ATippett56

The Indianapolis Colts desperately need a starting right tackle since unrestricted free agent Winston Justice was a major disappointment with the Philadelphia Eagles.

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TriplecHamp

Agreed, looking foreword, outside of depth, Linebacker, offensive line and Quaterback are the 3 areas where improvement is least need. IMO

aluminum seats

My concern about the line is a little non-specific, in that it seems like it's pretty good overall, but seems to struggle at the worst times, ie, the playoffs. Against the Ravens, a top-flight line would have presumably been able to pick up some of those 3rd & 2s that seem to crop up so frequently last week.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure where exactly the fault lies there that prevented those conversions from happening.

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Nunchucks

I love Vollmer and would love to have him back, but it is unlikely he stays. He will get a lot of money to play LT for a different team. And yes, I think he can play LT just fine.

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PatsSox363804

Someone will pay Vollmer LT money, no way he's back.

upstater1

Three thoughts:

1. Patriots may be projecting Thomas as a starter next year at Connolly's spot, with Connolly and Wendell battling at center. So, Thomas may get a good chance to start in New England.

2. RT is the new LT. There are so many top echelon guys like JJ Watt rushing the RT these days that you better have a top RT. You can't get by with Grant Williams or Robinson-Randall anymore.

3. Patriots can still use a transition tag on Vollmer.

borg

I'm guessing BB hates the Mankins contract on a few levels: a player having leverage over the team, a contract difficult to dump because of cap costs, a player showing wear and tear.
The Mankins contract probably wets the appetite of the other linemen as well. A firsthand lesson on how to take care of business in a league flush with money.
From a team building stand point, this off season may be more about holding this team together than upgrading it. The Welker contract is the only major contract that could come off the books while several players are due major bumps up if they stay on the roster. As has been discussed, it will be hard to to keep all their top FAs and then upgrade. And will BB want to draft another T with a high pick?

As a keyboard GM tired of watching both a Pats offense that comes up small vs tough D lines and the Pats defense devoid of an NFL caliber secondary, here,s my game plan.

1) I'm letting Welker go. He's great. He's shined for six years, and I've love watching the guy perform. But this has become a finesse offense that avoids direct confrontation (not any of Welker's fault) and I would use his dollars to build a better/tougher O line that can be counted on for those tough yards. As I've pointed out in the past few days, the coaches clearly don't have faith that they can win the LOS scrimmage battles vs the best Ds. (29 3rd down opportunities vs Baltimore in '13 and the GMen in '07 SB.....26 shotgun plays, zero play action)
One player can't replace Wes' production, but I feel the combination of our TEs and Edelman are more than sufficient to be viable options in the short passing game. AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED, THE CURRENT OFFENSE IS OVERSTOCKED WITH SHORT PASSING OPTIONS. What this team lacks is a viable NFL stud receiver with that strength/speed/athleticism triple combo that can layer the passing attack vertically.
The Welker $10 mill can go along way to bolstering the line and expanding the vertical passing game. Six years of great production from Wes, but this formula has fallen a game or more short every year.
The $10 mill Welker cap savings, the $18 mill in cap space, and the draft should be sufficient to address this team holes and weaknesses====secondary, coverage LB, OL, vertical receiver, Vollmer. This team can't have it all, no team in the cap era can.....so choices have to be made. Welker should not be viewed as "Wes", Welker should be viewed as a component of the short passing game, and I argue the Patriots are more than staffed (assuming Edelman gets resigned) to be successful in the short game.

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Deus Irae

The offensive line looks, to me, as if it's going to have a new RT next season. Given Vollmer's history of missing games, I don't see the Patriots spending big money to keep him. That would seem to put Cannon in as the starter, which means the team would need to find at least one backup tackle.

Also, with Thomas a free agent, and both Connolly and Wendell inadequate starters at their current positions, there's a definite need for the interior positions. Also, with Mankins and Connolly both being 31 for next season, I expect the team will be looking at at least one young "project" for Dante, above and beyond a starter/near starter level backup type.


Just my $.02

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borg

Here's a question, how much substitution is there for the O line during these playoff games? With all the hurry up, I suspect very little. A nice fresh plow horse seems in order. The lack of play action on 3rd down is just eating away at me. Regaining control of the line could do wonders for a pass game that seems to play small verses the Balts. and SFs of the league.
I keep asking myself, why all the screens verses the tough teams. Isn't the screen a defense mechanism to combat QB pressure they can't handle. Why all the short passes? To get the ball out of Brady's hands quicker....due to pressure?
Seems like our offense is designed to cover a weakness....doesn't it? With an upgraded line, would the Pats need so many short passing game options? Like Welker? Six years of this Welker centric offense- maybe its time to reboot. As I wrote in another thread,the earmarked Welker $$$ can get redeployed elsewhere on the offense and the Pats would still have a sufficient number of short pass options. Personally, I'd like a beefed up line and a legit open field WR, and reduce Brady's short pass options down to 3....AHern, Gronk, and Edelman.

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Deus Irae

1.) Wide receivers aren't part of the offensive line, so the Welker stuff doesn't really matter in this thread.

2.) regarding the substitution in the playoffs, you're not generally going to get much of it.

3.) A good screen game is about more than being afraid of QB pressure, and the Patriots use it frequently against both good teams and bad.

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