Why Are We Surprised About The Offensive Line?

[mgteich]

I suggest that we reflect on some of the discussions between minicamp and the last cut. Most here had come to believe that the 4th rounders would make the team, and that Fleming had the better chance of being some help this year. Almost everyone had come to agree that Hilapio was a longshot to make the 53.

Most here had plugged in CANNON at a starting guard spot (I was wrong), since he was viewed as one of our top 5 OL's. This board was all but set with Solder, Mankins, Connolly, Cannon and Vollmer. We had several young backups. We weren't sure who would make the team. Some us accepted Belichick's apparent decision to keep Wendell as a veteran backup. With Fleming as the other Game Day backup, we had our OL.

AND THEN MANKINS WAS CUT, and we were shocked that the line was worse than previously expected. Was DEVEY really supposed to replace Mankins in the staring five in the very first game with no hiccups? Was this just supposed to work out with no problems. We knew that replacing Mankins with Wendell in thee starting five would likely mean a weaker OL. How was this NOT going to be the case with DEVEY or KLINE or BARKER starting?

 

[patsfan-1982]

I am not Shocked at all I said all offseason that the inside OL need it to be fixed and then they Traded maybe the best player on the line. its going to be a problem all season they will look good the next two weeks vs the Vikings and Oakland but then they face the chefs bengals bills jets after that 4 of the best DL's in the NFL that's were we will see if they can patch the OL up a nuff to make a deep playoff run

 

[The Boston Patriot]

I'm betting the under on this team in every aspect. You guys have convinced me we won't win one freakin' game this year.

 

[Snake Eyes]

I have a crackpot theory that BB wants to push TFB out so he can try to win a SB with Grop. BB leaves TFB to get gang-raped by opposing D-line while he can look at the stud O-line and receiving corp Manning has in Denver. After TFB's season ends prematurely he demands a trade and Kraft gives in.

 

[Deus Irae]

I suggest that we reflect on some of the discussions between minicamp and the last cut. Most here had come to believe that the 4th rounders would make the team, and that Fleming had the better chance of being some help this year. Almost everyone had come to agree that Hilapio was a longshot to make the 53.

Most here had plugged in CANNON at a starting guard spot (I was wrong), since he was viewed as one of our top 5 OL's. This board was all but set with Solder, Mankins, Connolly, Cannon and Vollmer. We had several young backups. We weren't sure who would make the team. Some us accepted Belichick's apparent decision to keep Wendell as a veteran backup. With Fleming as the other Game Day backup, we had our OL.

AND THEN MANKINS WAS CUT, and we were shocked that the line was worse than previously expected. Was DEVEY really supposed to replace Mankins in the staring five in the very first game with no hiccups? Was this just supposed to work out with no problems. We knew that replacing Mankins with Wendell in thee starting five would likely mean a weaker OL. How was this NOT going to be the case with DEVEY or KLINE or BARKER starting?

Outside of the Insane Homer Posse, who's surprised? Hell, even some of them probably saw this coming.

 

[Jackson 2]

I'm betting the under on this team in every aspect. You guys have convinced me we won't win one freakin' game this year.

Earlier this week I was mildly confident about Minn. Now, after reading all of this, listening to EEI this pm and seeing multiple national stories about Brady's demise, I'm genuinely pessimistic.

 

[DefenseRules]

I'm watching the Steelers/Ravens game. Their offensive lines are making me jealous, especially their centers. The Pats are weak at Center, IMO.
All offseason, I waited for BB to do something to improve the O-line. I was so happy to see them draft three OL. But the younglings are not ready to play I guess. Trading Mankins only made things worse.

 

[DefenseRules]

Earlier this week I was mildly confident about Minn. Now, after reading all of this, listening to EEI this pm and seeing multiple national stories about Brady's demise, I'm genuinely pessimistic.

Me too.

 

[JMC00]

Jesues this place is filled with chicken littles. Bad 2nd half in Miami and the season is over.

