Held Hostage by the OT Position

[State]

Ian’s Sunday TC entry sheds light on the OL, specifically the offensive tackle position. The signs are clear that OT is a potential glaring weakness.

Wallace at LT and Okorafor at RT? That may work. But probably the two should switch sides.

What am I saying? Do you really trust Okorafor on the left side in week one? And if you have called him your LT1, as the team has done, shouldn’t you freakin’ be playing him there so he can get acclimated to the left side where he last was in 2017 in Kalamazoo?

The incompetence! Can we make Cole Popovich the OL coach to right the ship? The guy is GREAT. He’s the assistant OL coach for the Texans.

Fans should be concerned. At least for the first part of this season. Wallace has the size and athleticism to be effective on either side. But a rookie at LT where he’s never played? Big red flag.

Switching sides on the OL is a big deal. Sort of like switching lanes to drive like in the UK.

Definitely don’t want to put in Drake Maye while the OT position looks like it does now.

I mean New Orleans is trying to do the same thing with Taliese Fuaga. So it is possible. But it helps that he’s an elite, first round talent. My OT2 after the Penn State LT, Olu Fashanu, that the Jets drafted. They learned their lesson with franchise QBs and weak OLs.

And as Ian implies in his article when the pads come on the QBs may not have the time to complete their throws.

Going to be a long year unless the Patriots figure out LT.

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

Ian’s Sunday TC entry sheds light on the OL, specifically the offensive tackle position. The signs are clear that OT is a potential glaring weakness.

Wallace at LT and Okorafor at RT? That may work. But probably the two should switch sides.

What am I saying? Do you really trust Okorafor on the left side in week one? And if you have called him your LT1, as the team has done, shouldn’t you freakin’ be playing him there so he can get acclimated to the left side where he last was in 2017 in Kalamazoo?

The incompetence! Can we make Cole Popovich the OL coach to right the ship? The guy is GREAT. He’s the assistant OL coach for the Texans.

Fans should be concerned. At least for the first part of this season. Wallace has the size and athleticism to be effective on either side. But a rookie at LT where he’s never played? Big red flag.

Switching sides on the OL is a big deal. Sort of like switching lanes to drive like in the UK.

Definitely don’t want to put in Drake Maye while the OT position looks like it does now.

I mean New Orleans is trying to do the same thing with Taliese Fuaga. So it is possible. But it helps that he’s an elite, first round talent. My OT2 after the Penn State LT, Olu Fashanu, that the Jets drafted. They learned their lesson with franchise QBs and weak OLs.

And as Ian implies in his article when the pads come on the QBs may not have the time to complete their throws.

Going to be a long year unless the Patriots figure out LT.

I agree and I don't think RT will be much better. And if there is an injury, or two, our depth sucks. I have no idea how BB, and now Wolf, have starved us of even an average set of tackles with a good swing tackle.

 

[State]

I have no idea how BB, and now Wolf, have starved us of even an average set of tackles with a good swing tackle.

Wolf is excused. The run on OTs after the Polk pick this year was unprecedented. My only criticism is that the team advertised the guys they were going for. Especially the Notre Dame RT, Blake Fisher.

Look for them to be more like Dante when he was at NC State’s pro day and realized Joe Thuney’s football IQ was off the charts.

He waited for all the other scouts to leave before he began his interview.

But BB’s approach to the OL since Carmen Bricillo left in 2021 was severely lacking, both in who he assigned as coaches and who he drafted. Matt Patricia should never have been the OL coach. OC was enough on his plate. And Billy Yates sucked.

That’s why James Ferentz began to coach his teammates.

It’s a blemish on BB’s coaching tenure.

I mean not drafting Dawand Jones two years ago in the third round and putting Isaiah Wynn on the right side were two obvious blunders from the get-go. Wynn has been good at LG for the Phins—when he’s healthy. Which is not often.

 

[Zuma]

 

[mgteich]

I agree and I don't think RT will be much better.

???

At LT we have no one who has recently played LT other than Lowe.

At RT, we have Onwenu, Okorafor, Anderson and Wallace. Any of these might be a starter.
===========
We need TWO players to step up at LT, a starter and a backup. Of course, the backup LT could be starting at RT.

 

[mgteich]

Ian’s Sunday TC entry sheds light on the OL, specifically the offensive tackle position. The signs are clear that OT is a potential glaring weakness.

Wallace at LT and Okorafor at RT? That may work. But probably the two should switch sides.

Going to be a long year unless the Patriots figure out LT.

I don't see a problem at RT. We have four RT's.

We have ZERO LT's. We need two players to step up at LT.

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

???

At LT we have no one who has recently played LT other than Lowe.

At RT, we have Onwenu, Okorafor, Anderson and Wallace. Any of these might be a starter.
===========
We need TWO players to step up at LT, a starter and a backup. Of course, the backup LT could be starting at RT.

