O-Line

Schmo said:

Wendell is going to start somewhere on the interior. Now that Connolly is gone, he is invaluable. My gut says Jackson will start, and mason will essentially redshirt....with the exception of goaline/injury situations. Shaq will be what we all hoped Cannon would be.....

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So, your starting OL: Solder, Wendell, Stork, Jackson, Vollmer (a fine choice)
Who is the Game Day guard, who is active and backs up both LG and RG?

mgteich said:

So, your starting OL: Solder, Wendell, Stork, Jackson, Vollmer (a fine choice)
Who is the Game Day guard, who is active and backs up both LG and RG?

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I'd guess Mason backing up LG with Wendell moving over to RG in case of Jackson going out. Flemming or Cannon backing up at tackle spots... both have the capability of kicking inside to guard if needed.

mihap said:

...And I don't get it, why is he undersized for G, he is the same size as Wendell.

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Because Wendell is also undersized for Guard.

If Mason is who he put on tape Thursday night he is the day-one starter and there is no competition for the spot. Watch his footwork, power, and movement in every aspect of the game. Pass, run, screen, cup protection, mug protection, sliding to help, it is all there. The one thing that got him was a delay blitz but if that's the negative play from a day-1 rookie I'll take it. This "Mason can't pass block" is patently untrue. He absolutely has the footwork to do so and did it wonderfully throughout the game. Further, he is one of the only players on the roster stout enough to anchor in mug protection which is CLEARLY what the Pats want to run this season.

jays52 said:

If Mason is who he put on tape Thursday night he is the day-one starter and there is no competition for the spot. Watch his footwork, power, and movement in every aspect of the game. Pass, run, screen, cup protection, mug protection, sliding to help, it is all there. The one thing that got him was a delay blitz but if that's the negative play from a day-1 rookie I'll take it. This "Mason can't pass block" is patently untrue. He absolutely has the footwork to do so and did it wonderfully throughout the game. Further, he is one of the only players on the roster stout enough to anchor in mug protection which is CLEARLY what the Pats want to run this season.

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we'll see in three weeks

mgteich said:

we'll see in three weeks

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Lol, ok, but is there a reason you feel that way?

jays52 said:

If Mason is who he put on tape Thursday night he is the day-one starter and there is no competition for the spot. Watch his footwork, power, and movement in every aspect of the game. Pass, run, screen, cup protection, mug protection, sliding to help, it is all there. The one thing that got him was a delay blitz but if that's the negative play from a day-1 rookie I'll take it. This "Mason can't pass block" is patently untrue. He absolutely has the footwork to do so and did it wonderfully throughout the game. Further, he is one of the only players on the roster stout enough to anchor in mug protection which is CLEARLY what the Pats want to run this season.

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Hey Jay--could you give a quick breakdown of what you specifically mean by "mug protection," and how often we've ran it in the past? Thanks.

Oh, and, have you watched a fair amount of tape on Mason's pass protection ability? Understanding that there probably isn't too much out there due to the system at GTU, of course. Just curious to hear from someone who has broken things down.

Mason shouldn't be any worse in pass pro than Wendell, and his upside as both a run and pass blocker far surpasses Wendell.

Still scares me potentially starting 2 rookies at Guard.

strngplyr said:

Mason shouldn't be any worse in pass pro than Wendell, and his upside as both a run and pass blocker far surpasses Wendell.

Still scares me potentially starting 2 rookies at Guard.

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It's the experience and communication that Wendy brings. With that said Mason is a vastly superior athlete.

robertweathers said:

It's the experience and communication that Wendy brings.

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strngplyr said:

Mason shouldn't be any worse in pass pro than Wendell, and his upside as both a run and pass blocker far surpasses Wendell.

Still scares me potentially starting 2 rookies at Guard.

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Both solid points.

As @strngplyr mentions, the possibility of starting 2 rookies at interior spots is certainly concerning. Had it been one or the other, I wouldn't be nearly as worried. It's also a reason why I believe that Wendell may start the season out, with Mason gradually taking over as he grows into the system.

Signing Mathis would certainly stabilize the situation a good bit.

supafly said:

Both solid points.

As @strngplyr mentions, the possibility of starting 2 rookies at interior spots is certainly concerning. Had it been one or the other, I wouldn't be nearly as worried. It's also a reason why I believe that Wendell may start the season out, with Mason gradually taking over as he grows into the system.

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I don't want Mason to gradually take over, the OL was more of an issue than a not 100% Gronk for the first four games of 2014.

We mixed and matched OL on a game, and even a per drive, basis, and it was awful.

Whoever wins the LG spot starts week one and plays til the playoffs are done. As much as two rookies scare me, I hope Mason wins out over Wendell. His potential is far superior and I want the chemistry to be built sooner than later as he does appear to be the future.

I don't wanna go through the musical chairs game at OL again. Even if Wendell is slightly ahead in week 1, Mason's potential may give him the starting spot anyways with the opportunity to grow as the season goes on.

strngplyr said:

I don't want Mason to gradually take over, the OL was more of an issue than a not 100% Gronk for the first four games of 2014.

We mixed and matched OL on a game, and even a per drive, basis, and it was awful.

Whoever wins the LG spot starts week one and plays til the playoffs are done. As much as two rookies scare me, I hope Mason wins out over Wendell. His potential is far superior and I want the chemistry to be built sooner than later as he does appear to be the future.

I don't wanna go through the musical chairs game at OL again. Even if Wendell is slightly ahead in week 1, Mason's potential may give him the starting spot anyways with the opportunity to grow as the season goes on.

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I understand what you're saying about needing consistency and cohesion at such an important position, but I think that it's only natural to expect injuries and changes. In a perfect world, we'd see the kind of cohesion that a lot of teams do, and there's no doubting that your idea is much better--so fingers crossed for solid production and few injuries at OL.

A big part of whether or not Mason can start on day one will be how much these concerns about pass protecting are true, and how much they are just inaccurate stories being spread amongst the fanbase and by the mediots. I have no thought myself, because I just can't give a well educated enough opinion, especially this early in TC/preseason.