Tag: Trace McSorley

Studs and duds from Patriots’ preseason finale loss to Titans

Who were the studs and duds for the Patriots on Friday night?

The preseason didn’t end the way the New England Patriots hoped in Friday’s road trip meeting with the Tennessee Titans in Nashville. There were issues on offense, defense and special teams that culminated in a 23-7 loss for New England.

The Patriots opted not to play their starters in this game, while the Titans trotted starters on the field for several plays. Even starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill got in on the action briefly.

It wasn’t the most exciting game given the constant struggles along the offensive front. Bailey Zappe, who received the starting nod, looked helpless against the Titans’ defensive front. On defense, the Patriots did show some promise, but they also struggled keeping scrambling Titans quarterback Malik Willis in check.

Let’s take a look at the studs and duds from the game.

Best photos of Penn Staters in the NFL preseason

Check out some of the best photos from the NFL preseason of these former Penn State players.

While the college football season is about to get started, the NFL preseason is nearly in the books for 2023. And it has been a busy one for former Penn State Nittany Lions with a mix of veterans in new locations and rookies getting started has been the theme of the preseason, it seems.

Most teams have played at least two games in the preseason at this point, and Penn State fans have not had to look too far to find some of their former fan favorites around the league.

Here is a look at some of the best photos from the NFL preseason so far of some of the former Penn State players around the league.

How did Sean Clifford play in the Packers’ second preseason game?

Sean Clifford was looking for a fourth-quarter comeback in his second Packers preseason game before the game was suspended.

Former Penn State quarterbacks [autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag] and [autotag]Trace McSorley[/autotag] had some time to catch up a bit this week as their two NFL teams, the Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots (respectively), joined up for joint practices leading up to their preseason matchup Saturday night. McSorley did not record any stats in the preseason matchup, but Clifford continued to be the top backup to the Packers’ starter Jordan Love.

Clifford completed 13 of 19 pass attempts for 137 yards but had no touchdowns to show for it. But he also did not turn the football over, and his chance to lead the Packers to a victory was cut short due to a severe injury to Patriots cornerback Isaiah Bolden. Bolden was injured after colliding with a teammate and was taken to a hospital from the field for medical attention. The two teams agreed to end the game at that time.

At the time of the suspension of the game, Clifford had just completed a 3rd-and-7 pass for a gain of 7 yards to the New England 18-yard line with the Packers down 21-17. Who knows how the drive may have ended if the severe injury had not occurred.

Clifford is not anywhere near threatening for the starting job as the Packers fully believe in Jordan Love as their franchise quarterback, but Clifford has done nothing to suggest he is not worthy of being the team’s top backup option as we inch closer to the start of the regular season.

Clifford and the Packers have one final preseason game to play before the start of the season, and Clifford should be expected to get another good amount of playing time. The Packers close out the preseason this Saturday afternoon with a home game against the Seattle Seahawks.

Follow Kevin McGuire on Threads, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X and like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion. Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=13]

5 takeaways from Day 12 of Patriots training camp practice

The Patriots ramped things up at practice in preparation for their preseason opener.

The New England Patriots put a cherry on top of their Week 1 prep work for their upcoming preseason opener at Tuesday’s training camp practice.

It was a padded practice that shifted focus to those expected to suit up for Thursday night’s game. Those hoping to see defensive end Trey Flowers back in a Patriots uniform will have to wait a little while longer. After signing with the Patriots, the former defensive star was placed on the active/PUP list by the team.

There were several absences and a big return for the Patriots at practice. The full list of absences is as follows:

DE Trey Flowers

G Michael Onwenu

G Cole Strange

G Bill Murray

OT Calvin Anderson

ST Cody Davis

RB/WR Ty Montgomery

OT Calvin Anderson

This was likely the final day fans will be allowed to attend a Patriots training camp practice this year. Let’s jump into some takeaways from the latest practice before the preseason opener.

Bill Belichick comments on Patriots’ QB competition at training camp

Bill Belichick had positive things to say about the Patriots’ QB room as a whole

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick is not giving anybody an answer, when it comes to the quarterback competition. Belichick recently appeared on Sirius XM Radio and was very guarded in his comments about the quarterback race.

The eye test would say Mac Jones appears to have the starting job once again. He has taken every starting rep at training camp and performed the best so far, per the Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan.

However, it sounds like Bailey Zappe and Trace McSorley have also had a strong start to camp as well.

Zappe filled in when Jones was out with an injury last year. The Western Kentucky product performed decently as a rookie, throwing for 781 yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions over the course of four games.

McSorley is in his first season with the Patriots after signing a one-year deal with the organization in April. Here’s what Belichick said when elaborating on his thoughts on the quarterbacks:

“Mac’s had a good offseason,” said Belichick, via Callahan. “He was one of our offseason award winners. First in, last out of the building. Really does a good job of knowing, being on top of everything we’re doing so he can lead from the quarterback position, in terms of play-calling and those types of things.

“…They can all run the offense efficiently, they’re all smart. They’ll handle what we do so everyone else can operate efficiently. So we’ll give them a chance to compete and see how it goes.”

Belichick is not dismissing anyone out of the quarterback equation.

In some ways, it feels like the same blanket answer he gives to every position on the roster. Nevertheless, it is interesting to hear him speak positively about the backup quarterbacks.

Should Jones go down with an injury, it appears that the backup quarterback position is in good hands. The experience of McSorley combined with the reps that Zappe received last season should make for a stronger quarterback room overall.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Madden 24 ratings for Patriots quarterbacks: Where did Mac Jones land?

