A week that started off quiet then it took a turn of surprise when the Patriots cut C Bryan Stork (which ended up becoming a trade to the Redskins as the media reports incorrectly got the information and now Stork is mulling the possibility of retiring due to injuries) and veteran WR Nate Washington.
With the Bears game behind us, the Pats showed that they have a relentless defense as it torched Jay Cutler and company but the final score ended up being 23-22 Patriots so it comes down to closing out ball games. Jamie Collins, Dont’a Hightower, and the other defensive players all have the capability to shut out the game and when the regular season comes around in a few weeks, they’ll have to play the full 60 minutes with no stopping. This Friday, they are going to put to the test with a wide receiver corps that does not lack size at all and speed. Kelvin Benjamin (6’5 240), Devin Funchess (6’4 225), rookie Keyarris Garrett (6’3 215 pounds) and the speedster Ted Ginn Jr (5’11 185 pounds) are a corps to be prepared for and game planning against these guys will be a test but nonetheless, defensive coordinator Matt Patricia is one of the best in the business at what he does so him calling the shots is a good thing.
Garoppolo put out another good performance the previous two games and he has a test awaiting him this Friday (unless Brady decides to get some reps). On the Panthers front 7, Garoppolo is facing a young superstar in DT Kawann Short, who is quickly gaining respect around the NFL and is one of the most explosive defensive tackles in this league and can get to the QB ridiculously fast as we saw last year (55 tackles, 11 sacks, 3 forced fumbles). Along with Short, other notable Panthers standouts include Kony Ealy, Luke Kuechly, and Shaq Thompson.
For the Patriots, cutting WR Nate Washington opens up another opportunity for a receiver to gain more reps. Receivers who are on the brink like Chris Harper, Aaron Dobson, and DeAndre Carter will benefit from Washington’s absence as his reps will be split around. Although the veteran presence of Washington will be gone, the young guys can only motivate each other as age isn’t too far apart from each other. The same goes with the running back position as the Patriots cut RB Donald Brown early this week with a injury settlement. Brown is entering his seventh year in the NFL.
We will see what happens against Carolina but expect a close score down in Carolina Friday night.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
