Six Thoughts Following the Patriots Win Over the Panthers

3) Milton shines in his NFL Debut: When Milton entered the game with 4:12 remaining in the third quarter, there was certainly a lot of intrigue about the rookie quarterback.

He started things off with a five yard pass to fellow rookie Javon Baker, with Milton’s arm strength certainly showing up in each of his throws.

Each pass essentially feels like it just involves just a flick of the wrist, with the rookie clearly having a great arm.  Still, Milton also showed an impressive amount of control Thursday night, which is something that had been a point of discussion following his selection in April.

He made a couple of nice short throws on the first possession, including a nice throw later in that drive to Terrell Jennings on a 3rd-and-2 to pick up four yards and move the sticks.  From there, he also showed some terrific athleticism as he scrambled on a 2nd-and-4 to pick up 12 yards, which got them out to midfield.

That drive later ended in a 42-yard field goal by Joe Slye, which put New England up 10-0 but overall, it ended up as an 11 play, 44 yard drive that for the most part was relatively smooth.

But the next possession certainly left quite an impression.  After Atonio Mafi was flagged on the first play of that drive with an illegal use of hands penalty, which backed them up 10 yards, Milton got those yards back in impressive fashion.

With Carolina’s defense bearing down on him, Milton rolled out and then spun back, reversing and accelerating past the defenders to pick up 13 yards to get them back into a 2nd-and-2.

From there, Jennings picked up 20 yards few plays later, which set up a laser from Milton to undrafted Rutgers receiver JaQuae Jackson, who got behind the defense and caught a terrific throw from Milton up the left sideline, with Jackson catching the throw in stride as he headed into the end zone for the touchdown.

Overall, Milton finished 4-of-6 (66.7%) for 54 yards and his touchdown, with Jennings (2-of-2, 11yds), Jackson (1-of-1, 38yds) and Baker (1/1, 5yds) on the receiving end of his throws.  He was 0/2 targeting Kayshon Boutte.

After the game, Mayo said that as happy as he is for the rookie, it’s still all about trying to string performances together in these coming weeks.

“Joe went out there, we know he has a big arm, he has the athleticism, he’s getting better with his reads every single day, he has natural leadership ability,” said Mayo.  “But once again, it’s not just about one game. It’s about the full body of work. So you can come out here and play well, but you also have to do it on a day-to-day basis in practice. And you got to gain the confidence of not only the coaches, but also your teammates. And this was a step forward for him.”

4) Big night for Giles-Harris: This is the time of year where it’s always fun to see guys emerge on the roster, and linebacker Joe Giles-Harris certainly had a strong showing Thursday night.

He finished tied for second on the team in tackles in this one, finishing with 4 tackles (3 solo, 1 assisted) and he also had two passes defended, both of which he batted down.

He was flying all over the field, and showed some terrific athleticism.  He got a long look after playing 40 snaps (74%) Thursday night and was a key reason why the Panthers were held in check offensively for most of the game.

As a result, he remains a player who should be fun to keep an eye on over these next couple of weeks.

5) Wallis comes up big in the return game: The Patriots still have some decisions to make in the return game, but wideout David Wallis certainly made a strong case for himself in his preseason debut.  Wallis’ 23-yard punt return in the second quarter, his first return of the game, saw him display some good acceleration as he slipped past defenders and took off up the sideline.

That play helped set up the club’s first touchdown, and he added another 13 yard return later in the game that helped set up Slye’s 42-yard field goal.

He also added a 24-yard return on a kickoff at the end of the game, capping off what ended up being a solid outing for him.

Mayo talked about Wallis on Friday, saying that he’s done a good job up to this point through training camp.

“He did a great job,” said Mayo.  “He’s back there catching punts and things like that. He’s an explosive player. Honestly, he’s had a pretty good camp. He’s a hard guy to cover, and I’m glad he showed up last night in the special teams world. He’s a hard worker, and that’s all you can ask for.”

6) Kicking battle remains a question mark: Joey Slye hit the only field goal of the evening, while Chad Ryland finished the night 2-of-2 when it came to extra points.

Those two have been battling it out all through camp and to this point, neither has been able to seize the role as each has had the occasional miss.

Thursday night ended up being a good showing from both, but it appears this one is still far from over.

Mayo mentioned on Friday that the competition between the two remains wide open, with the evaluation being ongoing for both guys.

“Yeah, Sly and Chad, those guys are competing,” said Mayo.  “And once again, the game is a small part, and there’s nothing more important than practice. So we try to put a lot of stress on those kickers, it’s still a wide-open competition, and I look forward to seeing who wins that competition.”

Odds and Ends

Mayo said on Friday that while he and the coaching staff went through a dry-run to work on their game day operations ahead of last night, there are still kinks to be ironed out.  “Yeah, the mock game or the dry run, it went well. Now, in saying that, there were things that came up last night that we need to iron out, and that’s the purpose of the preseason,” said Mayo. “As a first-year head coach, there are things that happened that I just need clarification on, and I’ll work with the coaching staff. But overall, I would say the communication and the execution from the coaching staff down to the field, the guys in the box down to the field, was pretty good.” … Mayo said that pulling Bailey Zappe last night and the timing of when Joe Milton finally entered the game was because they were looking for a “spark” on offense.  “He’s won games in the NFL before, but then just putting Joe in at a time where we needed a spark,” said Mayo.  “And he provided that spark, which I thought was good.” … Mayo said last night was a different experience from being a coordinator, and he felt comfortable in his new role.  “I just felt like I was just in my element,” said Mayo.  “I felt great to be out there. Nothing else really mattered to me. When you don’t have to worry about substitutions and things like that, you kind of see the game from a different perspective, which I thought was great for me today, and it was the first time I really got a chance to experience that. So hopefully it keeps going the same way. We do a good job with the subs with our assistant coaches, and I can kind of focus on the game in totality.” … Jeremiah Pharms was another player who was impressive on defense, with Pharms finishing with 4 tackles (2 solo, 2 assisted) along with a sack.  Mayo had a fair amount of praise for him after the game, especially given Pharms’ background.  “Look, anytime he steps foot on the field, he takes advantage of that opportunity,” said Mayo.  “His story is remarkable. A guy just on the street. He was here, we moved him fullback. He played defensive tackle, he played guard, played all those positions. When you find a player that just loves the game of football, no matter what the coach asked him to do, it’s a great player in my mind, and Pharms displays that.” … Mayo said on Friday the team is working out some offensive linemen today, which is notable given that they’ve been experiencing injuries on that front.  He did add that the decision wasn’t based on anything that happened last night, which is certainly good news. “No, it has nothing to do with what happened last night,” said Mayo. “We’re always bringing people in, and Eliot [Wolf] and his staff are always trying to make the team better. It was always the plan.” … If the 17-3 outcome of the game wasn’t bad enough, the Panthers evidently had a little bit of a rough landing after arriving back in Charlotte.  According to several reports, their plane apparently slid off the runway after touching down in Charlotte, ending up in the mud.  The airline released a statement saying, “The right main gear of Delta 8860 exited the taxiway at Charlotte Douglas International Airport following a normal arrival,” the statement read via WCNC. “No injuries were reported by the 188 customers who are deplaning and being bused to the terminal. We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience.”  The plane originated from Providence, with the club reportedly departing just before 1am following their contest against the Patriots at Gillette Stadium.