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CLICK HERE to Register for a free account and login for a smoother ad-free experience. It's easy, and only takes a few moments.Its definitely a hot topic for camp.
1) Is O'Callaghan fully recovered from his concussions? Does he have a new mouth guard to help him prevent future ones?
2) Has Kaczur matured enough where he won't get traded?
3) Will Britt step up and push for playing time?
4) Will Oldenburg or Hilliard just blow everyone away and win the starting position?
Well, as long as somebody else is out on that limb, I'll climb on too. Then again, that behemoth has been on my binkie list for a while now.When the smoke clears, Wesley Britt will be the starting RT come playoff time. He was dominant in college as a run blocker, and dominant vs. Cincinnati last season.
Returning veterans
Russ Hochstein
A versatile replacement at either guard or center, Hochstein often sees plenty of action throughout a 16-game season. He’s reliable when called upon and his years of experience in the Pats system are a bonus. A roster spot is a safe bet for him.
Nick Kaczur
Kaczur has had injury problems in his first couple of seasons, though when healthy, he’s managed to secure a starting spot at right tackle. He’ll likely face a stiff challenge from second-year man Ryan O’Callaghan. Theirs will be an interesting battle to watch.
Dan Koppen
The Patriots starting center gets better every year. Staying healthy is the most important factor for Koppen.
Matt Light
A starter since his rookie year, when the Pats won their first Super Bowl, Light made his first Pro Bowl last season. He’s one of the best left tackles in the NFL. Injuries are his only major concern, though he enters camp as fit as ever.
Logan Mankins
Mankins is steadily gaining respect around the league for his tough style of play. This season could be a breakout year for him.
Gene Mruczkowski
Like Hochstein, Mruzckowski is interchangeable at guard or center. Scarnecchia has developed him via the practice squad and some spot duty during the regular season. His experience in the system should benefit him as he fights to retain a place on the team.
Stephen Neal
A starter at right guard for the past few seasons.
Not bad for a guy who never played college football. Injuries can be a problem for him from time to time, but his status on the team appears safe.
Billy Yates
Still in the developmental stage, Yates did appear in a few games in ‘06 before an injury ended his season. This summer, he’ll again be battling for a spot.
Rookies and second-year players
Brian Barthelmes
He was on the practice squad last season and spent this past spring in the now-defunct NFL Europa. Tall for a center at 6-6, he’ll need to work extremely hard to prove he can remain a Patriot.
Wesley Britt
Another player still developing, Britt has had his opportunities in games. He’s the biggest Patriot lineman at 6-8, 320, and was respectable when called upon in live action.
Mike Elgin
Though light for a lineman (277), he was impressive during drills in rookie and mini camps. The seventh-round pick is a long-shot, but one worth watching.
Corey Hilliard
After struggling in his first rookie camp practice, Hilliard bounced back in mini camp, but he’ll need to do a lot more to secure a roster spot on this team.
Ryan O’Callaghan
When Kaczur was out with an injury, O’Callaghan started last season at right tackle, and filled in admirably until Kaczur’s return. His play was limited thereafter, but he’s a player who fits the Patriots mold and will likely be in the mix for a starting spot.
Clint Oldenburg
Like Hilliard and Elgin, Oldenburg is a rookie draft pick fighting for a roster spot. Nothing’s impossible, but his best shot may be at a practice squad position.
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/sports/x21057046936. Will they be in the zone?
One of the reasons the Patriots struggled in the running game last year, ranking 18th in yards per carry, is because the team was shifting to zone principles in blocking on the ground.
With Maroney, they have the perfect one-cut-and-explode runner for the Denver-like look. Now it's a matter of the big guys up front improving on blocking in it, which requires linemen to block an area, stretch the defense horizontally and work in unison.
The linemen to make it work are in place, with mobile and heady interior men Logan Mankins, Dan Koppen and Stephen Neal leading the charge. So the improvement should be vast.
Ryan O'Callaghan and Nick Kaczur are competing for the starting job at right tackle. O'Callaghan seems to have the early edge.
While we're on the O-line, Breer had this tidbit from last week that seemed to slide by:http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/sports/x2105704693
If true, the folks who considered 2006 a transition/re-building year may not have been too high after all.
This rotation at RT has been a hallmark for the last three training camps. Ashworth and Gorin were always doing it with Ash the guy who usually won in Camp and Gorin the one coming off the bench and closing out the season after Ash got hurt. Kaczur, for all his sins (real or imagined), won the job back after he got healthy last season and then rotated with O'C until the Urlacher slobberknocker put O'C on the sick, lame, and lazy list. Either way the Pats will be good.One area we noticed in the early part of practice was Nick Kaczur lining up next to right guard Stephen Neal. That's an area we've been monitoring in training camp -- the right tackle competition -- and we'll continue to keep an eye on it.
Kaczur has been about as good as you could expect from a 3rd round Canadian/MAC tackle .