So for the primary offensive and defensive units, both carrying a healthy sprinkling of first- and second-year players, the rebuilding Rams will provide the last, real chance to build timing and a sense of continuity.
Here are a few things the coaches will look for as the player evaluation and team-shaping processes remain in high gear:
1. Ability to absorb information — The Patriots haven’t planned for Sam Bradford or Steven Jackson or James Laurinaitis like they would during the regular season, but there were elements of that this week.
The young players’ ability to absorb that information and apply it to game situations is one thing the coaches will watch. Remember, because of the joint practices prior to preseason games with the Falcons and Saints, this is the first time these Patriots will face an opponent without seeing them in person first.
“That’s definitely part of the evaluation; what can they take from classroom or in the past two weeks, what can they take from practice and then apply to game situations,’’ coach Bill Belichick said. “I think we have seen a lot of good examples of that, things that we’ve worked on in practice that then either the same or similar thing happened in the game and how we handled that, and that certainly gives you an indication of how, not only a player but also your whole team can adapt to those changes.’’
2. Playing into the second half — Belichick has typically played his starters into the second half of the third preseason game for a couple of reasons.
It’s simulating a regular-season halftime, and also conditioning players to come out of the locker room after some downtime and maintaining or turning momentum. So, the first series or two of the second half have some value from an evaluation standpoint.
“[You] go through that whole process of cooling down and getting re-warmed up, coming back, like it is during the regular season, [to] go through the halftime,’’ Belichick said. “We make adjustments all through the game, not just at halftime, but there is a little bit more time at halftime to work through some things.
