If the third preseason game of the year is akin to the "dress rehearsal," then the finale might as well be a Tuesday matinee performed exclusively by understudies.
It's become a late summer tradition as New England wraps up its preseason: The Patriots play their final exhibition game against the Giants (this is the fifth straight year they've met in the final preseason game), and Tom Brady doesn't play at all (he hasn't appeared in the preseason finale since 2003).
Two years ago, Patriots coach Bill Belichick sent only 42 of his 75 players onto the field. And with Brady six days removed from having his shoulder blasted into the turf from Washington's Albert Haynesworth, the chances of seeing Brady tonight seem slim at best.
There remains, however, some unfinished business. With NFL teams required to trim their rosters down to 53 players by Saturday, a handful of guys on the Gillette Stadium turf tonight will be fighting for their football lives. And even with several starters likely making just a cameo appearance tonight, several subplots are particularly relevant.
Plus, there was a prevailing, positive enthusiasm in the New England locker room about playing the prelude to the regular season.
What say you, Mr. Belichick?
"This will be another good opportunity for us this week to continue to develop, and build on the things that we had the first three weeks," he said.
What about you, Paris Lenon?
"It's just another opportunity to go out and try to improve as a player," the linebacker said.
And you, Gary Guyton?
"It's still a great opportunity to come out and play the game of football," Guyton said.
Taking a cue from that spirit, we'll take the opportunity to break down three things to look for this evening.
What will the reviews be for The Andrew Walter Show?
With Kevin O'Connell given his walking papers earlier this week, the backup role to Brady, at least for now, has been given to Walter.
But the former Oakland Raider hasn't had much of an opportunity to show his stuff in the preseason. After going 5-of-9 for 62 yards in the first week at Philadelphia, Walter watched from the sidelines against the Bengals and Redskins. Yet this may be more of a case of the coaching staff easing Walter into the team's complex attack.
"He's improved in a lot of areas," Belichick said. "It's a new offense for him, and he's worked to get those things down and try to execute our offense."
Walter's career statistics in Oakland (3 TD, 16 INT) are an eyesore, and his debut in Philadelphia was adequate, although he seemed to still be trying to get on the same page with his receivers. Fast forward three weeks, and we should be seeing plenty of the franchise's new second-in-command tonight.
"If they tell me to play, I'll play," Walter said.
While he might be throwing to those wideouts a bit down on the depth chart, the game will be a good test to see how far Walter has come since arriving on Aug. 3. If it doesn't go so well, the Patriots might take a hard look at making a trade or looking at the free-agent market.
Will the Giants be a passing fancy?
The chances of Eli Manning playing a good chunk tonight are only slightly better than seeing Brady. Unfortunately, one hasn't needed to be the starting quarterback to carve apart the Patriots' pass defense this month. Backups like the Eagles' A.J. Feeley and the Bengals' J.T. O'Sullivan have had a field day in the preseason (granted, Feeley did it against many of the Patriots' reserves). But even Washington's Jason Campbell, who had a horrid first two games, passed for 209 yards against the Pats.
"Everything can be better, and we'll work hard to improve in all areas," Belichick said following the Redskins game.
The coach was speaking across the board, but New England's play on passing downs has been inconsistent at best. There was improvement in the pass rush against the Redskins, with four sacks on the board, but only three came from a probable player on the 53-man roster (Guyton). Plus, former Raider Derrick Burgess has yet to display the talent that helped him post 38.5 sacks over the last four seasons, although some of that could be attributed to still adjusting to New England's schemes.
Nobody, however, has been exempt from getting burned in the secondary. Jonathan Wilhite's 99-yard interception return for a touchdown was nice last Friday, but there have been too many big plays given up.
Leigh Bodden was torched several times in Washington, and was bailed out once by an overthrown ball. Terrence Wheatley was even worse against the Bengals. Darius Butler has taken two pass interference penalties this preseason. Shawn Springs has been banged up and has appeared just once.
A forceful showing, even against the New York backups, would at least ease some of the questions heading into the regular season.
Will any veteran make one final case?
Roster cuts occur on Saturday, so any impression one makes tonight will have to be a good one, with 30-plus days of evaluation already in the books. Yet for some of those players on the theoretical bubble, a good showing may be the difference between settling into your locker and cleaning it out.
"I think there're a lot of things that we can find out and will find out, not only in the game, but in these couple days of practice," Belichick said. "In the end we'll just try to put it together the best we can."
Tight end Alex Smith is one of those that could use a solid impression. He hasn't had a reception in the three preseason games, and watched idly while rookie quarterback Brian Hoyer took a hard sack against Cincinnati. Smith and Chris Baker were thought to be heavy challengers to Benjamin Watson when brought in this offseason. But the former Buccaneer has been a disappointment, and the Patriots could choose to keep only three tight ends (Baker, Watson and David Thomas) if that trend continues.
Another offseason acquisition who may be in trouble is Lenon, who came over from the football purgatory that is Detroit. He hasn't been particularly bad, but was hurt in a portion of training camp and could get lost amid a crowded group at his position, despite leading the Lions in tackles last year.
Other Patriot vets on the bubble include linebacker Eric Alexander, offensive lineman Ryan O'Callaghan and special-teamer Ray Ventrone.
(Andy Vogt can be reached at 508-626-3848 or jvogt@cnc.com. Check out his Patriots Twitter feed at twitter.com/AndyVogt)
