FOXBORO, Mass. — Just call him Trey “The Waterboy” Flowers.
Flowers channeled his inner Bobby Boucher during the New England Patriots’ preseason opener Thursday night as he sacked New Orleans Saints quarterback Luke McCown, forced a fumble, recovered it himself and rampaged into the end zone.
It was Flowers’ first touchdown since high school, he said, and the second defensive score of the game for the Patriots, who went on to win 34-22 at Gillette Stadium.
“I think he did one of those in the movie,” Flowers said with a laugh, referring to the Adam Sandler classic. “So I was trying to do my best impression.”
Flowers, who has impressed thus far in his second NFL training camp, was a force on defense throughout the night, finishing with five tackles and two quarterback hits to go along with his strip-sack. After losing his entire rookie season to injury, the 22-year-old defensive end is making a strong push for a larger role in New England’s defense, especially with Rob Ninkovich expected to miss at least a few regular-season games.
“It’s good to have him out there,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said after the game. “He’s done a good job for us when he’s had an opportunity to play. He played some in the kicking game. He’s got obviously a lot of things he has to work on, too. But he’s shown up pretty much daily in one way or another with some positive plays. He’s a hard-working kid, so hopefully it will continue to get better.”
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