We dont have Onwenu at RT. He has played RG all of camp.

Okorafor, Anderson, and a rookie Wallace are average at best. Okorafor signed one of the lowest LT FA contracts in the NFL. Why? Because prefessional football GMs disagree with take on PatsFans. Wallace is a rookie and is a toss up. Even if he starts, Wallace will make many rookie mistakes. And we have no idea if Anderson will ever fully recover and since he was not with the 1st group the last two practices, maybe we know the answer.

 

[mgteich]

We dont have Onwenu at RT. He has played RG all of camp.

OK, so we have a RT problem because there is a rule against Onwenu starting at RT?

I suspect that we have 3 or 4 RT's and no issue at all. And I DO INDEED AGREE that Onwenu will continue to play RG [primarily because Sow is being moved to LG].

 

[gobesmug]

This year is an opportunity to see what we have. Instead of doom and gloom it's very exciting.

If the OT situation isn't right but Wallace looks like he has the making of a quality long term RT, then we can have a top 5 pick next year to get our franchise LT.

Either way having Sow, Andrew's, and Owenu on the inside is a strong interior oline

 

[40yrpatsfan]

Our hole at LT is tough to fill, but we're in good shape with the rest of the line even with Strange out: plan A was Strange-Andrews-Sow-Onwenu, plan B is now Sow-Andrews-Onwenu-Oko. I’m not sure whether A or B is better, they’re both good lineups. I wonder what they'll do if Strange is ready to go mid-season.

At LT, we need someone to step up, and that will be one of the biggest story lines this camp. Wallace will have to be superman to pull this off. Anderson has some starting experience but I'm not hearing his name called much so far. Lowe didn't look good at it last year. Will a FA appear?

 

[Grogan14]

Was an obvious glaring weakness at the start of the free agency period. They either chose not to sign a solid dependable starter or none of the free agents (e.g. T Smith) wanted to sign here. I suspect any clear top tier LT UFA would only sign here with the current QB situation unless a huge pile of cash was thrown at them.
The draft was a chance to fill the hole. They took a big chance with Caedan Wallace, completely unproven at the position.

It's going to be a big problem this year...period and we have known this for a long time. Expecting Wallace to excel in his first year at the pro level at OT is a pipe dream.

Another reason to let Brissett start for most of the season or at least till he gets injured from a vicious blind side sack.

 

[PatsFan2]

Maye won't be a Statue back there I remember Burrow his Rookie year always running for his life with former First Rounder Joah Williams at LT. Yeah they made it to the SB against a powerful Rams Teams. Moral of post a Good QB can overcome a bad OL not every Team have a Stud @ LT. Wallace May turn out good no pun intended. I like the direction the Offense is going they can only go up or get better from here.

 

[PatsFan2]

Ian’s Sunday TC entry sheds light on the OL, specifically the offensive tackle position. The signs are clear that OT is a potential glaring weakness.

Wallace at LT and Okorafor at RT? That may work. But probably the two should switch sides.

What am I saying? Do you really trust Okorafor on the left side in week one? And if you have called him your LT1, as the team has done, shouldn’t you freakin’ be playing him there so he can get acclimated to the left side where he last was in 2017 in Kalamazoo?

The incompetence! Can we make Cole Popovich the OL coach to right the ship? The guy is GREAT. He’s the assistant OL coach for the Texans.

Fans should be concerned. At least for the first part of this season. Wallace has the size and athleticism to be effective on either side. But a rookie at LT where he’s never played? Big red flag.

Switching sides on the OL is a big deal. Sort of like switching lanes to drive like in the UK.

Definitely don’t want to put in Drake Maye while the OT position looks like it does now.

I mean New Orleans is trying to do the same thing with Taliese Fuaga. So it is possible. But it helps that he’s an elite, first round talent. My OT2 after the Penn State LT, Olu Fashanu, that the Jets drafted. They learned their lesson with franchise QBs and weak OLs.

And as Ian implies in his article when the pads come on the QBs may not have the time to complete their throws.

Going to be a long year unless the Patriots figure out LT.

Creative blocking schemes can overcome bad OL Play. I remember Brandon Gorin gone and Tom Ashworth playing LT for Tom Brady. I think both guys have SB rings. We have Chuckwuma - Wallace and Anderson somebody gotta be servicealbe after the dust clears.

 

[TheRainMaker]

Think about all the money they spent prematurely on players when there were a LT or two available.

Posters didn’t want to see it, but the front office was amateur hour this off-season.

Baktiari should be brought in on a one year deal.

 

[DaBruinz]

Ian’s Sunday TC entry sheds light on the OL, specifically the offensive tackle position. The signs are clear that OT is a potential glaring weakness.

Wallace at LT and Okorafor at RT? That may work. But probably the two should switch sides.

What am I saying? Do you really trust Okorafor on the left side in week one? And if you have called him your LT1, as the team has done, shouldn’t you freakin’ be playing him there so he can get acclimated to the left side where he last was in 2017 in Kalamazoo?

