Pats/Giants initial thoughts

After being down 21-0 in the first quarter, the Patriots came back to beat the Giants 38-27 in their preseason finale. The Giants started the game with their starters and really made the Pats' backups and soon-to-be-unemployed players look silly. It was almost like watching someone play Madden on Rookie difficulty. Towards the end of the first half, the Pats started to put it together offensively and went into the half 24-14. Seven of those points came off of a Brandon McGowan interception returned for a touchdown. The second half was almost all Patriots, led by some nice quarterback play from rookie free agent Brian Hoyer from Michigan State and second-year running back and fan favorite BenJarvus Green-Ellis. Hoyer finished the game 18 of 25 for 242 yards and a touchdown, with no interceptions. I can now see why O'Connell was the odd man out. Hoyer looked good leading the team, at least well enough to earn the #3 QB spot. BJGE ran hard, finishing with 125 yards on 29 carries (4.3 ypc) and 3 touchdowns, including a 32-yard touchdown run to seal the game. On another run at the goal line, he carried Giants defensive lineman 2 or 3 yards into the endzone. While watching him run, I couldn't help but think, "Maroney would've been dropped in the backfield." It will be interesting to see what Belichick decides to do with the running back position come cut-down time. The back ups in the secondary, including second round pick Patrick Chung, did not look good at all. It was embarrassing what Eli Manning and David Carr (yep, THAT David Carr) did to them. Carr went 6 for 6 for 153 yards and 2 touchdowns. Let's hope nobody in the secondary gets injured! The defensive line, however, looked pretty good, most notably Ron Brace. Brace was getting Wilfork-like penetration virtually every down and performed admirably against the run. In summary, here's what I took from the game:Brian Hoyer's development was good enough to warrant cutting O'ConnellBJGE WILL make the 53-man rosterThe secondary, though improved (the starters anyway), will be the Achilles' heal of the teamThe defensive line again is a strength but pressure on the QB will be essential to getting off the field because of the vulnerable secondarySam Aiken will be filling in a leadership role on special teamsTeams will be waiting to scarf up any offensive lineman the Patriots cutIt's going to be tough getting some quality players to the practice squad. After watching the first quarter, it was nice to see the team fight back and win. It will be interesting to see who makes the final 53.Go Pats!