 

[Brady6]

I do not think anyone is surprised by the OL play in week 1, I think the surprise is that Belichick put the team in that predicament by trading an all-pro LG with a week remaining in the preseason. He makes these abrupt decisions to often in recent year, last season he decimated the WR group on a whim and this year he did with even less time to adjust to the OL. Flash back a few years he did it with the defensive backfield, it is just not a good decision and not something you would expect a HOF coach to do.

People always defend Belichick by pointing out worse coaches, that is just dumb, if Belichick wants to be considered the GOAT head coach his margin for error is very small and the mistakes other coaches and GMs make he should not be making. I am not seeing the same Belichick that I saw in the 2000s in recent years and it is starting to become concerning, either that or he does not have the support system that he once had. The fatal mistake is the lack of recognition that he has a once and a generation player in Brady and like Denver is doing with Manning the Patriots should be trying to surround Brady with the players he needs to win a title. The likelihood is percentage wise that once Brady retires they will fall back to the rest of the pack.

 

[Brady6]

I have a crackpot theory that BB wants to push TFB out so he can try to win a SB with Grop. BB leaves TFB to get gang-raped by opposing D-line while he can look at the stud O-line and receiving corp Manning has in Denver. After TFB's season ends prematurely he demands a trade and Kraft gives in.

You can quote me on this – Bill Belichick will never win a Super Bowl without Tom Brady.

He has not been able to win a Super Bowl in a decade with Tom Brady, I mean someone as smart as Belichick cannot be that delusional. If he is I would take a long look at early alzheimer's.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

I do not think anyone is surprised by the OL play in week 1,

I think A LOT of people were surprised. We are spoiled when it comes to football in these parts based on the past 13 years so when something goes wrong..people go absolute ape **** based off of one game. It;s hilarious.

Now this happens for 3-4 weeks? Ya we are screwed

 

[Brady6]

I think A LOT of people were surprised. We are spoiled when it comes to football in these parts based on the past 13 years so when something goes wrong..people go absolute ape **** based off of one game. It;s hilarious.

Now this happens for 3-4 weeks? Ya we are screwed

I think we will be fine, we will make the playoffs, I do not think we can win the Super Bowl with are current OL however. I am hopeful that he will use one of his fourth round picks to pull a Talib like trade of an OL if things do not come together by mid season.

 

[DefenseRules]

Jesues this place is filled with chicken littles. Bad day in Miami and the season is over.

What do you expect from us? All week everyone has said that the QB SUCKS and the game has passed him by, the O-line COMPLETELY SUCKS and can't be fixed, the skill players are MEDIOCRE, and the defense JUST SUCKS. Basically, THE TEAM JUST SUCKS. If you hear it enough, after a while, you start to believe it. The offensive line and defensive lines are major concerns for me. If they lose the battle in the trenches again this week, they will lose.

 

[Efstratios]

I think we will be fine, we will make the playoffs, I do not think we can win the Super Bowl with are current OL however. I am hopeful that he will use one of his fourth round picks to pull a Talib like trade of an OL if things do not come together by mid season.

I think this is a definite possibility, especially if the Pats are barely above/at/or below .500 by the midway point. Question is, who would they trade for?

 

[Hael]

The last few years, the line has not played well in preseason, and then gotten it together by the season opener and typically produced pretty good results. Last year was a bit of a down year, however we did have a bunch of draft picks spent on the line, as well as a few young players that should be coming into their prime (Cannon/Solder). This is basically the same line that produced very well in 2012 (with Mankins injured) so there is no fundamental reason why they can't be good.

I think we'll be ok. I'm more worried by what happens if we lose another player in the interior.

 

[mayoclinic]

What do you expect from us? All week everyone has said that the QB SUCKS and the game has passed him by, the O-line COMPLETELY SUCKS and can't be fixed, the skill players are MEDIOCRE, and the defense JUST SUCKS. Basically, THE TEAM JUST SUCKS. If you hear it enough, after a while, you start to believe it. The offensive line and defensive lines are major concerns for me. If they lose the battle in the trenches again this week, they will lose.

