Patriots 2011 Offensive Line

Patjew said:

Good thing Brady is tall. Can you imagine Flutie trying to throw over that right side?

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His motion would be like shooting hoops

patchick said:

Personally, I'd be stunned to see Solder start at guard except in an injury scenario. He's never played any line position except LT, and even Kaczur struggled with interior DL getting under his pads when he tried to play guard. Solder's length is extreme even at tackle.

So I'm going to read the tea leaves differently on this one. Instead of saying it bodes ill for Connolly, I'll say it bodes well for Matt Light. It's the backup tackle who'd usually crosstrain for gameday emergencies, no?

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It maybe also be to refine his technique and get Solder to play with a lower pad level on a more consistent basis with plenty of reps against smaller D-linemen.

AndyJohnson said:

Isnt Ohrenberger currently our #1 backup at C and G?

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Only if Wendell remains injured, I think. When healthy, Wendell has consistently played ahead of Ohrnberger -- last season and in training camp.

Lots of talk about the DL, but I'm excited about this year's OL.

Let's break it down:

LT above average with upside (Solder being the upside)
LG arguably the best in the game (Mankins)
C average but with depth (Big-O as backup)
RG average with some upside (Cannon being the upside with Connelly starting.)
RT arguably the best in the game (Vollmer)
TE above average with huge upside (Gronk plus Hernandez and maybe Yeatman.)

This is going to be a very good offense.

Re: Lots of talk about the DL, but I'm excited about this year's OL.

i think we are good at both tackle positions and great at LG

however, i think we have a pretty big weakness at RG and C.

my hope, as im sure is everyone elses here, is that Cannon can get healthy and step in and be a decent to good G.

Re: Lots of talk about the DL, but I'm excited about this year's OL.

amazinPats said:

Let's break it down:

LT above average with upside (Solder being the upside)
LG arguably the best in the game (Mankins)
C average but with depth (Big-O as backup)
RG average with some upside (Cannon being the upside with Connelly starting.)
RT arguably the best in the game (Vollmer)
TE above average with huge upside (Gronk plus Hernandez and maybe Yeatman.)

This is going to be a very good offense.

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With good health and a few technique tweaks, the rookie could be unbeatable at LT. He made very few mistakes against a really good first-team Tampa attack that, granted, might not have been playing their best, but....

For me, I'm really excited about the run game, which goes nowhere without good line play. We've god some solid ball carriers, and the line really looks ready to go already.

And then what? Brady throwing to some bums like Welker, Branch, Ocho, Gronk and Hernandez? Oh, MAN!

Re: Lots of talk about the DL, but I'm excited about this year's OL.

amazinPats said:

Let's break it down:

LT above average with upside (Solder being the upside)Deep and Elite IMO, Light is still top 10 and Solder has as much upside as any tackle drafted over the last 8 years
LG arguably the best in the game (Mankins)No doubt
C average but with depth (Big-O as backup) agreed, average
RG average with some upside (Cannon being the upside with Connelly starting.)Not expecting Cannon to contribute this year but I think Connelly is solid
RT arguably the best in the game (Vollmer)Elite
TE above average with huge upside (Gronk plus Hernandez and maybe Yeatman.)Gronk is one of the more complete tight ends in the NFL even in his second year. Dare I say he's already a top 5 TE

This is going to be a very good offense.

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For the first time in a long time I think we have a top 3 Offensive line and Defensive line. Time to dominate in the trenches.

Re: Lots of talk about the DL, but I'm excited about this year's OL.

Totally agree. Within a year or two, this may go from an already quite good OL to a truly exceptional one. I'm confident Solder will be special some day, and I hope Cannon can work his way into a starting role at maybe RG. Like many, I'd like to see an upgrade at Center in next year's draft, but Koppen still probably has a lot of years left. For whatever reason, that position seems to play forever in this league.

I think everybody's taking for granted how good this offense is going to be. We were one of the all-time greats last season, and with improved health, experience, and personnel, we could be even better. But the unknown is more intriguing. Our offense WILL be great. Our defense MAY be great, and that's just a bit more interesting.

Re: Lots of talk about the DL, but I'm excited about this year's OL.

amazinPats said:

Let's break it down:

LT above average with upside (Solder being the upside)
LG arguably the best in the game (Mankins)
C average but with depth (Big-O as backup)
RG average with some upside (Cannon being the upside with Connelly starting.)
RT arguably the best in the game (Vollmer)
TE above average with huge upside (Gronk plus Hernandez and maybe Yeatman.)

This is going to be a very good offense.

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I'd say your LG is the best in the game, and Vollmer is a hell of a player. But your C/RG spots are below average and LT is all potential. You're still going to be susceptible to middle blitzes and that's where Brady is at his worst.

Re: Lots of talk about the DL, but I'm excited about this year's OL.

TriplecHamp said:

For the first time in a long time I think we have a top 3 Offensive line and Defensive line. Time to dominate in the trenches.

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Did you just suggest that Matt Light is a top 10 LT in the NFL?

Re: Lots of talk about the DL, but I'm excited about this year's OL.

