Tom Brady was back under center for the Patriots as the defending Super Bowl champions opened the 2015 preseason against the Green Bay Packers at Gillette Stadium. He posted passable overall numbers (20 of 30, 159 yards, one interception) and improved with each dropback. On the other side, quarterback Aaron Rodgers for the Packers expects to play a bit in this warmup game. He had the highlight of the game with a 55-yard touchdown run.
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New Orleans took the lead for the first time when Marcus Murphy scored on a 3-yard run with 1:56 left.
The Packers got some solid performances from their backups. On the second drive, the Packers had 4th-and-inches but didn’t convert. And for a staff working together for the first time in his configuration, McCarthy felt it was a success – his thumb-twiddling notwithstanding. On one particular play, wide receiver Josh Boyce had his man beat heading towards the end zone for a touchdown.
Tolzien was 10-for-16 for 107 yards and a 26-yard touchdown pass to Jeff Janis. “Where the compromise is, I don’t know”, said Collinsworth, during the Sunday Night Football panel Thursday morning at the Television Critics Association summer press tour.
Garoppolo led the Patriots in the 2-minute drill situation, and the half ended on this long field goal from Stephen Gostkowski.
For the New England Patriots, Bill Belichick will start Jimmy Garoppolo and Ryan Lindley who was signed a couple days ago while Matt Flynn was released. Besides the quarterbacks, undrafted rookie Alonzo Harris carried seven times for 41 yards, including a 25-yard touchdown run. Lindley, a sixth-round pick from San Diego State, played in nine games over two seasons with the Cardinals, completing 50.8 percent of his passes and throwing two touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
Mike McCarthy enjoyed everything about not calling the Green Bay Packers’ offensive plays in Thursday’s preseason opener at the New England Patriots. While the Patriots hoisted the Lombardi Trophy last year, Green Bay came within a whisker of meeting New England in the big game.
These are the struggles you would expect out of someone who was playing against Ohio Valley Conference defenses just two years ago, especially without an actual offensive line or receiving corps.
That alone might give Belichick reason to keep Brady out of the game; he’s missed the preseason opener four times since taking over as starter, including last year, and he’s skipped at least one exhibition game in six of the past seven seasons.
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But the same report, however, stated that most of the teams in the NFL do not share their beliefs – with only the Oakland Raiders and Washington Redskins voting against the new PAT rule.
