Leftover Patriots Thoughts: Watch out for Kendrick Bourne

BOSTON -- First and foremost, we'll start with some appreciation and relief that Isaiah Bolden is OK. It's not every day that you see an NFL game -- preseason or otherwise -- shut down and ended early due to a player's injury, so there were a number of worst-case scenarios running through everyone's mind on Saturday night.

Fortunately, it seems to be a much better outcome than initially feared. A serious concussion is still a serious concussion, but at least Bolden was able to travel home with the team to begin his recovery process.

As for the game, there was still plenty to glean from the 49 minutes and 31 seconds that were played in Green Bay, so here we go.

--Watch out for Kendrick Bourne this year. That's all I could think while watching him step right back into his playmaking self from 2021. Watch out. For Kendrick Bourne.

I also couldn't help but think about the reporting done by Tyler Dunne on the culture that Matt Patricia fostered in Detroit. Lions safety Tracy Walker described the culture thusly: "[Patricia would] be like, 'To hell with you. Go [bleep] yourself. This is the way we do it. If you don't like it, hit the [bleeping] road,.' He didn't shy away from telling you how he felt. If you got 89 that are all on-board and you've got one guy who isn't? Well, '[Bleep] this one guy. We'll bring another guy in.' But everyone can't be replaced. That philosophy is why we were put in a lot of bad situations and why we lost a lot of bad games."

Walker talked about Quandre Diggs and Darius Slay speaking up against the system, with both players being shipped out of Detroit -- seemingly for being insubordinate.

"All the guys who said something, they got out of here," Walker told Dunne. "Literally. That '89 and 1' was a real thing. This is what I mean by, 'Do what I say or you're gone. Hit the highway. I will find another place for you. I don't care how good of a player you are.'"

Why are we talking about Matt Patricia in Detroit? Because it's impossible to not find the parallel with Patricia's ill-fated run as de facto offensive coordinator in New England last year. Kendrick Bourne was half-benched for the entire season last year, and as far as we know, it's because he was in Patricia's doghouse. The best explanation anyone has come with up for that placement has been that Bourne was a little late to a pregame meeting in the preseason. Some of us have presumed that Bourne, having played in a Shanahan-style offense in San Francisco, might have offered some input to Patricia and Joe Judge as they clumsily tried to institute certain elements of that system.

Whatever the reason was, Bourne was underused in 2022, to the detriment of the team. He managed to get through it without publicly calling anyone out (until minicamp, at least) and now looks poised to have another big season.

--Here's why we're feeling that way on a Monday, by the way:

He made a big boy block to spring Rhamondre Stevenson, too.

--Speaking of Rhamondre Stevenson, I've seen enough. Let him wear shorts and a tank top to Friday night's preseason finale. He's got 250-plus touches in his near future, so there's no need to waste any energy on any more preseason games for him. He looks ready to go.

Let Ezekiel Elliott get a half-dozen touches in Tennessee, and the running back duo should be warmed up for Week 1.

--Mac Jones' final play was a doozy. Suffice it to say, if Andrew Steuber is at left tackle, it would be wise for Bill O'Brien to only call runs or quick passes. This is dangerous.

--The most interesting element of the offensive line was Riley Reiff at right guard. The veteran tackle has not been getting it done at right tackle this summer, and starting right guard Mike Onwenu still hasn't stepped on the practice field, as he's on the PUP list.

The Patriots didn't give Reiff a one-year, $5 million deal with more than $4 million guaranteed for him to play guard. But, with Onwenu still MIA, the team has at least found a role where Reiff might be able to contribute. (Will it open the door for Onwenu to move over to tackle, where he's seemingly been more of an impact player in his young career? We shall see.)

--Keeping it on the O-line, rookie Sidy Sow was getting lambasted from all angles for giving up a sack. I'm here to say that young Mr. Sow was getting illegally shoved in the throat/neck/face, which likely led to him losing his footing. I am here to officially let Mr. Sow off the hook for that one.

--I'm also letting rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez off the hook for that PI call.

That's not PI. In a real game, that would be a tough one to swallow.

Also, if everyone is going to overreact to Gonzalez getting shoved to another dimension last week, then it's only fair to highlight Gonzalez's open-field tackle of Emanuel Wilson on a third-and-9 in Green Bay to force a Packers punt. Solid, fundamental work from the rookie, who got a lot of playing time in this one.

--Unfortunately for Sam Roberts, I cannot let him off the hook for his unnecessary roughness penalty. Generally speaking, when the quarterback is on the ground, you're going to want to not bellyflop on top of him. That is almost always discouraged these days.

That's a no-no right there.

--Now to important matters: Bryce Baringer for president.

An overstatement? Some might say so. Not me though. Two punts, 120 yards, setting the opposing offense up at the 7-yard line and 17-yard line. Delightful!

--This was in my notes: "Jalen Mills is definitely gunning to make the Preseason Pro Bowl." I'm not sure which moment exactly prompted that, but man, he is playing a lot this summer. I would assume it's because he's getting game reps at a new position in New England more than I would assume he's fighting for a roster spot or something like that. I also tend to just not assume anything about the New England Patriots.

Anyway. Maybe they should send the best players of the preseason to Honolulu next week. With that extra gap between the final preseason game and Week 1, there's time for it. Players deserve to dig their toes into the sand for a few days for R&R. Another great idea by me. Count it!

--Kayshon Boutte had a nice catch-and-run for a touchdown. Does he make the roster? I don't know. He's got great hands and he's made some solid progress throughout the spring and summer. 

Yet what swayed me more than anything he's done on the field was the graphic that popped up on the screen during the game.

Enhance!

What!

Forget making the 53-man roster. This man's making the Hall of Fame!

--I know we're a quarterback-obsessed country, but I didn't come away with any strong quarterback thoughts from this one. Sorry. Mac Jones was OK. Bailey Zappe was a little less than OK. That's that.

I think Jones' best play was an incompletion. DeVante Parker couldn't find the ball. Could've been a big one. Nice pocket movement and release from Jones though.

--Things you might like to see in the preseason finale this Friday night in Nashville:

• A little more JuJu Smith-Schuster. He had one catch for one yard on one target on Saturday, coming on a shovel pass/jet sweep play. Might want to get him the ball a few more times before the games count.
• Mike Onwenu. In any capacity. 
• Malik Cunningham at QB. He got plenty of run as a receiver on Saturday, but he had zero catches on five targets. He did draw a pass interference penalty. But the receiver aspect of his game can be classified as a project right now. His potential as a running QB is much more intriguing at the moment.
• A little Ezekiel Elliott. He'll want to handle the football before Week 1.
• More Bryce Baringer punts. Those things rule.
• Maybe a little more resistance in the run game. I'm not going to get overly critical if the front seven plays a little soft in the preseason, when staying healthy is the primary goal for everyone on the field. But the Packers moved the ball a little too easily, so getting the Titans to punt a couple of more times would be an encouraging way to enter the season.
• The end of the preseason. That's what we all want to see. Always.

You can email Michael Hurley or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.