(AP Photo/Michael Dwyer) The Patriots lost their preseason opener to the New York Giants on a last second field goal 23-21. Here are my thoughts on the game. 1. Zappe Time: Rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe played three quarters and completed 19-32 passes for 205 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Zappe led the team on two scoring drives and showed poise and toughness. Some of his limitations also came through…
UMass: Quarterback competition is wide open for the Minutemen
AMHERST — Sifting through the evidence at practice for UMass as the team looks for a starting quarterback can be a fruitless exercise. You see Brady Olson make a dime of a touchdown pass on a throw that not many can make, and he looks like the guy. But then you watch Zamar Wise or Gino Campiotti make an electric run in full team drills, and you think, well, it’s…
Patriots: Positive steps taken in first preseason game
FOXBOROUGH – After two weeks of dissecting practices, we finally got to see some real football at Gillette Stadium on Thursday night when the Giants visited for the first preseason game. There’s still a lot of questions surrounding the team since the starters didn’t play, but we did learn a bit more about some of the guys fighting for jobs in the 23-21 loss. Simply put, preseason wins and losses…
Patriots: 5 Patriots That Stood Out in Preseason Game One
AP Photo/Michael Dwyer The Patriots lost to the Giants, 23-21, in their first preseason game at Gillette Stadium on Thursday night. Here are five players that stood out: 1. Mack Wilson: Wilson played limited snaps, but showed some good range. The Patriots are banking on his athleticism giving a boost to their defense. 2. Tyquan Thornton: Thornton caught a touchdown at the end of the first quarter along the back…
Patriots: 10 players we are watching in tonight’s preseason game
AP Photo/Steven Senne The Patriots kick off the 2022 preseason tonight. Here are ten players that we will be watching and evaluating in this game. 1. Cameron McGrone, LB: McGrone missed all of last season due to a torn ACL. He is back and while he hasn’t popped in camp yet, tonight will be our first opportunity to see him in action. McGrone has good size and instincts and he…
Patriots Four Down Preview: New York Giants (0-0) at New England Patriots (0-0)
Kickoff: The Patriots open the 2022 preseason tonight at home against the New York Giants. The two teams have played each other 31 times in the preseason, making the Giants the Patriots most common preseason opponent. The two teams are meeting for the 16th time in 17 years in the preseason. The 2020 match up was cancelled due to COVID. The Giants have a first year head coach in Brian…
College: 10 takeaway’s from Stonehill camp
The Stonehill Skyhawks opened training camp this week and needless to say, there was a buzz in the air as the Skyhawks make the move up to Division One. There was a lot to take in but here are ten observations I made after attending practice. 1. Quarterback competition: The Skyhawks had a quarterback competition in the spring and it’s continued into fall camp. Juniors Jackson Zalinsky and Andrew Janik…
Patriots: James White announces his retirement, leaves a lasting legacy
Photo: Mark J. Rebilas/USA Today Another piece of the dynasty is riding off into the sunset. James White announced his retirement from the NFL on Thursday morning. White played his entire nine-year career with New England and will forever be remembered for his contribution to the Super Bowl LI comeback against Atlanta, his dependability and consistency. “James White has always been one of the most reliable and dependable players on…
Patriots: Heading into first preseason game, defense has plenty of confidence & might just be better than we thought
Yes, the offense has looked poor for the majority of training camp, but that’s because we may have severely underestimated this defense heading into training camp. After two weeks, it’s clear the offensive line still needs time to get communication down – David Andrews and Mac Jones said as much earlier this week – but part of the reason it’s looked so bad at times is because the defense is…
College: 10 takeaways from URI’s camp
We visited with the Rhode Island Rams on Monday morning. The Rams are coming off of a 7-4 season in which they contended in the CAA and were in the hunt for an at large playoff bid. Here is what learned. 1. Transfers aplenty: Jim Fleming and his staff fortified the roster this off-season through the transfer portal. The Rams added 11 total players from the portal and the majority…