A look at how a few players saw their stock change.
New England Patriots' Aaron Hernandez warms up prior to an NFL preseason football game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New England Patriots in Tampa, Fla., Friday, Aug. 24, 2012.We already went over some topics in an earlier post. To avoid being redundant, we kindly ask that you also check out that post to see some other players that deserve to be highlighted.
With the above disclaimer in place, here is a look at a how few players (who weren’t previously mentioned) saw their stock change during Friday’s loss to Tampa Bay.
Flying high
Marquice Cole – Cole may have won a roster spot with his performance Friday night. Covering the slot, the cornerback was strong in coverage and showed up with a pair of nice pass breakups, nearly recording an interception on one.
Nate Ebner – It’s easy to forget that Ebner played just three defensive snaps as a senior at Ohio State. The safety looks pretty polished. After recording an interception last week. Ebner played a role in the nickel package early in Friday’s game and later received some snaps with the starters. He finished with six tackles.
Aaron Hernandez – He’s been the most electrifying pass catcher during training camp, and now it’s showing up in games. Hernandez may end up being the Patriots’ biggest weapon this season if he stays healthy. Returning punts, like he did against the Bucs, won’t help accomplish that task.
In the doghouse
Donte Stallworth – Even with Wes Welker on the shelf, Stallworth couldn’t get on the field early in the game. He didn’t do anything wrong to land on this list, and he actually played well (three receptions, 40 yards), but it seems like he’s buried on the depth chart.
Brandon Lloyd-Tom Brady connection – Not to be an alarmist, but Lloyd has absolutely no chemistry with Brady at this point. Everything they’re doing in games appears to be forced and awkward. Their connection should develop over time, it just isn’t there yet.
Marcus Cannon – We already touched on this one in a previous post or two, but Cannon played horribly. He got Brady crushed on a strip sack, and continues to prove that he has no business on the top offensive line. If he’s the top backup, the Patriots will have huge problems if Sebastian Vollmer goes down with an injury.