. A $600,000 salary for a player who serves such an important role isn't exactly ideal for the player.
But now that football season has arrived, instead of being in the middle of contract talk, Butler can actually ... play football. And in what will likely only be a couple of series of work, he'll face a worthy foe on Thursday night.
Brandin Cooks is coming off an 84-catch, 1,138-yard, nine-touchdown season, and he's looking to take another step forward here in year three. He got off to the right start on Tuesday, when he got the better of Butler multiple times on the practice field.
Now in a game setting, this little matchup will be a fun one to watch for however long the two players are on the field. It'll likely prove beneficial to both players as they look to continue to climb the rankings at their respective positions.
The Garoppolo Show
Of course, this is what everyone will be focused on this preseason: the quarterback. That is the case pretty much every year, because folks love paying close attention to the man/men under center, but it's undeniably different this year.
Belichick faces a unique challenge. Ultimately, this team will be Tom Brady's team, and so the No. priority from a long-term perspective is to get every member of that offense up to speed and ready to work with the future Hall of Famer.
At the same time, Jimmy Garoppolo lacks experience, and he's just a month away from playing real NFL games against real NFL defenses. It's critical for the Patriots to get him as comfortable as possible in a short amount of time, and that process would presumably include going up against No. 1 defenses throughout the preseason. If he only faces backups in August, he'll be in for an unwelcome surprise in Week 1 in Arizona.
In the past, Belichick's handled his QB workload differently in the preseason, so there's no precise way of knowing how he'll approach this summer -- especially considering his starting quarterback will have to take a league-mandated vacation for the month of September.
We know that he'll ultimately decide "what's best for the team," but if Brady does sit out (as he will reportedly do), then all eyes will be focused squarely on Garoppolo. Each and every success -- as well as each and every mistake -- will be hyper-analyzed for the next week and beyond.
Offensive Line
The Patriots have 15 offensive linemen. Something's got to give.
What that means is that the return of Dante Scarnecchia not only brought heightened expectations for the unit, but it will also very likely bring about the release of a known veteran or two.
And really, through a couple of weeks of camp, it's hard to tell exactly who may end up losing what will go down as the fiercest battle on the whole roster.
Scarnecchia has made one thing clear: He wants to limit rotations along the line. Which is to say he wants a starting five that can carry the bulk of the work.
With that in mind, the clock is ticking to find the right combination that can not only protect Brady in December and January but, in a more pressing need, give Garoppolo the time needed to work in the pocket in September.
While the final five (or six) guys likely haven't yet been decided, we'll get a good idea of Scarnecchia's line of thinking based on which players he trots out to play with the starters in each of these games. The unit that starts this particular game won't necessarily be the unit that's rolled out for Week 1, especially considering the injuries and absences among the linemen thus far. But it will be a first indication of which linemen are out to early leads in their battle to make the starting unit.
You can email Michael Hurley or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.
