Real football is back (well, the preseason variety), which means BSJ's extensive football breakdowns are back. What you'll get down below: player ratings, player thoughts and 3 up/3 down.
BSJ has already extensively broken down the debuts of Keion White and Christian Gonzalez, which doesn't leave much needed to be said as far as major points about the defense.
After watching the coaches film, the other major factors that stood out were the depth, but also the strong fundamentals from young and old.
Of course, that's a stark contrast to the offense, which isn't all that surprising.
Bill Belichick can't help himself from stocking up on defense, while the offense annually gets shortchanged. Latest example? The offense needs help at running back and offensive tackle. On Aug. 12th, they signed two USFL players (RB C.J. Marable, and OL Micah Vanterpool) to help the depth chart.
And the defense returns just about everyone, plus the two impactful rookies (Gonzalez and White) were high draft picks for a reason - meaning they should be quick contributors. And there's a lot of coaching continuity on that side of the ball. We know what happened on the offensive side last year.
So while the fundamentals were lacking on the young offensive line, the defensive players mastered just about every basic. Take out CB Rodney Randle and the reserve linebackers from our player ratings, and the defense had three standout plays for every one miscue — that's astounding for a first preseason game. Certainly a credit to the coaches and the players, and the continuing on the roster and with the coaches. Makes for a good product in these conditions.
PLAYER RATINGS
EDGE
I think everyone knows I'm not one to overreact — good or bad — to a rookie in first NFL game, but damn Keion White was a man amongst boys in this one. Fundamentals were strong across a variety of alignments but it was his quickness with speed that really stood out for the first time as a pro. He's very quick. The thing is, he's just getting started. Sure, the competition wasn't good but I don't see why this won't translate. Yes, I did have some Aaron Donald thoughts at times, but that's way down the road. Still don't know how much he gets on the field outside of sub, but if he keeps going like this, they might have to press the issue. Sorry in advance, Deatrich Wise. .... Anfernee Jennings did a really nice job, but he tends to do this against backups. He disappears against real starters.
INTERIOR DL
I thought Sam Roberts played really, really well both against the run and getting to the QB. He's really improved and is certainly in the roster conversation now. ... Daniel Ekuale does what he does: rush the QB. Another guy who could be sacrificed for White. ... I think my heart stopped with Carl Davis, Our Two-Gap King, had to be tended to. In all seriousness, they need him vs. the run.
LINEBACKERS
Thought this was largely a forgettable outing for this group. Yes, Tavai made a couple plays, but he also whiffed in the backfield. ... Newcomer Diego Fagot splashed a bit so I want to see more. ... Olakunle Fatukasi did not — he was awful in coverage on a big gainer — and was released today along with Jourdan Heilig, who was training with Matthew Slater as a ST hero but looked really poor on film. That was the end of that.
CORNERS
Christian Gonzalez looked the part, but you can already tell the physical part of his game is going to be challenged by the coaches. It was a little soft, but the kid can cover. Smooth as creamy peanut butter. ... Jack Jones got a ton of playing time - likely because he will be left behind at some point this week as he deals with his court date. Should have gotten burned for a big gain but the pass was thrown poorly. Jones has a bad habit of slipping at the top of some routes. That needs to be fixed. He's sticky when heh's on his feet.
SAFETIES
Promising safety debut for Jalen Mills but his interception was a bit lucky. He was going to cover the TE in the flat. CJ Stroud just threw it right to him. Nice stuffed run. ... Didn't notice Joshuah Bledsoe very much. That's a good thing for a safety.
THREE UP
DE Keion White: Nine impactful plays in 27 snaps. That's absurd. I don't care who's blocking him.
S Jalen Mills: Needed the playing time at safety and looked comfortable.
DE Sam Roberts: His length is tough to block and he's got a great motor.
THREE DOWN
CB Rodney Randle: Totally outclassed when it comes to speed. Not his fault.
LB Calvin Munson: Needs to fill the run a lot better and quicker.
LB Diego Fagot: Made three impactful plays, but also contributed to a TD and jumped offsides on fourth down.