The incompetence! Can we make Cole Popovich the OL coach to right the ship? The guy is GREAT. He’s the assistant OL coach for the Texans.

Fans should be concerned. At least for the first part of this season. Wallace has the size and athleticism to be effective on either side. But a rookie at LT where he’s never played? Big red flag.

Switching sides on the OL is a big deal. Sort of like switching lanes to drive like in the UK.

Definitely don’t want to put in Drake Maye while the OT position looks like it does now.

I mean New Orleans is trying to do the same thing with Taliese Fuaga. So it is possible. But it helps that he’s an elite, first round talent. My OT2 after the Penn State LT, Olu Fashanu, that the Jets drafted. They learned their lesson with franchise QBs and weak OLs.

And as Ian implies in his article when the pads come on the QBs may not have the time to complete their throws.

Going to be a long year unless the Patriots figure out LT.

If you bothered to educate yourself on Wallace, you'd know that his coach said that Wallace took snaps at LT every practice during his 4 years. So it's not like he's new to it. He was LT2 for Penn State.

What's incompetence is you thinking that Scott Peters is incompetent based on absolutely nothing.

We should wait to see how it pans out because Wallace was LT2 at Penn State.

As for it being a "long year". Yeah. We know. You're literally regurgitating what others have said since the year ended. It will be one of Wallace, Okorafor or Anderson.

 

[PatsFan2]

Think about all the money they spent prematurely on players when there were a LT or two available.

Posters didn’t want to see it, but the front office was amateur hour this off-season.

Baktiari should be brought in on a one year deal.

The 32nd Ranked Offense with a crap QB Mac Jones yeah FA's weren't exactly lining up that's what we get for sucking no pun intended.

 

[PatsFan2]

If you bothered to educate yourself on Wallace, you'd know that his coach said that Wallace took snaps at LT every practice during his 4 years. So it's not like he's new to it. He was LT2 for Penn State.

What's incompetence is you thinking that Scott Peters is incompetent based on absolutely nothing.

We should wait to see how it pans out because Wallace was LT2 at Penn State.

As for it being a "long year". Yeah. We know. You're literally regurgitating what others have said since the year ended. It will be one of Wallace, Okorafor or Anderson.

I get the feeling most most Patsfans were sold on the other Offensive Tackles there was a run. I think Wolf took a good alternative in Wallace who I think is a Solid Pick from a good program his teammate who was a Rock @ LT went in the First Round. Wallace was Great value in the Third Round. LT might not be a dire need in 25 if Wallace plays decent there. That said at the very least Wallace will be our RT of the future that I'm sure he has plenty of experience there.

 

[SinceGroganWalkedIn]

LT's are not aplenty. Hard to get a starting LT after round 1 and in round 1 is there's a solid player the team likes or do they take a Christian Gonzalez and go value. People crying for WR over Maye too so...

 

[SinceGroganWalkedIn]

Wolf is excused. The run on OTs after the Polk pick this year was unprecedented. My only criticism is that the team advertised the guys they were going for. Especially the Notre Dame RT, Blake Fisher.

Look for them to be more like Dante when he was at NC State’s pro day and realized Joe Thuney’s football IQ was off the charts.

He waited for all the other scouts to leave before he began his interview.

But BB’s approach to the OL since Carmen Bricillo left in 2021 was severely lacking, both in who he assigned as coaches and who he drafted. Matt Patricia should never have been the OL coach. OC was enough on his plate. And Billy Yates sucked.

That’s why James Ferentz began to coach his teammates.

It’s a blemish on BB’s coaching tenure.

I mean not drafting Dawand Jones two years ago in the third round and putting Isaiah Wynn on the right side were two obvious blunders from the get-go. Wynn has been good at LG for the Phins—when he’s healthy. Which is not often.

Advertised their draft board? When did the Pats personnel department release their draft board to the public? Answer: They didn't and never ever would.

 

[Sicilian]

OT (specifically LT) seems to be one of the toughest positions to nail down longterm in the NFL right now. Once the Patriots took Maye at 3, it became a real long shot as to whether a sure thing at LT was going to be in striking distance of a trade up back into the first, and either because they couldn't find a partner, or the value just wasn't there, they chose not to do that. There was also rumor that they were trying to trade back up to grab a WR, so it may have been moot anyway.

I agree though that if they don't find a stop gap solution, it's going to limit what the offense can realistically do in 2024. I think the hope is that they can solidify the other 4 positions on the line, and use the scheme to cover up a deficiency at LT. Get through 2024 without getting Maye killed, and you can use what should be a top 15 (probably top 10) pick to get your LT of the future.

It will be interesting to see today what the starting five is on the first day of pads. My hope if they've seen enough through the first four days to settle on that so they can start building chemistry. My gut tells me though we're going to see rotations continually through the public practices.