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Patriots-Eagles preview: Outlining a potential Drake Maye gameplan originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
FOXBORO — The Patriots got about 70 plays under their belt on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball in Tuesday’s joint practice with the Eagles. For the decision-makers at One Patriot Place, there was plenty to digest from that one day of work alone.
What, then, do they want to see in Thursday’s preseason game at Gillette Stadium?
Offensively they’re still trying to get their line settled, and operationally on that side of the ball Jerod Mayo told reporters during a recent press conference that he hoped to see a little more urgency. A matchup with the Eagles will give Alex Van Pelt’s unit an opportunity to show it can get in and out of the huddle with some alacrity.
Defensively? The Patriots would probably like to see more of the same. Against the Eagles offense earlier in the week, New England had quarterback Jalen Hurts trying to navigate dirty pockets, and the Patriots were the more physical team on early downs.
With those big-picture thoughts in mind, let’s drill down a little further on what to keep an eye out for when the Patriots take the field for their second preseason game of the summer…
Quarterback reps
One thing we do know, courtesy of some recent public commentary from Mayo, is that Drake Maye is going to play more than a half-dozen snaps. There will be no repeat of the brief cameo Maye experienced in his preseason debut last week.
Knowing that Patriots fans will have an opportunity to see the No. 3 overall pick more extensively, the question now is this: How much more extensively?
The Patriots likely will want Jacoby Brissett to see some time with the starters early. He looks like the choice to start the regular season and could still use some time to get his timing and rhythm down with his teammates. Maybe a quarter or so would be enough for him to feel like he’s made some headway in that regard.
From there, it would be wise for the…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/patriots-eagles-preview-outlining-potential-183751863.html
Author : NBC Sports Boston
Publish date : 2024-08-15 18:37:51
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