By Chris Warner, Patriots Daily Staff
Sure, Thursday’s game vs. the Eagles is only a preseason scrimmage, a “friendly.” But so much can go wrong. Below we have a list of this week’s pregame concerns.
Rhymes With “Lady’s Tea”: We’re all sick of hearing about a certain quarterback’s body part. So, moving right along…
The Eagles Have Landed: In honor of the late, great Jim Johnson, Philly will probably blitz the Pats like they’re 1940s London. Is the offensive line ready? Should Belichick just start Kevin O’Connell for an impression of preseason 2008 Matt Cassel (i.e., running around like a woodchuck in an IKEA warehouse?).
Defense Protecting DeEnd Zone: It seems that the final play of every camp practice has resulted in the offense’s favor. (Heck, even the defense scored when they went on offense) Can this D show signs of cohesion and execution? If third down stoppage is the lifeblood of a defense, last year’s Pats had anemia.
Half Good Or Half Back?: Can New England run, and if so, with whom? They’ve got Laurence “Make Up Your Mind” Maroney, who needs to push the fast forward button in more ways than one. They’ve got veterans beyond the Running Back Rubicon of 30 years old, and they have a second-year player (BenJarvus Green-Ellis) about whom too many fans have gotten way too excited. (Yeah, he killed the Bills once last year. So did the wind).
Rush In The Limelight: Pass rush, that is. (For those of you who need a little help with the reference.) Last year’s opposing QBs withstood about as much pressure as Bennington College students (optional grades? Why didn’t I apply?) Can New England change that with Derrick Burgess and Shawn Crable? Will they even play?
Email Chris Warner at chris.warner@patriotsdaily.com
Patriots Daily 
Red Zone: Off the top of my head…
— Meriweather picked Brady in the end zone, “oh the humanity!”
— NFLN last night did show Brady to Moss for a TD. Oh gracious me and shades of pregnant Watson, was that a penalty for using the ball as a prop punting it into the stands? Holy burlap batman! It was scored a sack and the Offense is running a lap.
The offense has indeed punched the ball in with some degree of efficiency, but I know there’ve been other stops reported. The defense has been competitive against what we perceive as a 2007 redux offense – have faith Chris.
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Hey Box, thanks for writing. As my old high school coach (the legendary Vito Capizzo) used to point out, the defense starts the season ahead of the offense. It makes sense, actually: when in doubt on D, just tackle the guy with the ball. The fact that this O looks ahead makes me a tad wary.
Please don’t interpret these Worry Wart columns as a lack of faith on my part. They’re only meant to address some concerns each week, not instigate or inflame them.
By the way, aren’t you terrified for Tom Brady? You see, it seems last year seven minutes into the seasonzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…
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