EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Eli Manning and Tom Brady are ready for the season, and so is Rhett Bomar.
Is Andover's Buddy Farnham?
The rookie from Andover had been cut before the first exhibition game, played in just a few plays in the second and sat out the third entirely. But he was all over the field for the Patriots in last night's 20-17 loss to the New York Giants.
He played offense, defense (for the first time since his Andover High days!) and special teams in the final tune-up before the Patriots open up their regular season next Sunday.
In an impressive display of versatility, the undrafted rookie free agent gave the Pats something to think about with a tackle, three assists and a 35-yard kickoff return.
NFL rosters are cut to 53 on Saturday and on Sunday teams are allowed to add back up to eight players to their practice squads.
If you haven't heard of Bomar, well, he just might be the New York Giants' backup quarterback.
Bomar probably nailed down the job, throwing a 60-yard scoring pass to Duke Calhoun, who got past Farnham, with 1:49 to play as the Giants rallied for the victory.
"It felt great," said Bomar, who completed 11 of 24 passes for 171 and one interception. "You always want to end the preseason on a good note. It was good to end it like that."
The 25-year-old Bomar assumed the backup job this week when veteran Jim Sorgi was placed on injured reserve with a shoulder problem. However, the Giants' concern was that the second-year pro has never played in a regular-season game, which might work against him if the team decides it wants a veteran to back up Manning.
Against the Patriots, Bomar led the Giants to three scores, including two 24-yard field goals by Lawrence Tynes.
"I went out there and played and not everything was perfect," Bomar said. "But I made some plays and whatever happens, happens."
The winning score came just minutes after Darnell Jenkins put the Patriots ahead 17-12 by catching a short pass from Brian Hoyer and turning it into a 66-yard scoring play with one move and a burst of speed.
The winner came on a 16-yard in route. Calhoun, a free agent from Memphis, caught the ball in stride, made a defender miss and scored. Gartrell Johnson ran for a 2-point conversion.
Calhoun was still holding the ball in the locker room after the game.
"I was glad to have the opportunity," said Calhoun, who remains a long shot to make the team. "When my number was called, I did the best I could to make a play."
The good news for both teams was they came out of the preseason finale relatively healthy.
New England (2-2) will host Terrell Owens, Chad Ochocinco and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 12. The Giants (2-2) will open at home against Carolina in their new $1.6 billion stadium.
Manning and Brady looked good in their final tuneups.
Manning (7 of 9 for 91 yards) and Brady (4 of 8 for 51 yards) each threw a touchdown pass on his first series.
Manning's touchdown covered 13 yards to tight end Kevin Boss and capped a nine-play, 86-yard drive after the opening kickoff.
"It's good to end the preseason on a good note," Manning said. "You're going to go through some ups and downs in the preseason. Not everything is going to work. You don't get a lot of series, so it was good to end on a good note tonight."
A 55-yard return by Thomas Clayton on the ensuing kickoff set up an eight-play drive that Brady capped with a 5-yard touchdown toss to tight end Rob Gronkowski.
"We converted a third down, got a big play," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "It was nice to see us move the ball, not like it was last week."
The Patriots also got a 46-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski just before halftime for a 10-9 lead.
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