Gillislee gets in on the hits
RB runs for TD in his preseason debut
PATRIOTS NOTEBOOK
DETROIT — Mike needed that.
The Patriots running back had eight carries for 38 yards, a touchdown and a 2-point conversion last night in a 30-28 win against the Lions in his preseason debut. And it was a long wait for the offseason addition, who has overcome two hamstring injuries in his four months with the team.
“I just wanted to go out there and make plays,” Gillislee said. “I was able to make a couple plays and want to get ready for next week for the Giants. I had the small injury. I’m healthy now. I’m back and doing what I’ve always been doing.”
Gillislee’s initial hamstring issue occurred during the offseason workout program with the Bills before he signed a two-year, $6.4 million contract with the Patriots in April as a restricted free agent. Gillislee was limited in the spring but had a booming start to training camp before going down for a couple more weeks with another hammy.
This was expected to be Gillislee’s chance to validate that strong start to training camp. He returned to practice this week and was in line for a prominent workload while Rex Burkhead was on the mend. He responded with a touchdown on his first carry and the 2-pointer on the next touch.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been in a game, last December, so I was just anxious to get out there and get that first hit,” Gillislee said. “After that, I was good.”
Gillislee is a hard-nosed, between-the-tackles runner who has a chance to corral the top job on early downs. At the very least, he looks like the Patriots’ best goalline option.
And if that’s the case, he won’t get many runs as easy as the touchdown plunge. He followed blocks by road graders James O’Shaughnessy and James Develin to waltz into the end Gillislee zone.
“I was betting I’d see somebody, but it was just open,” Gillislee said. “So I walked in.”
A state of mind
Stephen Gostkowski won the game with a 45-yard field goal with two seconds remaining, and it was his second field goal in the final four minutes of the comeback victory.
“It’s nice to have a kick in a situation that doesn’t come often,” Gostkowski said. “You can go two or three years without trying one, and then there are some years when you get four or five. Anytime you get into a situation and you are successful, it can help in the future to where it’s not a surprise when you get out there.”
Gostkowski made all three of his field goals, though he missed an extra point in the first quarter.
He described his routine as quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo quickly drove the Patriots into field-goal position, which could have yielded more aggressive play-calling before the Pats throttled it down with the running game to try to bleed away the clock.
“I just try to get in my own zone,” Gostkowski said. “Truthfully, you can lose a lot of mental energy trying to create what is going to happen. I’m better off reacting. I’m just trying to get in the zone where I’m focused on the things that I need to focus on before a kick. It’s not like any other kick, but you just have to treat it like any other kick. Sometimes, it’s easier to slow yourself down when you have adrenaline and it’s a big opportunity. Sometimes, I feel like I’m more comfortable at that than gearing myself up if I don’t feel good.
“It’s a great job to work at where you’ve never done it enough to where you feel like you’ve got it mastered. It was a good opportunity, and it was really fun. You never want to miss kicks, but you definitely don’t want to miss them in the fourth quarter.
“I’m glad that we got that opportunity.”
Sticking with plan
The regular season was the goal all along.
Linebacker Dont’a Hightower was out of the lineup last night. The defensive captain debuted at practice this week after coming off the physically unable to perform list recovering from a knee injury and worked out twice before the team’s trip to Detroit, but the Patriots didn’t see any point in forcing him into a game this quickly. He remained in New England.
Since it’s evidently possible the starters won’t play Thursday in the preseason finale against the Giants, Hightower may not put on a uniform until the Sept. 7 regular-season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs at Gillette Stadium.
Hightower, who signed a four-year, $43.5 million extension in March, began a new workout regiment with quarterback Tom Brady’s guru, Alex Guerrero, in addition to his usual routine with the Patriots. All sides agreed this was the best way for Hightower to maximize the strength in his knee to endure a full season.
Hightower sat out the nine-week offseason workout program and the first 31⁄2 weeks of training camp . ...
Undrafted rookie defensive end Caleb Kidder required an X-ray after the game. The origin and extent of injury were not disclosed.
Eighteen sit it out
Hightower was among 18 players who weren’t in uniform for the game.
Also out were Matthew Slater (hamstring), Malcolm Mitchell (knee), Rex Burkhead (undisclosed injury), Brandon King (undisclosed), Nate Ebner (undisclosed), Keionta Davis (yet to practice), Elandon Roberts (rib), Shea McClellin (undisclosed), Tony Garcia (undisclosed), Jamil Douglas (undisclosed), LaAdrian Waddle (concussion), Andrew Jelks (non-football injury), Nate Solder (undisclosed), Matt Lengel (undisclosed), Deatrich Wise (concussion), Geneo Grissom (undisclosed) and Derek Rivers (torn ACL).