So, the Pats lost their first preseason game of the year. Oh well. Showing that he doesn't put too much stock in the outcome of these tune-ups, Belichick had the offense go for 2 in the 4th as opposed to taking the PAT, which essentially accounts for the difference in the final score. (Rather see them go for 2 and fail than take the extra point in an attempt to get a worthless preseason win.) In spite of some shoddy play - most notably Matt Cassell's 1-4 passing with a pick and fumble and C.J. Jones' poor punt return numbers and dropped kick near the goal line - there was a lot to be encouraged about in this one, especially in regards to the performance of the rooks.

Early Observations:

• Lamont Jordan's moving pretty well for being "washed up"
  
• The 5-9, 230 pounder (appears to be a rather generous listing) racked up 76 yards on 19 carries to go along with the Pats' lone touchdown (a 1 yard run in the 4th). He averaged 4 YPC with a 10 yard 2nd quarter run being his longest on the night. Keep that up and the Pats would be well served by keeping 5 backs on the roster this season. (Expectations should be tempered a bit, though, as most of his work came against Baltimore's second and third units.)
• Kevin O'Connell can run... and make plays on his feet
• 2 runs for 22 yards. That's an 11 yard per rush average (for the mathematically challenged readers out there). Gutierrez and Cassell were less than impressive, and while Cassell's got the early edge at being Tom Terrific's top backup because he's the incumbent, O'Connell looks skilled and versatile enough to make it a true position battle.
• The defensive rookies can light people up
• ...Especially Shawn Crable, who apparently is a bad, bad man (see above photo). The 6-5, 243 pound Michigan product crushed Joe Flacco for half a sack and recorded the first interception of his NFL career. He also had 4 tackles (3 solos), tying him with fellow rook Terrence Wheatley for the team high. Also worth noting: Jerod Mayo took the field with the starters, signaling the fact that he's likely the early favorite to start alongside Bruschi at ILB in the regular season.
  
• We're screwed if Moss gets injured
  
• Safety-slash-wide receiver Ray Ventrone led the team in receiving with 35 yards on 2 receptions. Chad Jackson didn't look great and while TE Marcus Pollard had 17 yards on 2 receptions, he's not likely to be on the field too much (if at all) with Watson and Thomas ahead of him on the depth chart. Obviously they have options ahead of Ventrone, and it's a bit early to start worrying about our top receiver going down, but would you really feel comfortable with a converted safety lining up in his spot if a Moss injury came to pass? Me neither.
• Gostkowski looks good; Hanson still sucks
• Gostkowski was a perfect 3-for-3 in FG attempts with his longest clocking in at 44 yards. Hanson averaged 42.5 yards on 4 punts, but his shortest (37 yards) never got picked up and rolled for about half the total yardage. Can't all be good news, I guess.