Are Pats planning on rolling with an OL platoon?

As NE keeps snatching up imperfect, yet versatile OL, we keep hearing that competition for the starting 5 is going to be fierce.

But today I thought, wouldn't it be more Belichickean for NE to roll out a newly minted top secret form of OL platoon or rotation and instead unleash THAT type of monster on an unsuspecting NFL. It worked spectacularly during the first half of last season before injuries struck, and maybe they now view it as a very tangible edge and/or wave of the future. Imagine being able to roll out 2 main/3 interior line combinations, keeping everyone fresh, playing finesse or smash-mouth as needed, playing to each lineman's strengths, minimizing weakness, all the while keeping opponents guessing, uncomfortable or just simply more fatigued.

Thoughts?

Sounds like a plan to me. It did work pretty well last year, but it also depends upon where you can cut other areas. It's that damned 53 slots that causes the real headaches.

Gwedd's solution, what I have advocated for in the past, is to either allow the team to dress all 53 on game day, OR to increase the active roaster to 60 slots,

It didn't work last year. The skill players overcame poor IOL play until they started getting injured.
The rotation was a necessity because our IOL sucked and we were trying to find someone who could okay.
Having the swing tackle play a series each half is no big innovation.

Gwedd said:

Sounds like a plan to me. It did work pretty well last year, but it also depends upon where you can cut other areas. It's that damned 53 slots that causes the real headaches.

Gwedd's solution, what I have advocated for in the past, is to either allow the team to dress all 53 on game day, OR to increase the active roaster to 60 slots,

Click to expand...

I agree 1000 percent. Make the game more about strategy than injury. And give a team more leeway to deal with concussion protocol.

AndyJohnson said:

It didn't work last year. The skill players overcame poor IOL play until they started getting injured.
The rotation was a necessity because our IOL sucked and we were trying to find someone who could okay.
Having the swing tackle play a series each half is no big innovation.

Click to expand...

Yep. I think we hoped it would stabilize like it did in 2014 but the rotation was born not out of strategy but necessity. They had rookies, injuries, players who could run block but not pass block and a ****ty positional coach who had no clue what he was doing.

Lining up the same five guys every game and every snap as much as possible is the only way this line will be a cohesive unit.

Having Scars back on OL coaching is key. Can't do any thing about 'I' word that's just part of football but Dante will get max out of anyone that is on OL.

Others have said more than enough. I'll just add that I like versatility and creating match-ups at any position other than OLine. That's where you want your top guys to be your top guys at their respective positions for the duration. Jimmy G will be counting on that because of his inexperience and TB12 will be counting on it because he'll be 39. I really hope we don't see a rotation like the early part of 2014 and all of 2015. That would mean they either suck or injuries have hit again. Either way it would mean bad things to our chances of once again being the champs.

He's been doing this for years. The only time he doesn't is when he doesn't have enough players who are competent. I can recall people complaining about this years back. End of the season, go with the starters.

I still think fans are completely wrong about the prospects for the 2016 Offensive line.

BB rebuilt the tackle position a few years ago and both Solder and Seabass are exceptionally talented and also very big tackles. Both have been nominated to the Pro bowl in the past. He set out to improve the interior offensive line the last two years, by actually drafting Guards and Centers, at premium picks for those positions , i.e in the third and fourth rounds.

Before that, BB usually found all the interior positions and even the Right tackle from among the UDFAs. Recall he once said ,"you can always find a G...". Injuries prevented them from playing a set lineup in 2015, and all rookies still need seasoning. At one point he had 4 rookies starting, including a few at positions that they had never played before, due to injuries. The inexperience and lack of continuity hurt badly.

But that was then, and this is a now, a new season. The former rookies have some starting experience now, Cooper has been added, and all are healthy, including the injured starting swing tackle, Waddle, they picked up from the Lions cheaply, expecting him to be healthy in 2016, even if next to useless in 2015.

I don't think it makes much difference that Scar has returned, and Googe replaced. This line has the talent and depth to excel, and be better than any BB has ever fielded, from TE to TE. It does make a difference that even both the TEs are talented and fierce blockers too. Unlike prior years, this line might actually have rising stars at every single position.

By seasons end this will be recognized as a superior Offensive line throughout the League.