Since when do we pay attention to what the press says?

The OL and DL sucked last week. That's a given. If we can't win in the trenches, it will be a long year. That's also pretty much a given. As a general rule, the team that loses the battle in the trenches loses the game. But given a sustained record of excellence that is unparalleled in the salary cap era, it seems a bit early to be panicking. We've gone from a SB contender to a team that JUST SUCKS in just 1 game.

I don't expect any sugar-coating the problems, but I think a little more fortitude would not be out of place.

 

[JMC00]

What do you expect from us? All week everyone has said that the QB SUCKS and the game has passed him by, the O-line COMPLETELY SUCKS and can't be fixed, the skill players are MEDIOCRE, and the defense JUST SUCKS. Basically, THE TEAM JUST SUCKS. If you hear it enough, after a while, you start to believe it. The offensive line and defensive lines are major concerns for me. If they lose the battle in the trenches again this week, they will lose.

That's a weak mind mentality.

 

[Jackson 2]

I do not think anyone is surprised by the OL play in week 1, I think the surprise is that Belichick put the team in that predicament by trading an all-pro LG with a week remaining in the preseason. He makes these abrupt decisions to often in recent year, last season he decimated the WR group on a whim and this year he did with even less time to adjust to the OL. Flash back a few years he did it with the defensive backfield, it is just not a good decision and not something you would expect a HOF coach to do.

People always defend Belichick by pointing out worse coaches, that is just dumb, if Belichick wants to be considered the GOAT head coach his margin for error is very small and the mistakes other coaches and GMs make he should not be making. I am not seeing the same Belichick that I saw in the 2000s in recent years and it is starting to become concerning, either that or he does not have the support system that he once had. The fatal mistake is the lack of recognition that he has a once and a generation player in Brady and like Denver is doing with Manning the Patriots should be trying to surround Brady with the players he needs to win a title. The likelihood is percentage wise that once Brady retires they will fall back to the rest of the pack.

And a silver lining to that cloud will, hopefully, be the disappearance of people who fill this board incessantly with negative crap. It won't be worth it, but it'll be close.

 

[mcmurtry86]

I do not think anyone is surprised by the OL play in week 1, I think the surprise is that Belichick put the team in that predicament by trading an all-pro LG with a week remaining in the preseason. He makes these abrupt decisions to often in recent year, last season he decimated the WR group on a whim and this year he did with even less time to adjust to the OL. Flash back a few years he did it with the defensive backfield, it is just not a good decision and not something you would expect a HOF coach to do.

People always defend Belichick by pointing out worse coaches, that is just dumb, if Belichick wants to be considered the GOAT head coach his margin for error is very small and the mistakes other coaches and GMs make he should not be making. I am not seeing the same Belichick that I saw in the 2000s in recent years and it is starting to become concerning, either that or he does not have the support system that he once had. The fatal mistake is the lack of recognition that he has a once and a generation player in Brady and like Denver is doing with Manning the Patriots should be trying to surround Brady with the players he needs to win a title. The likelihood is percentage wise that once Brady retires they will fall back to the rest of the pack.

1. Mankins was not an All-Pro caliber player last year.

2. The OL looked like crap with Mankins in there.

3. Mankins has had some of his worst games on the biggest stage.

4. The idea that his absence is a detriment to the passing game is ridiculous. He was one of the worst pass-blocking G in the NFL last year. You might have an argument in terms of run blocking but that's not really what anyone seems to be discussing.

5. I fail to see how Belichick "decimated the WR group" by letting Welker go and adding Amendola. He also added a 2nd round draftee (Dobson) That's not decimation. The rest of the 2012 WR's were out of the league last year (Stallworth, Lloyd and Hernandez if you want to count him) or on the team (Edelman). The fact that you use the term "decimated" makes your agenda here in regards to the WR's very clear.

There's room to criticize or debate Belichick's personnel moves but you're not making the right arguments at all.