The Boston Globe - 30.08.2019

FRIDAY, AUGUST 30, 2019 The Boston Globe Sports C3

SEPT. 8

PIT

8:20 p.m.

NBC

SEPT. 15

@MIA

1p.m.

CBS

SEPT. 22

NYJ

1 p.m.

CBS

SEPT. 29

@BUF

1 p.m.

CBS

OCT. 6

@WAS

1 p.m.

CBS

OCT. 10

NYG

8:20 p.m.

FOX, NFL Network

OCT. 21

@NYJ

8:15 p.m.

Ch. 5, ESPN

OCT. 27

CLE

4:25 p.m.

CBS

NOV. 3

@BAL

8:20 p.m.

NBC

NOV. 17

@PHI

4:25 p.m.

CBS

NOV. 24

DAL

4:25 p.m.

Fox

DEC. 1

@HOU

8:20 p.m.

NBC

DEC. 8

KC

4:25 p.m.

CBS

DEC. 15

@CIN

1 p.m.

CBS

DEC. 22

BUF

TBA

TBA

DEC. 29

MIA

1 p.m.

CBS

Patriots in 2019

JIM DAVIS/GLOBE STAFF

Jarrett Stidham has his right arm hit by Jake Ceresna on this first-quarter pass, resulting in an interception.

JIM DAVIS/GLOBE STAFF

Rookie Gunner Olszewski got beat by Giants receiver

Alonzo Russell for the winning touchdown.

FROM WIRE REPORTS
After weeks of speculation, the Mi-
ami Dolphins finally decided on a
starting quarterback for Week 1.
Following
Thursday’s 16-13
road victory over
the Saints, coach
Brian Floresconfirmed thatRyan Fitz-
patrickwill start overJosh Rosen
when the team hosts the Ravens to be-
gin the regular season.
“I found out before you guys,” Fitz-
patrick said after the game. “Just a
quick conversation with Coach Flo.
He’s been great throughout the whole
process. Not just with starters, non-
starters, whatever. Just in terms of be-
ing upfront and just letting guys know
how he sees things and what he feels.
It’s very appreciated as a player when
you have a coach like that.”
Fitzpatrick and Rosen, whom the
team traded for on draft night, had
faced off during the preseason.
Rosen revealed after the game that
he had been informed of the decision
before Thursday’s game.
“I’ll push him every single day for
him to get better and if he doesn’t, I’ll
surpass him,” Rosen said about keep-
ing Fitzpatrick on his toes.

Surgery for Hunt

Browns running backKareem Hunt
will spend part of his NFL suspension
rehabbing after surgery.
Hunt, who will serve an eight-game
ban for two physical off-field alterca-
tions in 2018 while he played for Kan-
sas City, had a sports hernia operation
Thursday.
Hunt had been expected to play in
what would have been his last game
until his ban ends in November. The
Browns said the 24-year-old is expect-
ed to be fully recovered by the time
he’s eligible to return to their roster.

Etling shines for Falcons

Former Patriot quarterbackDanny
Etlingcompleted 15 of 25 passes for
174 yards and a TD and also ran for 69
yards in helping the Falcons end a 12-
game, preseason losing streak with a
31-12 victory over the Jaguars. The
Falcons also may have settled on a
kicker. They announced that veteran
kickerMatt Bryantis scheduled to try
out for coaches at the team’s training
facility Friday. Assuming the 44-year-
old kicker is healthy, he’s expected to
sign on for a 19th NFL season — 11th
with the Falcons. Bryant and the Fal-
cons parted ways in the offseason,
with the veteran leaving Atlanta as the
franchise’s leading scorer (1,122
points)... The Browns acquired of-
fensive linemanWyatt Tellerfrom the
Bills for fifth- and sixth-round picks in

2020. The Browns will also receive a
      seventh-round pick in 2021. The 6-
      foot-4-inch, 315-pound Teller, in his
      second season, started the Bills’ final
      seven games at left guard.

By Jim McBride
GLOBE STAFF
FOXBOROUGH — The bat-
tles have been waged and the
summer sweat has been
poured. Now
comes the
hard part.
Like every
NFL outfit, the Patriots fin-
ished the preseason Thursday
night, and now the decision
makers will continue to work
through the process of cutting
the roster in anticipation of
Saturday’s 4 p.m. deadline to
get to the 53-man limit.
Some players were released
earlier in the week and the ros-
ter will continue to churn
throughout the season, but this
is the weekend where the 2019
team comes into focus.
It’s a tough time for some
players but also for the coach-
es, who are tasked with break-
ing bad news to some players
who have fought their way
through camp.
Bill Belichickhas often said
one of the toughest parts of his
job is telling a player that has
done everything that’s been
asked of him that there’s just
noroom.
“It’s very sad, I’m not going
to lie,’’ said defensive endDeat-
rich Wise, when asked about

seeingplayersthathe’sbe-

friended and/or worked along-

side, have to leave. “When

teammates I’ve known... get

cut or get let go or are traded

or leave the team in any way,

it’s always sad. But I always tell

them to keep their head up and

every time you go out on the

field, show the world what you

can do, so you can land a job

either here or somewhere.’’

