ATLANTA -- First impressions from the Patriots’ 28-10 victory over the Falcons in preseason action:

Another impressive effort. The Patriots put together their second strong performance in a row. Offensively, it was a nice mix between the run and the pass as you can start to see an identity forming with the unit -- they are balanced, powerful when they want to be with the run, but able to air it out as well.

Wes Welker’s remarkable return. The recovering receiver played for the first time, and he got the ball on his first two plays -- catches for 6 and 14 yards. Both were over the middle, so Welker was tackled both times. The second throw, which converted a first down, was behind him. Welker was also hit hard on his third play, a wide receiver screen that never developed and was incomplete. This has to be a big confidence boost for Welker.

Terrific tight ends. From an offensive perspective, the team’s tight ends are bringing a lot to the table in the running and passing games. Veteran Alge Crumpler had a big block on Fred Taylor’s touchdown run, while rookies Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski had impressive touchdown catches. The tight ends are back to being a big part of the team’s offense.

Old legs show life. Running backs Fred Taylor and Sammy Morris showed a lot of spring in their step, sparking the running game to another big night.

Overall, couldn’t have been much better. This was the perfect set-up for Bill Belichick, as the Patriots did a lot of good things, but there will also be enough on tape for him to be hard on the team (e.g. the first-unit offense stalling on its second drive; getting hurt on check-down plays defensively).

More to come …