NFL Preseason Game Preview: Patriots at Vikings | J.J. McCarthy not playing, players to watch & MORE

NFL Preseason Game Preview: Patriots at Vikings | J.J. McCarthy not playing, players to watch & MORE

With that, we say hello to former Louisiana running back Emry Hunt and CBS Sports NFL writer Tyler Sullivan. Emory, number one, have you ever seen a head coach get in the middle of a practice fight like that? And two, how would you react if you’re a player? One, I have never seen that, guys. That is incredible to watch, not only once, but twice. And two, I I mean, it all depends, man, cuz that’s stored information. Like, you may be in trouble out there in those streets and hey, I can call coach. You have to talk to coach anyway. At least now you know coach about it, right? So he can get out there and get busy. But he also can come out there and get busy on you. So you know what I’m saying is it go either way. But I have never seen nothing like that. But some Hey, old habits die hard, right? Clearly. Clearly they die hard. That man loves contact. He loves the violence out there. Now Tyler, you’ve been at Patriots camp this summer. How is this team responding to Vable style of coaching? Well, well, you talk about love and contact. You go back to the NFL draft prior to that. He was going squaring with Will Campbell to try to figure out him and he was getting knocked on the ground. So he has been very handson to say the least for Mike Vrabel. I think one of the things is, you know, you can kind of see it there, right? You know, the take no gruff, take no bleep is kind of the personality of Mike Vrabel. And I think that’s kind of the personality that the New England Patriots are trying trying to, you know, embody. But to me, the one thing that I think is interesting in one of the other things that Mike Vrael, I think, is implementing right now is good discipline, which is kind of funny because we just saw a clip of him fighting with another team. But overall, you look at the Patriots as opposed to last summer with Gerard Mayo, there was a lot of pre- snap penalties. There was a lot of just inabilities to line up. I haven’t seen that so far with this New England Patriots team, and you saw that in the preseason opener. Just two penalties called for the entire game. So that’s one of the things that I’m looking at for Mike Greyel, as fun as it is to see him kind of scrap with everybody else. I think the actual discipline part on the field in terms of penalties is something that’s showing in the practice field and it’s showing in that one preseason game as well, right? It’s a lethal combo. You know, if you’re physical, aggressive, but you also know how to stay disciplined, you’re not taking a whole lot of penalties. Now, one of the biggest standouts, y’all, from Patriots camp has been their second round pick, former Ohio State running back Trayvon Henderson. He shined both in practice and in game action. He took the opening kickoff of their preseason opener 100 yards to the house. Tyler, when you think about what Josh McDaniels is trying to implement with this offense, what is the best way for him to utilize Henderson in this team? Get him the ball as much as possible. Find ways to give this guy the football because you can see it here. He has the ability to get a touch and take it 100 yards to the house. You saw it in that preseason game. One carry, 18 yards. Credit to Will Campbell for opening up a block for him. and also as a factor in the passing game. And I think he’s going to work his way into getting more rushes as a traditional player out of the backfield. I think where he’s going to shine is in the passing game. He was already commended for his pass blocking abilities at Ohio State. And when you talk about Josh McDaniel’s offenses in the P with the Patriots, it is all about a receiving back when it is at its best. He has a Kevin Faulk. He has a Shane Varin. He has a James White who can rack up 60 some odd catches in a regular season. So to me, it’s the receiving back role that I think is what’s going to be his bread and butter early. But of course, as you see it here, you can give him a toss play and he can take it 20 plus yards. And that’s the thing for the Patriots. They’ve lacked explosiveness on the offensive side of the ball for the for the past few years. He is one of those guys that can give them explosiveness. But finding ways to get him the football is going to be paramount. If I’m coaching the New England Patriots and he is my running back, he is my RB1. The reason why he is my starting tailback, I’m thinking in terms of Marshia Faulk. I’m thinking in terms more recently of Jir Gibbs. I’m thinking in terms of have a guy that’s that dangerous with the ball in his hands with that level of speed and explosiveness on the field down in down out. The reason why it opens up everything else offensively cuz teams are worried about him getting the football and when he does get the football as a defender, your your gap, your run fits all have to be locked in because if you’re a little bit out of position, he has the speed to take it the distance. And you talked about the pass pro was one of the best in the class in that regard. That not only gets you on the field, but it helps you protect the quarterback whom they like in Drake May. And when you’re able to protect in the passing game now, that makes you even more of a threat because you’re just not coming in there like a decoy or coming in there as like, hey, here comes the receiving back. They’re going to run him out in the route. No, he can say and pass pro again, opening up things for everyone else. But when you have a playmaker like this, a legit game breaker, that guy should never leave the field. Yeah, you find a way to use him, right? Whatever scheme you got to come up with, he is going to make your offense that much better. Now, you brought up the QB Emory, Drake May. The Patriots are hoping that he makes a year two leap. He and JJ McCarthy, two of the top 10 picks of the 2024 NFL draft, now the helm of their respective franchises. While May played 13 games last year, JJ McCarthy had his rookie campaign cut short while he torn meniscus. He’s going to look to continue the success that Sam Darnold saw last year in Kevin Okonnell’s offense. And see, here’s the thing. May has the experience. McCarthy has better weapons. So, Emry, who are you expecting more from this season? I’m expecting more from JJ McCarthy because he has the setup. He has a very good offensive line, has a stable