Grade The Game: Preseason Game 1

[BigNastyFish]

not sayin' anything definitive but...

(didn't see the action -- so based on rumors)

geez it would have been positive mojo for the O to take the field (1st possession) and score a TD lookin' highly efficient and effective in the process... Come on Gase -- the only way to win consistently is to score early and often!

wowser... sounds like the loss of Suh was more than evident and... if we get pushed around in the middle it will be a very long season. Maybe our guys were on a bad lunar cycle? Could be shaky ground...

the fact we lost the lead with under a min to play is... sad. I know it's a supposedly meaningless preseason game -- but back in the day with Shula we kicked ass in preseason and I don't think it was an accident... Yea yea. Times have changed. But winning tends to become a habit.

last... not trying to sound the alarm but reports of Thills "inaccuracy" are at least mildly concerning... also, our miracle man in the middle (McMillan) may not be the "instant" stud we've been hyped to believe... again, way too early, but all things considered, it's a LOT better to demonstrate high performance on the field right away as opposed to some theoretical evolution (take Parker, as an example).

 

[phintim]

McMillian didn't look healthy to me. Looked tentative. Poor in his run fits. Overran his gaps and left cutback lanes.

Essentially he's still a rookie on the field. A rookie coming back from a serious knee injury. It'll be a process getting back.

I was afraid of that lots of folks have put alot of faith in this kid to produce quickly like he was a all pro with experience instead of what he is.

 

[LANGER72]

Tanny has still got it. We drove all the way down the field for 3.

Fistpump!!

 

[Butterfrog 2.0]

What I saw from the starters on defense was some guys just sort of going through the motions. Someone here said Howard looked bad... well he was playing off coverage which we all know isnt what hes built for, and I didnt exactly see max effort out of him on those plays. This could be concerning, but I'm actually ok with it because if he goes down then we are in trouble at CB. Howard is the least of my worries about this defense though. I wonder how much the lack of gameplanning and studying film led to Raekwon Mcmillain taking false steps and reading the plays improperly.

No injuries to key players makes the game a success as there really isnt much else to evaluate other than some individual efforts from backups and/or open starting gigs. From what I saw though idk how you can keep Baker off of the field. Even if he misreads the play and takes a false step he has the gifts to make up for it with that speed and quickness, and the guy hustles. Roquan Smith did the same thing in college. I saw him many times misread the play, take a false step, figure it out, then fly to the ball and make the play. Well Baker is probably faster than Roquan so he can and will do the same thing. Keep him clean and he will eat all day long. That play where he beat the blocker to the spot on a screen is a play I havent seen from this defense in idk how long.

 

[fishfanmiami]

It's not an important measure being that it was only a scrimmage, but, if you like, give game 1 (preseason) an overall grade.

My grade: B

I added a poll so we can see what everyone thinks

 

[MinnFinFan]

First offensive drive: penalty, missed field goal.
First defensive drive: penalty, allowed a TD.

The team might "look" different but the results so far are not. I don't care if the team can move the ball up and down the field, they have to stop shooting themselves in the foot. The talent across the NFL is pretty levelled. It's the little things that make the difference, like a missed field goal, a missed tackle, a penalty. All this does not happen on every play but it's here and there and then it's too much to overcome. The Patriots have been a powerhouse, not because they have some extraordinary brainpower outsmarting everybode else along the way but because they don't make stupid mistakes. And that's how you win ball games.

You nailed it, I will add field position. Our defense was put in a bad spot at least 3 times.
Baker looks like a player.

 

[TeeMoney]

Hard for me to judge these players because I wish so much they were great.