3-Step Dropbacks: What to watch for vs. Eagles

The Patriots kick off their second preseason game tonight, an exhibition against the Philadelphia Eagles. There isn’t much ado about tonight’s contest – the biggest story being that Tom Brady will not play against the Eagles. This is more or less a precautionary move, as the Patriots will embark on a road trip following tonight’s game that will include away games against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Giants. At the end of the preseason, the Patriots will have played 3 games within a span of 10 days. Thus, the majority of New England’s firepower should be on the sideline tonight.

Here are three things to watch for in the Eagles Patriots preseason game.

The Backup Quarterback position

                Of course I’m watching the backups tonight. Of course I am. I’ve opened my last two articles with discussing the backup quarterbacks, and tonight is no different.  After spending last week praising Ryan Mallett, he made me look like a fool out here. He wasn’t awful, but the battle for the number 2 spot could be a lot more difficult than once assumed. I could be completely wrong - Brian Hoyer has been trusted with leading the Patriots offense in Brady’s absence – could he be the best fit for this offense?

The Offensive Line

                Not much has changed from last week – minus the fact that Patriot Nation is absolutely appalled. Seriously, what happened there?  To their credit, they paved the way for some big plays by Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen  - though many of us had called it a night by the time they got it going. With Logan Mankins back, and nine days of OL Coach Dante Scarnecchia ripping into the guys after an abysmal preseason opener, expect to see this unit bounce back.

The Coaching

                With the backups in, this is a prime opportunity for Coach Belichick to install some of the bubble plays – plays that the team may be on the fence about. The honest part of this is that this where the makeup of the team is cultivated. The fun part is that onlookers such as myself may get a chance to see some fun trick plays – maybe a flea-flicker or a bootleg here or there.

Stay logged into Reign Over New England throughout Pats Camp for 3 Step-Dropbacks, A rapid-fire style of reporting that will highlight 3 key areas of the many topics that surround this Patriots squad. Follow @ReignOverNE on Twitter to keep up!