Anyone else curious why Connolly is exclusive at Guard

[signbabybrady]

I find it curious That he has not played center at all thru camp and 2 preseason games.

Not really sure exactly if it is enough to read into but what the heck lets do it anyway.

Possibilities?

1) Koppen will be the starting center again. He will play RG until Waters comes back then will be the key back up interior linemen.

2) Wendell will be the starting center. He will play RG until Waters comes back then will be the key back up interior linemen.

3) Waters might not be coming back and Connolly will be your starting RG with either Koppen or Wendell at center.

4)Connolly will be the starting center but as Koppen only backs up Center he is getting work at guard because if a guard goes down he will slide over and Koppen will be the center. This would seem odd as why not work at both.

-discuss amongst yourself-

 

[Rob0729]

Probably because Belichick wants to give other players a shot to compete for the back up at the center position. Greg Bedard said on Twitter last night that Waters' locker is still in tact (doubtful if he was holding out). So I think he will be back.

 

[deters]

I choose possibility #1.

 

[DarrylS]

I think Waters will be back this week.. the grind of TC is just about over.

 

[Kontradiction]

Waters will be coming back, they need Cannon at RT more than RG right now, and Connolly will be competing for the starting C spot with Koppen again in coaches meetings prior to Week 1.

 

[BTTA]

I wouldn't assume that the coach knows the final result at this point. Perhaps the competition for center is still legitimately being waged? Perhaps the coach is letting it play out by giving a legitimate shot to people he's less sure about? Perhaps he's unsure of how good Koppen can be at this stage, and perhaps Wendell is making a real push?

 

[The Scrizz]

Option 1 is absurd as he is clearly better than Koppen. You don't have a better player as the backup just because he's versatile. You take advantage of that versatility if injury or circumstance demands. You don't sit him just in case.

Option 2, same option different player.

Option 3, logical IF Waters does not come back.

Option 4, Koppen and Connolly are both running with the ones so if Connolly slides to C, Koppen slides.... where exactly?

So let's use Occam's Razor for option 5: Connolly is the best right guard on the roster right now, hence you put him at right guard. And while he is also the best C as well, there are currently more options there than at guard.

 

[deters]

Could Connolly fill in for Mankins as well until he is healthy and ready to go?

Solder - Connolly - Koppen - Waters - Vollmer

Then when Mankins returns to game shape Connolly takes starting C roll and Koppen is backup.

Solder - Mankins - Connolly - Waters - Vollmer

 

[Big-T]

Because he's the best guard available (2nd now Mankins is back) and there's 3 more C's on the roster who have all shown they are good enough to start in the NFL so Connolly at Guard produces the strongest line available?

If Mankins plays against Tampa I wouldn't be shocked if the line is:
Solder-Mankins-Connolly-Thomas-Vollmer

 

[PATSNUTme]

I love the way that the media and some fans are ready to throw dirt on Dan Koppen's grave. He is just returning from a season ending injury. He has been a solid center (underrated IMO) for several years.

He needs to get himself back to playing condition and may also be a little hampered by the effects of the injury; I'm not ready to give up on him.

Wendell has also played well. Without Waters in camp, Connolly is the best option at RG.

 

[UK_Pat37]

It might have something to do with the fact Wendell is owning the competition for the position up against Koppen, we have no Waters (which effectively makes Cnnolly the starting RG with Wendell locking the Center position up with Koppen in his wake) and we also haven't had Mankins amongst numerous other injuries we've been trying to cover for.

That's my stab in the dark anyway

There's simply no ulterior motive or undiscovered logic to it...it just is what it is.

My guess is if Waters makes a return, Koppen becomes expendable as we can use Connolly to back up both RG and C and then we have the likes of Donald Thomas who can also effectively back up a Guard as well as McDonald who is showing something at Tackle as Well as the ability to play throughout the line.

As for s******g on Koppen...it's not about loyalties in this game. If you're expendable, you're expendable and we have put three other guys at that position over two seasons and not even skipped a beat. It's a business; man up and get on with it.