Aside from paring his own

roster, Belichick has to check in

with his staff in the pro person-

nel department to keep up with

what’s going on across the

league in case players of inter-

est become available. The

coach has full confidence in his

reseachers.

“I think [director of player

personnel]Nick[Caserio] and

[director of pro scouting]Da-

vid Zieglerand the guys in that

department do a great job. I

think they’re on top of it,’’

Belichick said this week. “I can

ask them about any player in

the league and they can tell me

what that player’s situation is,

who he’s in competition with,

how he’s looked, what games

he’s played in, better than last

year, not as good as last year.

Whatever it us, they’ll be on all

of those guys.’’

Being able to lean on those

guys likely helped the Patriots

pull off a pair of trades on

Wednesday to build depth on

the offensive line. New Eng-

land acquired tackleKorey

Cunninghamfrom the Cardi-

nals in exchange for a sixth-

round pick and grabbed guard

Jermaine Eluemunorand a

sixth-round selection from the

Ravens for a fourth-rounder.

Belichick said during Thurs-

day’s pregame radio appear-

ance on 98.5 thatDavid An-

drews’shealth situation — he

was treated for blood clots in

his lungs — had a little to do

with the acquisitions, but there

was more to it.

“We lost two guys in [Jared]

Veldheerand [Brian Schwen-

ke] that probably would have

made our roster,’’ Belichick said

of the offensive linemen, who

retired before camp. “So, this

was a good opportunity to im-

prove the depth [on the offen-

sive line] with some guys that

we did quite a bit of [research]

work on.’’

Cunningham and Eluemu-

nor were in uniform for Thurs-

day night’s game against the

Giants.

Game 4 takeaways

The Giants pulled out a

walkoff victory over the Patri-

ots on Thursday night when

Kyle LaulettahitAlonzo Rus-

sellwith a 14-yard touchdown

pass for a 31-29 victory.

The marathon loss — the

game lasted 3 hours 33 min-

utes — prevented the Patriots

from earning their first perfect

preseason since 2003.

Aside from the healthy re-

turns of receiversJulian Edel-

man,Josh Gordon,andDe-

maryius Thomas, there wasn’t

awholelotofintriguebutplen-

ty of players did make a push

for jobs and playing time.

Some observations:

RCornerbackKeion Cros-

senbounced back from a

rough start (he was burned for

35-yard Russell touchdown

early) with an outstanding

night. He notched 12 tackles,

and interception, and nearly

had a second, and broke up five

passes, including a 2-point con-

version.

The Patriots are deep at the

position, but Crossen’s in-

stincts, quickness, and special

teams acumen should help him

seal a spot.

“The vets just told me to

keep my head up,’’ Crossen

said, when asked how he

stayed focused after the early

score. “It’s the nature of our po-

sition just to keep battling, to

keep fighting. My teammates

did a great job of just encour-

aging me and I just kept fight-

ing and things ended up turn-

ing for me.’’

RJames Ferentzwent the

distance, playing deep into the

fourth at center before shifting

to left guard. His versatility will

help his case. With Andrews

out, Ferentz could be in line to

beTed Karras’sbackup.

RRookie cornerbackJoe-

juan Williamssaw extensive

time at safety. At 6 feet 3 inch-

es, 212 pounds, Williams is a

physical freak and an aggres-

sive menace. He has the make-

up to play all over the defense

for years to come.

RThe legend ofGunner

Olszewskicontinues to grow.

The rookie, who played cor-

ner at Division 2 Bemidji State

last season but has been run-

ning routes as receiver in

camp, returned to his defensive

roots. Olszewski subbed in at

corner in the fourth quarter af-

ter safetyMalik Gantwas cart-

ed off with a leg injury. For

good measure, he also returned

punts and kickoffs.

Olszewski, who was in cov-

erage on Russell’s winning

score, said he took a crash

course in the Patriots defense

earlier in the week.

“I did a bunch of the defen-

sive meetings and that stuff

makes so much sense to me,’’

he said. “I’ve been hearing that

stuff my whole life. The offen-

sive playbook is a little foreign

to me but.. .”

Olszewski’s had “the best

time of my life” this summer

and said being able to play of-

fense, defense, and special

teams in the same game made

him feel young again.

“It was fun,’’ he said. “It was

like when you’re growing up

playing football, you never

come off the field.’’

RScooby Wrightis less than

a week into his Patriot tenure

but already has a cult follow-

ing. Well, among the press

corps, anyway. Wright plays

with infectious energy and reg-

istered a pair of sacks.

RThree rookies suffered in-

juries, including fourth-round

guardHjalteFroholt,seventh-

round cornerKen Webster,

and the undrafted safety Gant.

Froholdt left the field in the

first half holding his right arm.

Gant, who had a sneaky strong

summer, needed to be carted

off in the second half with an

apparent leg injury. Webster

was very solid in going most of

the way before departing in the

final two minutes.

Preseasongamesdone,it’scut-downtime

PATRIOTS

NOTEBOOK

At Gillette Stadium, Foxborough

New YorkNew England......................................10 0 9 12 — 3132600—29

First Quarter

NE —FGGostkowski 31,11:07.

