Projecting the starting OL

Brady6 said:

Belichick has reloaded the OL over the past few years and we now have a ton of young talent.

I know it's early but what do you expect the OL to look like in week 1 of 2015 WHEN Tom Brady takes the field.

I would add that I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see Vollmer traded in a similar way to Mankins in camp. Cannon could step in with Fleming as the swing OT.

Click to expand...

Ross12 said:

I'm thinking Week 1 will see a starting OL of Solder-Wendell-Stork-Jackson-Vollmer. They will groom Mason to take over a Guard position at some point in the season.

.

Click to expand...

robertweathers said:

I agree with this.

Part of me thinks Connolly will come back as a reserve for C/G. Having a veteran presence to help the kids might be something they'd want to do?

Click to expand...

Ross12 said:

Agreed, with the fair amount of cap space still available it might be wise to re-sign Connolly to a 1-year deal to support the kids, and as a fallback in case all other plans don't work out.

Click to expand...

farn said:

If (though unlikely) Connelly returns, that makes for a very solid OL indeed. I think it'd be tough, as I'd see him on the outside looking in. Love me some Vollmer. But he was an older player to start with - has had injuries - and Cannon's resigning raised eyebrows.

Solder-Jackson-Stork-Wendell-Cannon/Flemming.

Click to expand...

robertweathers said:

Cannon played a very good RT in 2013. Vollmer played close to All-Pro level last year. Tough call.

Click to expand...

micronin127 said:

Put me in the camp that David Andrews UDFA will make the team as a C/G, but won't start. I believe this more than one more season of Dan Connolly.

I feel this is Ryan Wendell's last season with the team too.

Vollmer - Wendell - Stork - Jackson - Vollmer

Reserves: Fleming, Cannon, Mason, Andrews (out: Devey, Barker, Kline*, Hauptmann)

* Kline is a tough call for me, he filled in well in the playoffs when Stork got hurt and Wendell snapped. He could beat out Wendell for starting LG. But we need backup centers so Andrews could be headed for the practice squad and Kline makes the team.

Click to expand...

mrbean said:

The wild card here is Cannon. Out of him, Fleming and Jackson, he's the one with the best feet for the LG position due to his experience playing both T spots. While he has looked like a fine RT backup, he's been underwhelming at both RG and in limited snaps at LG. You'd think a guy that big and strong would dominate in a phone booth, but his power has not translated well to the position.

Fleming, imo, does not project well to the left side. Admittedly, there's not enough to really judge how he'd do at either spot. I see him as a depth guy. Jackson is strictly a RG based on his athleticism, or lack thereof for the left side. That leaves us with Mason, who has athleticism and nastiness in spades for LG, but needs work in pass protection. The UDFA C from Georgia, Andrews projects to LG due to decent movement skills and lack of size. I think he makes the team.

If Brady starts Week 1, I'm going with:

Solder - Wendell - Stork - Jackson - Vollmer

If Brady gets screwed and isn't starting, I think BB plays around quite a bit in weeks 1 and 2 and we see Stork, Cannon, and possibly Vollmer take guard snaps.

I think preseason will see Jackson, Mason, Andrews and Fleming take snaps at LG to see how they look at game speed.

Click to expand...