Patriots: Tampa Bay Preview – What to Look For

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Thursday, August 18, 2011

John Rooke, GoLocalProv Sports Editor

The pre-season is almost at the halfway point. And Bill Belichick’s job is about to get that much tougher.

Decisions, decisions. Who to play? Who to keep? Who to cut? These are the questions that will be answered over the next 2-3 weeks, in an effort to reach the final roster number of 53 players. Last week’s opening win against Jacksonville may have provided an answer or two on some players and roster slots, but chances are good that more questions than answers came from the 47-12 win over the Jaguars.

Providing answers to all of the questions will certainly be a tough job. Tonight’s game at Tampa Bay will be the next big step toward getting those answers. Here are a few keys to look for:

Veteran Play

Tom Brady and several key veterans did not play at all against Jacksonville in the opener, so expect everyone who is healthy enough to be out on the field…to be out on the field at some point. If they don’t play at all, they’re not ready to contribute. Albert Haynesworth and Shaun Ellis bear watching here, but if neither plays, it doesn’t necessarily mean either player is in roster purgatory. It simply means that at this stage of the pre-season, they’re not ready to contribute. The same situation applies for other veterans that might not see game action. Chad Ochocinco? Wes Welker? They were suited up last week, chances are they’ll see at least a little time this week.

Rookie spotlight

There will be a large light shining on the offensive line…and no, it’s not because Matt Light will be in there. In fact, Light probably will not see game action, so the focus will center on rookie top draft pick Nate Solder. He’ll get his first chance to protect Brady’s blind side at left tackle. Typically in week two of the pre-season, the younger players who might be considered “borderline” contributors will get time here, as the first round of roster cuts will take place August 30th. Decisions on several young players will be made after Tampa, so keep an eye on who gets onto the field…and who doesn’t.

Secondary is Primary

In practice this week, there has been a focus on personnel moves in and out of the Patriots’ secondary, including Sergio Brown moving in as a “starter” in place of Brandon Meriweather. Most likely, different player combinations have been used to ensure compatibility with ALL players in the defensive backfield…rather than someone falling out of favor. Still, it will be interesting to see who starts, and who gets the majority of snaps in the secondary.

Hold onto the ball

Both sides are liable to be screaming this at some point. The Patriots counted five fumbles (three were officially reported, the coaches’ added two more after viewing game film) against Jacksonville, while the defense only came up with one Jaguar turnover. Expect a point of emphasis on taking care of the ball (hello, Aaron Hernandez?) while defensively trying to turn the Buccaneers over with aggressive defense. Remember, New England led the NFL in turnover ratio last season – they’ll be looking to emphasize forcing turnovers all season long.

The Other Guys

Bill Belichick said it best this week – “I think this will be a good test for us. Tampa, really, I think has been an impressive team. Last year they were 10-6 and played a lot of good football. They really dominated Kansas City last week in the first preseason game. They’re fast. They’re aggressive. I mean, they’re obviously young. They have a lot of talented players and they play at a high tempo. So, I think this is a lot different type of style than what we saw last week from Jacksonville, so it will be interesting to see how we match up (against) not only different players, but a different style of play.”

Off-field Distraction

He’s large enough while he’s on the field…but now, Vince Wilfork truly has no place to hide. With the Yahoo! Sports investigative story breaking this week about illegal inducements at the University of Miami, Wilfork became a centerpiece of the story for his alleged acceptance of illegal benefits while a player there from 2001-2004. When contacted by Yahoo! Sports, Wilfork declined to speak about it. “I’m not interested buddy,” Wilfork said, before hanging up. Expect more of the same, and expect the Patriots to watch this situation closely. At some point, Wilfork will need to address the issues. But when?

Training Camp Notes

The Patriots announced Wednesday afternoon the release of offensive lineman Mark LeVoir, who played in six games last season.  He was originally claimed off waivers from St. Louis in 2008...the team held a brief walkthrough Wednesday, before departing for Tampa…in the useless information department, the Patriots have lost seven straight pre-season games to the Buccaneers (1-7 all time overall, lost 27-10 in 2008), including six straight on the road. The Patriots are 5-2 in regular season games against the Bucs, with the two teams last facing each other at London’s Wembley Stadium in 2009 (35-7 Patriots win)…perhaps of more importance is the fact that the team will be playing a night game in the Florida heat, which could certainly replicate conditions they will face for the season-opener against the Miami Dolphins…

Tampa Bay opened their pre-season with a 25-0 win over Kansas City, on the road. Two early turnovers forced by the Bucs defense led to touchdowns, and set the tone…it’s a definite youth movement in Tampa, as 72 of the 90 players currently on their roster are age 25 or younger. Football Outsiders rates the Bucs as having the best “young talent under 25” in the NFL…former Patriot linebacker Tyrone McKenzie was signed by the Buccaneers from the practice squad last November, and appeared in three games for Tampa…former Buffalo defensive back Ashton Youboty signed a two-year deal with Tampa Bay this week…fans are having a tough time realizing what they might have with this year’s team, as both home pre-season games are not close to sellouts – meaning this game will be blacked out locally on TV. Tickets remain for seven of the eight Buccaneer regular season games as well. Tampa Bay was the only team in the NFL with eight home blackouts last season…coaches were pleased overall with the conditioning level for all of the players coming into the Bucs’ training camp, which officially ended on Tuesday…

Training Camp Schedule

Thursday
7:30 pm Game @ Tampa Bay

Friday Players’ day off

Saturday
12:00 pm – 4:00 pm Patriots Experience (final day)
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm Practice open to the public (final day)
 

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