 

[JackBauer]

I love the way that the media and some fans are ready to throw dirt on Dan Koppens grave. He is just returning from a season ending injury. He has been a solid center ( underrated IMO) for several years.

Koppen's play had been declining noticeably prior to the injury. It wouldn't surprise me at all if Connolly and Wendell have supplanted him.

 

[signbabybrady]

Option 4, Koppen and Connolly are both running with the ones so if Connolly slides to C, Koppen slides.... where exactly?

So let's use Occam's Razor for option 5: Connolly is the best right guard on the roster right now, hence you put him at right guard. And while he is also the best C as well, there are currently more options there than at guard.

My option 4 and your option 5 are pretty much the same. I was saying that with option 4 when Waters returns Connolly will be the starting center and Koppen the back up center. As koppen does not play guard I added that Connolly is working at guard now to get ready in case he needs to slide over to guard in the middle of a game but the way you put it makes more sense he is the best RG on the team right now and so he plays there he very likely will be the best center when and if Waters returns.

But is still I find it weird that he would not work at center some of the time.

 

[PATSNUTme]

Koppen's play had been declining noticeably prior to the injury. It wouldn't surprise me at all if Connolly and Wendell have supplanted him.

How do you know that? He was the starting center when he was injured. If BB and Dante thought that Connolly was better, he would have been starting.

Someone else posted tha players are expendable, we should accept that. I wonder if his real name is **** Tracy. That is exactly what happens over and over again in teh NFL and the game moves on.

But, I'll wait until BB decides that Koppen is not worth a roster spot. If BB and Dante make that call, then it won't be because they are reading media reports.

 

[Kontradiction]

How do you know that? He was the starting center when he was injured. If BB and Dante thought that Connolly was better, he would have been starting.

Someone else posted tha players are expendable, we should accept that. I wonder if his real name is **** Tracy. That is exactly what happens over and over again in teh NFL and the game moves on.

But, I'll wait until BB decides that Koppen is not worth a roster spot. If BB and Dante make that call, then it won't be because they are reading media reports.

He'd been beaten like a rented mule in the 2010 AFCDG game, and has traditionally struggled against bigger DT's.

 

[JJDChE]

I thought it was pretty much accepted that Koppen had been on the decline before the injury.

He'd been a serviceable player for quite a while, but many people pointed out that he was struggling the last few years, now he is coming off a serious injury and will be 33 in a few weeks. It's not hard to believe that his career may be just about done. Hell of a career for a 5th round pick if it is.

 

[PATSNUTme]

He'd been beaten like a rented mule in the 2010 AFCDG game, and has traditionally struggled against bigger DT's.

Dan Koppen and I are not related, we are not having an affair, so I have ulterior reason to defend him.

But my question is, if what you say, and others, is correct, then why do you think BB and Dante started him over another player?

From past history, I think it's safe to say that BB will make a change if it gives the team the best chance to win and is not sentemental about it.

 

[JJDChE]

Just because he was declining doesn't mean that he still wasn't the best option available. Two years and a major injury removed from that can change a lot.

 

[WhiZa]

It's probably because we have a lot more centers than we have guards.

 

[Armchair Quarterback]

Dan Koppen and I are not related, we are not having an affair, so I have ulterior reason to defend him.

But my question is, if what you say, and others, is correct, then why do you think BB and Dante started him over another player?

From past history, I think it's safe to say that BB will make a change if it gives the team the best chance to win and is not sentemental about it.

Connolly had not yet proven himself as a full time starter and they may have been giving Koppen time to right the ship but he was clearly declining. He was only the starter for week one last year.

Starters sometimes lose their jobs, just because Koppen started week one doesn't mean he would have been the starter the whole year.

Koppen got very little interest this year on the open market. The tape doesn't lie.

It's not disrespectful to say a player's done when he clearly is. He's had a nice career but it doesn't look like he has much left and the decline was starting in 2010.