FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Sharing some thoughts after reviewing the second quarter of the New England Patriots' 22-11 loss to the Green Bay Packers in the preseason opener:
1. I chatted briefly with two NFL scouts in the press box at halftime about rookie guard Shaq Mason, the fourth-round pick out of Georgia Tech who started at left guard. Mason is the type of player who piques the interest of scouts because he comes from a triple-option offense and thus is well-versed in run-blocking. But he has a steep learning curve in pass blocking. The second quarter provided some clear-cut examples of this.
The 6-foot-1, 310-pound Mason has exemplary athleticism, which is seen when he pulls (e.g. Jonas Gray runs of 55 and 5 yards), and combines it with power to forcefully strike a moving target. But he struggled badly at times in pass protection on a couple of snaps, the final one coming when Jimmy Garoppolo was sacked on the final drive as defensive tackle Bruce Gaston beat Mason clean over his outside shoulder. Garoppolo didn't have a chance.
Mason is an intriguing prospect, and he should improve; it's just a matter of if he can do it quickly enough to be a factor as a rookie.
2. Running back James White was a mixed bag in blitz pickup. As is often the case, a bad play can overshadow some good work, and I probably allowed myself to get into that mindset with White leaving the stadium last night because I noticed one poor blitz pickup that contributed to a sack. But on review of the game, I liked his willingness to step up, and his ensuing execution, on multiple second-quarter blitz pickups (e.g. deep incompletions to Josh Boyce at 14:29 and 4:25). That is a skill that can improve -- Kevin Faulk wasn't a finished product in 1999 when he first arrived -- and the first key is "want to." White, who currently is the top candidate to replace Shane Vereen, showed that "want to" last night.
3. Receiver Josh Boyce landed on the "lows" list after the game as he doesn't gain consistent separation on routes. He tested well at the combine three years ago, but that speed doesn't seem to translate to the football field. Tough night for him, even though it wasn't all on him because not every throw in his direction was on target (e.g. from Garoppolo with 32 seconds left in the half, down the right sideline).
In a preseason game where teams are running the same plays, one probably shouldn't be praised too much for recognizing a screen play. Still, a helmet-tip to defensive end/outside linebacker Rufus Johnson for his work in this area, which helped produce a pass-breakup (1:33) as he got his long arms into the passing lane. ... I saw two good teaching moments for first-year head special teams coach Joe Judge with undrafted rookie Brandon King on the punt protection unit, as the Packers almost had two blocks. It looked to me like King, in both the first and second quarters, left too early before fully accounting for his blocking responsibility. ... Easy to overlook the kicker, but Stephen Gostkowski's 56-yard field goal at the halftime gun -- and the snap-hold-kick operation with Joe Cardona, Ryan Allen and Gostkowski -- looked to be in midseason form.