How did Mac Jones and the rest of the Patriots’ quarterbacks do in the recently revealed “Madden NFL 24” ratings?

Following a catastrophic 2022 season, New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones was obviously doomed from the start when it came to his “Madden NFL 24” rating.

EA Sports recently released the player ratings for the upcoming video game, and Jones landed a 74 overall rating, which is ranked 24th among all NFL quarterbacks.

That number is tied with Carolina Panthers rookie quarterback Bryce Young, who hasn’t even taken an official NFL snap yet. Jones finished the 2022 season with 2,997 passing yards, 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

Granted, the stats alone don’t tell the full story. Jones also had a defensive coach calling the offensive plays, and the Patriots’ receiving corps was once again one of the weakest in the entire league. But to be fair, this rating isn’t the sort of travesty we saw with the Rhamondre Stevenson rating.

Here’s how Jones and the rest of the Patriots’ quarterbacks fared in the game:

Penn State football photo archive: The career of Trace McSorley

Taking a look at some of the best photos of Trace McSorley during his Penn State career.

When Penn State hired Vanderbilt head coach James Franklin to be its next head coach, Franklin brought with him the bulk of his coaching staff. He also ended up bringing one of his top commitments from Vanderbilt to State College with quarterback [autotag]Trace McSorley[/autotag]. Few would realize it at the time, but this may have been the best person to follow Franklin to Penn State from Vanderbilt.

McSorley started off his Penn State career backing up Christian Hackenberg, the top quarterback recruit of the brief Bill O’Brien era, but it would not be long before McSorley got his moment in the sun. In what turned out to be Hackenberg’s final game, a TaxSlayer Bowl loss to Georgia, McSorley came in to relieve an injured Hackenberg and nearly led a memorable comeback for the Nittany Lions. But his second-half performance breathed new life into the offense and McSorley was well on his way to rewriting the Penn State passing record book in the next few years. His successor, Sean Clifford, went on to knock McSorley into second place in the school’s all-time passing yardage and passing touchdown leaderboard, but it is safe to say McSorley will forever be recognized as one of Penn State’s top passers, and most likeable figures.

Here is a look back at some of the best photos from McSorley’s career at Penn State.

 

Every NFL draft pick coached by James Franklin

Zac Stacy, Jordan Matthews, Saquon Barkley, Micah Parsons, and every other NFL draft pick who played for James Franklin.

[autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] got his first head coaching opportunity with Vanderbilt after the 2010 season despite previously being the head coach-in-waiting at Maryland. The Commodores are not necessarily known for producing a tremendous amount of NFL talent, but Vanderbilt managed to send a few players off to the next level by way of the NFL draft under the guidance of Franklin, who has experience as an assistant coach in the NFL.

In the years Franklin was the head coach at Vanderbilt, from 2011 through 2013, Vanderbilt had seven players drafted. And a few more who would go on to be drafted later on out of Vanderbilt were brought into the program initially by Franklin and his staff. The seven players drafted from Vanderbilt from Franklin’s three seasons with the program is the most draft picks from Vanderbilt in a three-year span in school history since 1957-1969 saw 11 players selected by NFL teams, in the days of a draft lasting at least 20 rounds.

Since arriving at Penn State in 2014, Franklin has seen a growing number of his players go on to be drafted by NFL franchises, including an offensive rookie of the year in running back [autotag]Saquon Barkley[/autotag] in 2018 and a defensive rookie of the year in linebacker [autotag]Micah Parsons[/autotag] in 2021.

Here is a look at every player drafted by an NFL team that had James Franklin as a head coach in their last game before being drafted, beginning with Franklin’s time at Vanderbilt.

And once you are done checking out this list, here is a list of every Penn State player drafted in the first round of the NFL draft since Penn State joined the Big Ten.

Report: Patriots sign third quarterback to roster

The Patriots are adding another player to their quarterback room.

The New England Patriots were likely always going to add a third quarterback to their roster, either through the draft or free agency. They gave a definitive answer on where the help will come from behind Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe on Thursday.

According to ESPN’s Field Yates, the Patriots have signed veteran quarterback Trace McSorley to a deal.

McSorley, a former sixth-round draft pick, has played for the Baltimore Ravens and Arizona Cardinals since being drafted in 2019. He actually appeared in six games for the Cardinals and started once in the 2022 season, after quarterback Kyler Murray tore his ACL in a game against the Patriots.

In six appearances, McSorley completed 45 passes for 412 yards, no touchdowns and five interceptions.

The Patriots are clearly comfortable with Jones and Zappe as their top-two options at quarterback, and McSorley is obviously being brought in as an emergency Plan C option.

If anything, this signing makes it less likely the Patriots will use a pick on a quarterback in the upcoming 2023 NFL draft with McSorley meeting their needs as an extra camp body.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqby79hc76t2s390 player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]

Every NFL team visit by Penn State players in 2023 NFL draft

Here is a list of every NFL team that has interviewed a Penn State player leading up to the 2023 NFL draft.

One of the big parts of the NFL draft process is a throwback for prospects to when they were in high school. They have all 32 teams that can ask for them to attend a visit as a form of recruiting but also getting to know the player better they may be drafting.

Each team gets 30 visits prior to the draft and with hundreds of players in the pool, each visit is valuable. When a team uses that visit on a player it is a great sign for them being drafted and for how the league sees them.

For players in the draft pool from Penn State, several have been receiving invites from a litany of teams across the league.