NYG — Russell 35 pass from Tanney (Rosas

kick), 1:37.

NYG — FG Rosas 32, 1:14.

Second Quarter

NE — D.Thomas 35 pass from Stidham (pass

failed), 14:49.

NE — D.Thomas 3 pass from Stidham (Gost-

kowski kick), 8:38.

NE —FGGostkowski 40, 4:17.

NE — Brossette 1 run (Gostkowski kick), 3:54.

NE — FG Gostkowski 51, :06.

Third Quarter

NYG — FG Rosas 27, 9:40.

failed), 2:45.NYG — Simonson 27 pass from Lauletta (pass

Fourth Quarter

NYG — Gallman 6 run (pass failed), 13:27.

NYG — Russell 14 pass from Lauletta, :00.

A — 65,878.

First downs....................................... 22NYG NE 18

Total yards...................................... 424 318

Rushes-yards...............................22-93 28-116

Passing............................................ 331 202

Punt returns ..................................3-35Kickoff returns................................0-0 3-771-7

Interceptions ret...........................1-13 2-17

Comp-att-int.............................30-56-2 18-28-1

Sacked-yards lost.........................3-16Punts............................................3-40.0 4-45.83-23

Fumbles-lost....................................0-0 1-1

Penalties-yards.............................9-99 6-60

Possession................................... 31:38 28:22

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

7-29, Hilliman 3-10, Tanney 1-0. New England,RUSHING — New York, Perkins 11-54, Gallman

Brossette 20-62, Stidham 7-50, Beck 1-4.

PASSING — New York, D.Jones 4-4-0-47, Tanney

4-12-2-53, Lauletta 22-40-0-247. New England,

Stidham 18-28-1-225.

RECEIVING — New York, Russell 5-92, Conrad 4-

36, Powell 3-52, T.Jones 3-42, Gallman 3-24, Hilli-man 3-17, Tate 2-37, Simonson 2-30, R.White 2-15,

Perkins 2-(-1), B.Golden 1-3. New England,

D.Thomas 7-87, Brossette 4-18, Olszewski 2-35,

Gordon 2-30, Meyers 1-28, Edelman 1-20, Saubert

1-7.

MISSED FIELD GOALS — None.

Giants 31, Patriots 29
Fitzpatrick

wins job

in Miami

NFL

NOTEBOOK

the physically-unable-to-per-

form list, still recovering from a

torn Achilles’ suffered last De-

cember, and was activated the

day after Edelman.

Gordon rejoined the team

after having his suspension lift-

ed by the NFL, but was prohib-

ited from playing in the third

preseason game as one of the

conditions of his reinstate-

ment.

So, three players who might

not normally sniff this game

wound up getting work.

Edelman didn’t make it to

the end of the first offensive se-

ries. He fell on his hand diving

for a catch on third and 2 and,

though he gained 20 yards and

a first down, walked off after-

ward flexing his hand and look-

ing at his thumb.

Edelman spoke to trainer

Jim Whalen on the sideline,

then sat on the bench without

needing much medical atten-

tion.

Gordon played into the sec-

ond quarter. He got his first

catch out of the way early, snag-

ging a ball on the sideline, juk-

ing a defender and rumbling a

few extra yards for a gain of 19.

He finished with two catches

on six targets for 30 yards and

drew a DPI penalty.

“I’ve really thought he’s

been doing some really good

things. Josh is obviously very

talented,” Stidham said.

Thomas had a big night.

At 31 and coming off a ma-

uPATRIOTS

Continued from Page C1

jor injury, it’s fair to wonder

how much he has left, physical-

ly. It’s difficult to get an answer

to that question from a pre-

season game in which Thomas

was playing against second-

and-third string defensive

backs, but his performance was

good.

Thomas played most of the

first half and finished with sev-

en catches on eight targets for

87 yards and two touchdowns.

The first was a gorgeous back-

shoulder ball from Stidham

that went 35 yards, the second

was a 3-yard grab with Stidham

throwing on the move, rolling

left.

“We’ll take a look at the film

and see how it looks,” was all

coach Bill Belichick said of

Thomas or anyone else.

Thomas wasn’t winning

with pure explosion, but he

looked smooth and plenty sav-

vy finding open spaces and

making catches. He said it was

a comfort to take the field, and

spend a little time in the end

zone, for the first time in a

game since his injury.

“To get the game pace, to get

the calls, line up, see different

coverages, different guys than I

see at practice, I think it’s a

great start and I can build on

it,” Thomas said.

Thomas, who has been a

customer at the TB12 Sports

Therapy center, said he feels

healthy, and he’s playing a little

heavier and stronger than he

was last year before his injury.

He said he didn’t feel tena-

tive on the field. He didn’t look

that way, either.

“It’s been a long time since

I’ve been in the end zone and to

have on the Patriots jersey to

score, it was big for me,” Thom-

as said.

JIM DAVIS/GLOBE STAFF

Julian Edelman made a 20-yard catch in Thursday’s game

against the Giants, then promptly called it a night.

Receivers play in finale