Fans tuned in to the second Patriots preseason game of the season didn’t get to see too many familiar faces. New England head coach Mike Vrabel said there is a reason he hasn’t been playing starters like quarterback Drake Maye and new wide receiver A.J. Brown during preseason contests.
“I do not think we have a very deep team,” Vrabel said after the game when asked if he feels like it’s important for his starters to play in Thursday’s preseason finale. “So I think we have to make sure that we are preparing our football team and that we are doing everything that we can to keep our best players available. And if that means playing Thursday as part of preparation, then that is what we will do. I have not made that decision yet, but I would say that that is something that I am confident in with where we are set up currently.”
In addition to Maye and Brown, other players like Romeo Doubs, Rhamondre Stevenson, Will Campbell and Hunter Henry were also on the sidelines for the game.
Vrabel was asked specifically about TreVeyon Henderson, Kevin Byard, and rookie tight end Eli Raridon, who didn’t even warm up before the game.
“I would say that those are individual situations that kept them out of the pre-game warmup,” Vrabel said.
Last week, the Patriots lost two interior offensive linemen when Ben Brown and Andrew Rupcich suffered injuries against the Indianapolis Colts. The latest offensive lineman to go down in the preseason was Marcus Bryant, who limped off the field early against the Eagles.
“Yeah, I do think he just got rolled up on. I think it will be a lower leg injury, but I do not know to what extent,” Vrabel said. “That is kind of what happens sometimes in those inside plays. So we will have to just take a look and see where he is at, but I will not know anything right now.”
Even though it was only the preseason, Vrabel wasn’t taking his foot off the gas on the sideline. Near the end of the first quarter, Vrabel called a timeout. He was asked after the game why.
“I saw dog [expletive] defense, and I wanted to talk to them, and I figured that if I did not call a timeout, that I would not be able to get what I wanted to say off my chest,” he said.
After their preseason finale, the Patriots will turn their focus to the regular season. New England opens on the road Wednesday, Sept. 9, in the NFL opener against the Seattle Seahawks.