Doggin94it said:

Did you just suggest that Matt Light is a top 10 LT in the NFL?

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Name ten better.

Re: Lots of talk about the DL, but I'm excited about this year's OL.

Where are the 2011 improvments over 2010? At backup OT?

In the interior of the OL, we have the same starters and backups as in 2010, except that we have Cannon (who we expect little from this year) instead of Ojinnaka who was often active.


BOTTOM LINE
I am excited about our OL for the future, having added Solder and Cannon. I am excited that we extended Mankins and Light. I expect that we will extend Koppen. But, I expect pretty much the same line play this year as we had when Mankins came back last year. And, yes, just BTW, it was (and is) a top 5 OL.

Of course, if Solder starts at LT and Light starts at anothe position, then we would have an upgrade on the OL. I would think the best possibility (although unlikely) would be to move Mankins to RG and have Light play LG.

Re: Lots of talk about the DL, but I'm excited about this year's OL.

TriplecHamp said:

Name ten better.

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Joe Thomas
Jake Long
D'Brickashaw Ferguson
Ryan Clady
Jason Peters
Michael Oher
Michael Roos
Marcus McNeill
Donald Penn
Chad Clifton
Jordan Gross
Doug Free
Jermon Bushrod
Russell Okung
Trent Williams
Jonathon Scott

And that's just off the top of my head.

Re: Lots of talk about the DL, but I'm excited about this year's OL.

Doggin94it said:

I'd say your LG is the best in the game, and Vollmer is a hell of a player. But your C/RG spots are below average and LT is all potential. You're still going to be susceptible to middle blitzes and that's where Brady is at his worst.

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I'd say you're a little harsh on LT, given that Light's still on the roster, and center, where Koppen can be susceptible to bull rushes but is too smart and technically sound to be considered below average. Overall, though, the C/RG section of the line is definitely the worry point -- and the inevitable point of attack for opposing defenses.

On the bright side, that's the only questionable spot on the entire offense.

Re: Lots of talk about the DL, but I'm excited about this year's OL.

Additions: Solder, Cannon, Yeatman (over Smith who I thinks doesn't make it)

Losses: Neal, Crumpler

I like what I seen with Solder (and Yeatman) Cannon was a 2nd talent so if you are talking about the future then I'm excited.

Don't get me wrong I like our OL, but Neal was to me the most underated player on the Pats for a long time. Granted he struggled to stay on the field, but he is better the very average Connely. Crumpler's blocking last year was outstanding. Mankins being here for probably equals the scales, but the truth is this team lost two execellent blockers.

Re: Lots of talk about the DL, but I'm excited about this year's OL.

Doggin94it said:

Joe Thomas
Jake Long
D'Brickashaw Ferguson
Ryan Clady
Jason Peters
Michael Oher
Michael Roos
Marcus McNeill
Donald Penn
Chad Clifton
Jordan Gross
Doug Free
Jermon Bushrod
Russell Okung
Trent Williams
Jonathon Scott

And that's just off the top of my head.

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Try again. The bold ones are not nearly at Light's level, and plenty of the remaining guys are no better or worse.

Re: Lots of talk about the DL, but I'm excited about this year's OL.

Doggin94it said:

Joe Thomas
Jake Long
D'Brickashaw Ferguson
Ryan Clady
Jason Peters
Michael Oher
Michael Roos
Marcus McNeill
Donald Penn
Chad Clifton
Jordan Gross
Doug Free
Jermon Bushrod
Russell Okung
Trent Williams
Jonathon Scott

And that's just off the top of my head.

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You lost all credibilty when you included Russell Okung. He has started 10 games in his entire NFL career I doubt you've seen him play more than once or twice.

Re: Lots of talk about the DL, but I'm excited about this year's OL.

Doggin94it said:

Joe Thomas
Jake Long
D'Brickashaw Ferguson
Ryan Clady
Jason Peters
Michael Oher
Michael Roos
Marcus McNeill
Donald Penn
Chad Clifton
Jordan Gross
Doug Free
Jermon Bushrod
Russell Okung
Trent Williams
Jonathon Scott

And that's just off the top of my head.

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Re: Lots of talk about the DL, but I'm excited about this year's OL.

Doggin94it said:

Joe Thomas
Jake Long
D'Brickashaw Ferguson
Ryan Clady
Jason Peters
Michael Oher
Michael Roos
Marcus McNeill
Donald Penn
Chad Clifton
Jordan Gross
Doug Free
Jermon Bushrod
Russell Okung
Trent Williams
Jonathon Scott

And that's just off the top of my head.

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Re: Lots of talk about the DL, but I'm excited about this year's OL.

TriplecHamp said:

Name ten better.

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Against average conditions over the past 2 years, Light ranked between #5 and #12 IMO.

However, considering his issues against speed rushers, and being a year older, I wouldn't be surprised that he slips into the #10 - #18 level - namely mediocre.

Ask the question at the end of the year. Personally I would have been much happier to have Solder sign early and really have had a competition with Light, I'm not at all sure Light would have won. After all, Solder had more on the ball then Vollmer coming out, and he didn't look too bad since he got here, including some time at LT while Light was resting his old bones.