Green split Indy’s two deep safeties

Given the state of New England’s tight end group LaAdrian Waddle Jerseys 2019 , Beck will get every chance to make the team." Patriots AnalysisPatriots Player ProfilesPatriots Offseason CoverageNew England Patriots 2019 roster breakdown: #TBD TE Andrew BeckNew,6commentsGiven the state of New England’s tight end group, Beck will get every chance to make the team.EDTThe New England Patriots, who will be off until training camp starts later this month, currently have 89 players on their active roster. However, only 53 of them will be able to survive the cutdowns on August 31 and ultimately make the team. Over the course of the summer, we will take a look at the players fighting for those spots to find out who has the best chances of helping the Patriots defend their Super Bowl title.Today, the series continues with one of New England’s undrafted rookie signings.Name: Andrew BeckPosition: Tight endJersey number: TBD (offseason #63)Opening day age: 23Experience: RookieSize: 6’3, 255 lbs.2018 review: After missing his entire 2017 campaign because of a broken foot, Andrew Beck bounced back well during his redshirt senior season at Texas: he appeared in all fourteen of the Longhorns’ games as the school’s top tight end option. As such, the starter saw regular action as both a blocker and a pass catcher — all while producing the best season of his career in either of the two categories.As a receiver White David Andrews Jerseys , Beck played 372 snaps and finished with 28 receptions on 42 targets. All in all, he gained 281 yards through the air and also caught two touchdown passes. The fifth-year senior also had 7 drops, for one of the worst drop rates among tight ends entering the 2019 NFL draft. Catching the football has never been Beck’s forte, however, considering his comparative lack of athleticism and average skills as a route runner.Blocking is another story, though. While Beck may not be the best blocker in space and has shown some inconsistencies in this area, he can effectively create lanes in the ground game as a de facto sixth offensive linemen — all while also having plenty of experience as a pass blocker and when lining up as an H-back. This usage led to him being named to the first All-Big 12 team as a coaches’ selection.Despite being recognized among the conference’s best players in 2018 and serving as a team captain at Texas, Beck did not hear his name called on draft day: his role in combination with his strengths and production was not enough to make teams invest in him — at least until rookie free agency began.2019 preview: Beck found a team quickly after the draft when the Patriots signed him to a three-year contract including $115,000 in guarantees. While this number — the highest since linebacker Harvey Langi received the same from the club in 2017 — does ultimately not guarantee a spot on New England’s roster, it is still noteworthy and shows that the Patriots were willing to invest considerable resources to get Beck on board.For him to keep a spot on the world champions’ pay roll, Beck will have to show growth early in his career — especially when it comes to his contributions in the passing game. If he can improve his route running David Andrews Jerseys 2019 , refine his blocking technique, and find ways to earn special teams snaps, he will put himself in a solid position on a tight end depth chart in turnover: with Rob Gronkowski retired, all spots appear to be up for grabs.While New England’s other tight ends are favored to earn them — Matt LaCosse and Benjamin Watson are close to being locks, for example, while Ryan Izzo and Stephen Anderson have more experienced in the system — Beck could still carve out a role: he is a realistic candidate to make the Patriots’ practice squad as an emergency depth option and developmental project as a blocking tight end/fullback hybrid. INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Marvin Lewis expects his defense to play aggressively.It also comes with a danger — as the Cincinnati Bengals found out Sunday.They overcame the first-quarter ejection of safety Shawn Williams and three more personal foul calls during the season opener to hold on for a 34-23 victory after Williams’ replacement jarred the ball loose and returned a fumble 83 yards for a touchdown with 24 seconds left at Indianapolis“There’s a lot of stuff we can do better. Too many penalties in critical situations,” Lewis said. “We did a nice job with that all summer and now, today, it cropped in there, so it really could have hurt us.”Williams was tossed in the first quarter after helmet-to-helmet contact with Colts QB Andrew Luck — becoming the first player to be ejected this season.The NFL has sent a clear message to players everywhere that it intends to eliminate dangerous hits.And for a while, it looked as if the Bengals would pay a steep price with eight penalties White Patrick Chung Jerseys , three of which led to first downs.Somehow, they managed to regain their composure, avoided any defensive penalties in the fourth quarter and overcome the loss of Williams to snap an eight-game losing streak at Indy.Oddly enough, Clayton Fejedelem, Williams’ replacement, wound up saving the game after Pro Bowl tight end Jack Doyle appeared to convert a third-and-15 into a first down by contorting his body around the Bengals 15-yard line.Instead, Fejedelem, the second defender on the play, delivered a textbook lesson by knocking the ball out, quickly scooping it up and sprinting down the sideline for the clinching score.“You don’t get time to hiccup or flinch,” Lewis said. “You’ve just got to keep playing.”The Colts learned that lesson the hard way Patrick Chung Jerseys 2019 , too.After taking a 23-10 lead midway through the third quarter, it appeared the Colts might finally end the second-half troubles from last season. This time, they unraveled again.A.J. Green split Indy’s two deep safeties — Clayton Geathers and Malik Hooker — for a 38-yard TD catch and after Adam Vinatieri’s rare miss on a 55-yard field goal, the Bengals capitalized by driving for Joe Mixon’s leaping 1-yard score to take the lead. Indy was called for three defensive penalties on the second series, including an inexplicable pass interference call on Geathers on third-and-15.“I thought we played good, just penalties in the end killed us,” Colts defensive end Margus Hunt said after recording two sacks against his former team. “We just need to keep playing football.”SECOND CHANCEDoyle has been one of the Colts’ most reliable players over the past few seasons.So the fumble was out of character and teammates quickly came to his defense, starting with Luck.“Jack cares about this game as much as any guy I’ve ever played around,” he said. “He’s an incredible person, an incredible teammates and he’s a great friend. So you give him a big hug. He’s going to be all right. He’s going to be fine.”NEW OFFENSESThe Bengals and Colts have new offensive coordinators and revamped offensive lines, and both showed promise after slow starts.Andy Dalton and Luck were each picked off on their first passes of the afternoon before settling down and delivering more typical performances.Luck was 39 of 53 with 319 yards and two touchdowns in his first regular season start since having shoulder surgery in January 2017. Dalton was 21 of 28 with 243 yards and two scores.Each was sacked twice.GIVING IT AWAYThe Colts lost seven halftime leads in 2017 White Duron Harmon Jerseys , falling one game short of matching the NFL record.And a coaching change didn’t help Indy find its finishing touch Sunday. The Colts gave up 24 points over the final 20 minutes, allowing the Bengals to spoil Luck’s long-awaited return.TOUGH GRINDWhile the passing games appeared to be in sync, the ground games left more to be desired.Mixon carried 17 times for 95 yards , but the Bengals only had three other rushing attempts and wound up with 101 yards.Indy, meanwhile, relied heavily on rookies Jordan Wilkins and Nyheim Hines in their pro debuts. Wilkins carried 14 times for 49 yards, while Hines had five attempts for 19 yards and caught seven passes for 33 yards.Both teams need to be more effective on the ground this season.