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1. Vollmer should slide right into the starting right tackle spot, pushing Marcus Cannon into the top backup tackle role. Vollmer is the swing tackle, as he'd likely be the first option to move to left tackle in the event of injury to Nate Solder. It doesn't look like there would be another tackle on the roster, meaning the Patriots would likely keep 5-6 interior options for a total of 8-9 linemen.
2. The locks in that interior group include starting left guard Logan Mankins and starting center/right guard Dan Connolly, with fourth-year center/guard Ryan Wendell also appearing safe. That leaves center/guard/takle Nick McDonald, guard Donald Thomas and center Dan Koppen for 2-3 possible spots, with McDonald's versatility potentially giving him an edge. All of this doesn't factor in the possibility of Brian Waters reporting to camp, which could further threaten someone like Thomas and Koppen for a spot.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. "OVER Loading at ANY position can create a Fatal Advantage. THAT is what interests ME. Attacking With Concentrated Force. THAT is what WINS. In the words ~ more or less ~ of General Patton: 'I'm fighting a WAR, here. Let the B*****ES worry about their FLANKS.' " - Off the Grid
"The key to any successful organization is to anticipate things, not react to them." - Michael Lombardi
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Intriguing idea, but does anybody know how he actually fared at OT in camp? McDonald has excellent size and athleticism for an interior OL but marginal for a tackle, and IIRC he has VERY short arms (31" maybe?)
I could imagine him as an emergency fill-in, but I'd feel a lot better if somebody like Weems were on the PS.
McDonald may not have prototypical tackle measurables, but the kid can play. Matt Light was about the same size (6'4"+ 305#), and I recall he did ok. I'm not sure about the arm length issue - I couldn't find anything about McDonald's arm length, but Matt Light had shortish arms (33 1/2"), which was apparently one reason he slipped to the 2nd round in 2001:
FWIW, BB had some nice things to say about McDonald last week:
Quote:
In his second season with the Patriots, the 6-foot-4-inch, 305-pound McDonald has earned the respect of teammates for rising to the occasion in a pinch. Last December he was promoted off the practice squad and made his first career start 24 hours later, playing center Dec. 4 against the Colts. On Monday, he received plaudits from Bill Belichick for his play.
“We don’t have a lot of depth at tackle, so he was probably the most experienced — not that he has a lot of experience — but still the most experienced guy with also the athleticism to be able to play the position,” Belichick said. “I thought, really, he did a pretty good job out there for not much practice. He hadn’t done it a couple years and went back out there and really did a pretty credible job. That was great to see. There aren’t many offensive linemen in the league that can play all five spots. If he could do that, that would be very valuable to our football team.”
Practically gushing from the laconic BB. The SMY article also noted:
Quote:
The Patriots currently have Nate Solder and Marcus Cannon at the starting tackle spots with Sebastian Vollmer (back) on the physically unable to perform list. Matt Kopa is nursing an ankle injury, and they’ve brought in rookies Darrion Weems, Kyle Hill, and Dustin Waldron to help at tackle. But it is McDonald who has the coaching staff’s trust.
“You’ve just got to know it. It’s not that big of a difference; some things are, but when you play guard you’ve kind of got to know what the tackle’s doing and every guy’s got to know different spots,” he said.
It was pretty easy jumping back into the mix at tackle, McDonald said, giving a brief synopsis of the differences between playing center, guard, and tackle.
“It’s not really that different. Scheme-wise it’s different, you’ve got to know different assignments, but playing center you know what the guard’s doing, playing guard you know what the tackle’s doing, so it all works together,” he said.
Sorry Patchick, but I'm sticking with McDonald as my OL binky and all-purpose offensive lineman, regardless of what his arm length turns out to be. I think he'll be more than an "emergency fill-in" at OT. I think he'll be a starting caliber OG/C and a pretty decent backup tackle. I think that McDonald's "processing skills" are very rare for an offensive lineman - they helped him play starting center decently on short notice last year, and they clearly are a factor in his ability to handle different line roles. Plus, not all effective tackles are built the same way. Mitchell Schwartz (one of my favorites for the Pats in the last draft) was drafted in the 2nd round (#37 overall). He's a slow guy without elite athleticism. But the Cal coaches all said he was the smartest lineman they ever coached, and he excelled at the Senior Bowl against elite competition, including doing a credible job at center when another player got injured, even though he had never played the position. McDonald, like Schwartz, has rare intelligence and understanding of how the line works, and I'm confident that he can hold his own.
Remember when people were so high on Max Unger in 2009? Or Barrett Jones for 2013? McDonald may not be as good as Jones, but I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up being better than Unger (2nd round pick, #49 overall), and as good as Schwartz. I'll settle for that.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. "OVER Loading at ANY position can create a Fatal Advantage. THAT is what interests ME. Attacking With Concentrated Force. THAT is what WINS. In the words ~ more or less ~ of General Patton: 'I'm fighting a WAR, here. Let the B*****ES worry about their FLANKS.' " - Off the Grid
"The key to any successful organization is to anticipate things, not react to them." - Michael Lombardi
What's more concerning is the first half offensive line starters were on the roster last season:
Solder
Cannon
Koppen
Connolly
Wendell
Thomas
McDonald
And only 1 of them will start at the position they did tonight, Nate Solder. We are missing 3 Pro Bowl level players in Mankins, Waters and Vollmer...that will make a HUGE difference when they are back.
And yes, Brian Waters is absolutely coming back. If the guy was retiring, he'd just say it rather than giving no comment and putting up with reporters harrassing him on whether he'll be back or not. Bedard also mentioned on twitter that he still has a locker in the locker room.
He'll be back before week 1 and we'll have an offensive line of Solder/Mankins/Connolly/Waters/Vollmer and then light it up for 30 points or so. I do have some concern about our backup OT situation, but then again, what team doesn't? Certainly not a reason for panic like some fans and media are doing.
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The Patriots have been overachievers the past two years. It doesn't have the talent to compensate for injuries, and it wins so much because it puts in 99% effort in the regular season and plays with terrific schemes to mask its deficiencies.
But in the playoffs a good team at 99% will not beat emotional, talented teams that play at 100%. It's what happened against the Giants in 2011 and the Ravens in 2012.
15Likes
Re: Quick thoughts on the OL -
Linear Mode
