PHILADELPHIA - Matt Stankiewitch's NFL future is uncertain.
Three more preseason games and three weeks of practice remain before the New England Patriots select their final 53-man roster for the Sept. 8 season opener at Buffalo.
Friday night, however, the former Blue Mountain and Penn State standout got to play like an NFL regular.
In front of a large contingent of friends, family and well-wishers, Stankiewitch got to showcase his talents at football's biggest level.
Stankiewitch was a member of the Patriots' second-team offensive line and played center for seven straight possessions in Friday's 31-22 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field.
The 6-foot-4, 305-pound undrafted rookie participated in 43 plays, helping backup quarterbacks Ryan Mallett and Tim Tebow compile 17 points and a drive that resulted in a missed field goal.
"I'm just glad to be here," Stankiewitch said afterward. "I have to learn the plays and keep getting better every day. It's a process, and you have to keep grinding."
The amount of playing time that Stankiewitch saw in Friday's preseason contest was amazing considering he was re-signed by the
Patriots just six days prior and had participated in just four practices of training camp.
Stankiewitch wasn't listed on New England's pre-game roster and wasn't listed on the numerical and alphabetical depth charts given to the media in the press box.
He wore No. 69, which was also worn by defensive lineman Anthony Rashad White.
The 23-year-old didn't know if or when he would get into the game until he was told midway through the first quarter that he was going to be the center on the second-team offense directed by Mallett.
The Patriots' first-team unit, guided by Tom Brady, scored touchdowns on each of its two possessions before exiting the game. New England has been hit hard by injuries to its offensive linemen during training camp, with several of its backup linemen playing nearly three quarters.
"I didn't know. I didn't know if they already moved some people to center or what," Stankiewitch said. "Wherever they need me, I'm going to play there. If they need me at guard or center, it doesn't matter.
"It's wherever you're needed and are going to be the most valuable. I'm just playing wherever they tell me to play."
Stankiewitch entered Friday's game with 3:12 left in the first quarter and the Patriots beginning possession on their own 1-yard line.
New England went three-and-out on that possession, then put together back-to-back drives of eight and 13 plays that resulted in a missed field goal and Stephen Gostkowski's 34-yard field goal. On the next possession, LeGarrette Blount raced 51 yards for a touchdown that gave the Patriots a 24-14 lead.
Including extra points and field-goal attempts, Stankiewitch played 33 plays and the final six possessions in the first half. He returned as the Patriots' center on the first possession of the second half, an 8-play, 57-yard drive that ended with a 1-yard TD run by Blount.
Stankiewitch was replaced by Scott Vallone on the Patriots' second possession of the second half, but came in for Gostkowski's 53-yard field goal attempt that was wide.
"It was a lot of plays, considering I wasn't even on the team less than a week ago," Stankiewitch said. "Right now we're short of guys with injuries and stuff, but that just gives more opportunities for the younger guys and myself to get more reps in practice."
Stankiewitch knows he made some mistakes, both mentally and physically, in Friday's game, but was overall pleased with his performance. He knows it's a learning process, and he's striving to get better each practice.
The Patriots return to practice in Foxborough, Mass., on Monday and will host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a pair of joint practices Tuesday and Wednesday leading up to their preseason game at 8 p.m. Friday.
New England's other preseason games are Aug. 22 at Detroit and Aug. 29 against the New York Giants.
"Next game, I hope I do better physically and mentally," Stankiewitch said. "It's the NFL. You're not going to win every single play.
"You have to learn what you do bad on, learn from your mistakes and capitalize on them for your next opportunity. Not everybody has a perfect game, but you strive for that perfect game.
"I'm going to look at the film, see what I can do to get better, and take it from there."
Stankiewitch's parents, Mike and Lisa, and his brother, Michael, were among roughly 40 close friends and family that attended Friday's game. A group of 21 people traveled to Philadelphia in a limobus that left the Cressona Mall at 3:30 p.m.
After the game, Stankiewitch met with his family and close friends in the Patriots' hospitality area underneath Lincoln Financial Field.
"It was great to see Matt doing what he wants to do, being happy, having a solid game," Mike Stankiewitch said. "It was a really nice feeling to sit there and enjoy watching a son play in the NFL.
"It's a feeling that I never expected to have. It was fantastic, unbelievable, beautiful."
Stankiewitch's parents sat in Section 218. They were proud of their son and his performance in Friday's game.
"It was unbelievable," Lisa said. "I had to pinch myself, 'Is this really happening?' I thoroughly enjoyed it."