 Belichick felt Vollmer had too much upside to place on injured reserve. (FILE:Icon/SMI) |
It's not often you hear such high praise from head coach Bill Belichick when it comes ot an individual player, but he had some kind words for offensive lineman Sebastian Vollmer on Thursday.
Vollmer has been a key addition to this football team since being drafted in the second round back in 2009, and he's apparently done enough to earn enough trust and respect from Belichick to be kept on the roster despite being hampered with an injury. The third year offensive lineman suffered a back injury during the preseason that's caused him to miss a lot of time this season, and then reportedly broke his foot in Week 12 that put him in a cast.
Vollmer started all 16 games last season and played exceptionally well at the right tackle spot, but he's managed to play in just six this season on a limited basis.
According to most reports he'll be back on the field against the Giants this weekend. When asked about why he never ended up placing Vollmer on injured reserve, Belichick said that he's such a good player that even in a limited capacity he could help the team.
"The two things that kept me from doing it were, number one, how good of a player he is and how much he would help our team if he's available, and secondly, his injuries didn't warrant it," said Belichick on Thursday. "Had he not had a chance to return to play, that would have been one thing. That simply wasn't the case, and he has the opportunity to come back through both situations. Hopefully, he will be ready this Sunday."
Belichick told the media earlier in the week that Vollmer's out of his cast, which occurred prior to their Divisional win against Denver. He did practice last week, but just wasn't quite close enough then to play.
Considering how tough New York's pass rush is expected to be, they could definitely use him. If he's out there, Vollmer will be looking forward to a chance to help his team battle for a win over the Giants.
"I'm very thankful I wasn't put on (injured reserve) and that I have the chance to compete," Vollmer told the Boston Herald. "Hopefully I get out there on Sunday and show what I can do and help the team win."
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