of backs, has the coach and the play caller, also has the receivers, and has the defense as well. So, everything is set up for him to go in there, do his 111, and allow this team to kind of move forward and and get back to the postseason. I’m not saying he has to win 14 games or more to to make to justify his selection in the first round. I’m just saying just go in there, be a game manager, don’t be a liability, be a part of the reason why your team has success. Do it just like you did at Michigan. When you are asked to make five plays a game, make those five plays a game. And that’s all you’re asking from JJ McCarthy. Drake May situation is different because he has to go out there and really has to, you know, make guys have success in a in a passing game. They got one good receiver, but outside of that, everyone else is trying to vive for that option. So, it’s going to be a little bit tougher for him to get that passing game going. But when you’re talking about Kevin Okonnell, JJ McCarthy, those weapons, tight end as well, offensive line run game, it’s easier for him. It’s set up for him to have that success. Totally agree. It has to be JJ McCarthy. And it might be even a little unfair to say it’s JJ McCarthy, but the situation around him, like you were saying, Emory, totally calls for it. They’re coming off a 14 win season, and they were nearly the number one seed in the NFC. It went up to week 18, you remember, against the Detroit Lions. Everything around the quarterback says they’re in a Super Bowl window. The big question is if this quarterback and JJ McCarthy can elevate enough to get them to a deep playoff run. And so, it’s tough, but it is true. You have a great head coach. You have a great offensive line. You have a stellar defense that was number one in the NFL in blitz rate with Brian Flores as your DC. You have Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison when he comes back, everything around the quarterback is exactly what you would want in a legitimate Super Bowl contender. So, it’s on JJ McCarthy. For Drake May, it’s a lot different. Obviously, this team is in a much different scenario than the Minnesota Vikings. They were 4-3 over the last two seasons. And the one reason why I think it’s particularly different for Drake May as opposed to JJ McCarthy is that McCarthy at least has a year in his brain with the system. He knows Kevin Oonnell’s offense, not necessarily in practice, but he knows it by learning the playbook. Drake May, it’s a totally different playbook. We just talked about it. Josh McDaniels is now here as the offensive coordinator. So, not only is he trying to claw this team back from a talent perspective, but he’s also learning a new system. 100% very well said. Now, McCarthy will not play Saturday versus New England. He went four for seven for 30 yards in his only series last week against the Texans. Emry, which Vikings players are you going to have your eye on come kickoff? They’re both on the defensive side, guys. Elijah Williams, undrafted rookie free agent out of Morgan State. The reason why I’m bringing him up first, I’ve called virtually all of his games in his career. I watched him break the Morgan State sack record. He came in as an outside linebacker, kind of developed and grew into a defensive lineman, but he could play any one of the techniques up front from the nine technique to the nose. And this is someone that’s been disruptive already in camp, disruptive in that first uh preseason game. I would also look at Tyler Batty, the other defensive end, outside linebacker edge guy from BYU. He was my number two 34 defensive end and he goes to the Minnesota Vikings. He has tremendous length and strength at the point of attack. We’ve seen him toss offensive lineman around already in that first preseason game. So, he is another one just to go along what we were talking about with JJ McCarthy and what he has set up for him. Those are two guys that have already started in the preseason. Low draft picks, undrafted free agents that’s making a name for themselves. I expect them to to bounce, not bounce back, but to build on what they did in the first preseason game in this one. Now, Tyler, plenty of players looking to make a name for themselves in Mike Rabel’s first season. Which Patriot really needs a good performance on Saturday? Yeah, talk about making a name, maybe trying to just save their spot on the 53man roster. To me, that’s Kyle Duggar. He he is someone that was drafted in the Bill Bichc era, signed to an extension in the Gerard Mayo era, and now that we’re in the Mike Vrabel era, he’s been demoted. He’s not no longer a starting safety on this roster. And they’re even talking about possibly a position change, going from a safety to a linebacker. And whenever that starts to happen, the alarm bell should be going off because they’re trying to find ways to keep you. again. He signed a 4-year, $58 million extension last, not last April, April 2024. This was a player that the front office thought that they were going to have as a steward for the organization for the foreseeable future. Hasn’t happened. And when you have a new regime coming in, they’re not necessarily beholdened to you. Mike Vrael has no ties to this player. So, if he is viewing him as a second tier player, as a backup, as a reserve, he really needs to start showing things in fast. and it has to be in this preseason game. If not, we’re possibly talking about a team that moves on from someone that they just extended. They have the cap space to do it and take the dead money, so it’s not necessarily a problem in that regard. But again, a player that you thought was going to be part of your future is now fighting for his roster spot. So, it’s now on him to get the job done and show the Patriots why they gave him that contract. Emory Hunt, Tyler Sullivan, we always appreciate your insight. Patriots Vikings is slated for a 1 pm start on Saturday afternoon. It’s a jam-packed slate of preseason action. 11 games in total. Dylan Gabriel gets a start for the Browns as that QB battle heats up. We’ll get our second look at six overall pick Ashton Genty. The Raiders take on the 49ers. Kyle Shanahan says some of his starters will see action. Make sure to tune in to CBS Sports HQ and highlights and reaction from around the league. [Music]

Emory Hunt and Tyler Sullivan join CBS Sports HQ to preview a Week 2 NFL Preseason matchup between the New England Patriots and the Minnesota Vikings.

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