Have the Pats already addressed the O-line issues??

[zipster9]

BillB will never spend for any top-tier free agent Offensive lineman.

 

[Soul_Survivor88]

No

 

[DaBruinz]

I think a good veteran presence at guard is just what the interior of our line needs. Whether it's Wendell or if we go out and get somebody via free agency, I think that would help tremendously. I got so tired late in the year seeing defensive tackle after defensive tackle abusing Kline and our rookies. Hopefully, with a year under their belt our rookies will be better and Kline will be on the bench where he should be.

They were "abusing Kline and our rookies" because they were injured. Kline was never the same after the Philly game. Jackson missed 3 games and the play-offs due to his knee injury. Mason missed games as well.
This should be taken into consideration when thinking about the line's performance "late in the year".

 

[50-yard-line]

Why NOT do that?
Would you agree the biggest risk we have of not being a SB contender is that the OL plays like it did in the last 6 games?
Can we really bank our season on hoping they magically improve?
Why wouldn't we get a starter? If they do improve they can play ahead of him, if they don't thank God we got him.
By the way, we need BOTH to improve, and both were among the worst starting Gs in the NFL.

I generally agrre with you on this - I wanted Incognito or Osemele or (now) Evans to get signed and give the kids some breathing room while the Pats find out what they really can do.


I'll also point out that there really is a "rookie" wall, where play drops off significantly for a lot of rookies once they get past week 14 or so. Having a line full of rookies in a loud stadium facing a D that was playing out of its mind had me worried all year. Yep, our line was awful against Denver - so was Carolina's, than they were thought to be great all year.

Aside from all of that, I'm still trying to figure out why you hate Andrews so much. Granted, I'm a layman and only have my eyeballs to tell me, but I thought the line got much worse when they took him out and put Stork in there (and I really like Stork - thought he should have gone to Guard with all the injuries). I'm hoping Andrews put on a few pounds of muscle, bcause I thought his smarts at C were pretty great.

Also, Cannon got hurt almost immediately after being called upon and never really recovered. Not making excuses here, but there's a reason, I expect, that he's still on the roster. Waddle showed promise at LT even, both in Detroit and here, but got hurt. Wendell missed the whole year with tha tmystery illness that ravaged the team. Mason was HURT, not benched. When his snap counts began going down, he was listed as Limited in Practice with a knee week after week, iirc. That was a battered, confused group out there, and if what Zolak and others said about the snap count, they were doomed to fail in Denver.

That's on the coaching more than anything else. Should have been caught and Andrews put in. And d%#*!@t, how do you leave a backup tackle alone against Von Miller when you're passing on every damned down?

 

[JMC00]

Jackson had a knee scope. But yep he was benched in the playoffs and not injured.. .

 

[VJCPatriot]

Ashley, a good veteran guard would really help out Brady, but they are so expensive. If we could sign the next Brian Waters, I'd book our tickets to the Superbowl. But that hasn't really materialized so far.

So far we have signed:
DT Frank Kearse
WR Chris Hogan
LB Ramon Humber

Who's out there to sign?
Top 10 offensive free agents.

 

[Mack Herron]

Jackson had a knee scope. But yep he was benched in the playoffs and not injured.. .

Been injured his entire career. We'll see how long he can last.
Report: Florida State guard Tre' Jackson failed multiple NFL team physicals

 

[SONS_OF_BELICHICK]

Scar will make the biggest impact...I am sure the pats will select an Oline with one of the many middle picks we have accumulated....Free agents....I dont see it.....

 

[captain stone]

Been injured his entire career. We'll see how long he can last.
Report: Florida State guard Tre' Jackson failed multiple NFL team physicals

I did not know that. Un-feckin-believable.

I hated the pick then, and I hate it even more now.

The incompetence this FO displays at times is mind-boggling.

 

[Ring 6]

Jackson had a knee scope. But yep he was benched in the playoffs and not injured.. .

He was benched before the injury. Look up his snap counts. Many players end the season active and jade their knees scoped in the offseason.

 

[DaBruinz]

He was benched before the injury. Look up his snap counts. Many players end the season active and jade their knees scoped in the offseason.

No, he wasn't. You need to stop with this BS already. Reality doesn't support your fantasy.

 

[DaBruinz]

Ashley, a good veteran guard would really help out Brady, but they are so expensive. If we could sign the next Brian Waters, I'd book our tickets to the Superbowl. But that hasn't really materialized so far.

So far we have signed:
DT Frank Kearse
WR Chris Hogan
LB Ramon Humber

Who's out there to sign?
Top 10 offensive free agents.

Alshon Jeffery was franchise tagged.
Cordy Glenn and Donald Penn are the two big free agents out there.
Kelvin Beachum is coming off an ACL injury. Haven't heard if he is healthy yet.
I could have sworn I read that Mathis is retiring.

Crabtree never became a free agent to my knowledge. I read he signed a 4 year extension in December..

 

[Sciz]

The only "benching" for Jackson last season was in week 12 when he was the third guard following his three game absence. He played 27% of the offensive snaps. He then started the next 5 games and played about 88% of the total offensive snaps in those 5 games before getting hurt again.

 

[Ring 6]

No, he wasn't. You need to stop with this BS already. Reality doesn't support your fantasy.

Look at the snap counts

 

[JMC00]

Look at the snap counts

Dude just stop, you are wrong on this one. Jackson got injured in the dolphins game and missed the playoffs because of it. Belichick doesn't put guys on the injury report and hold them out of the practice if they aren't injured.

Jackson's snap count at the end of the season

Week 17: 50 snaps (83%)
Week 16: 56 snaps (100%)
Week 15; 61 snaps (92%)
Week 14: 67 snaps (100%)
Week 13: 65 snaps (73%)

 

[Ochmed Jones]

Bottom line is the offensive line should be vastly improved if the health of our players is improved.

However, regardless of the injury, Jackson's play in the second half of last season was pitiful. He was basically jag.

Mason got better and I expect good things from him in 2016.

If healthy stork adds a lot at center and Andrews is not that big a drop off, if we need to use him.

We have two good starting tackles, however vollmer is breaking down and solder showed serious technique problems. We do need a backup swing tackle to replace cannon and fleming, as well as a back up guard in case Jackson is jag next season.

We can get the tackle in the draft. However I was hoping bb could find a veteran backup og, but maybe he is counting on Wendell.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

BillB will never spend for any top-tier free agent Offensive lineman.

He'll do it if the price is right.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

We have two good starting tackles, however vollmer is breaking down and solder showed serious technique problems. We do need a backup swing tackle to replace cannon and fleming, as well as a back up guard in case Jackson is jag next season.

Without knowing what the actual assignments were supposed to be, it's hard to tell how much of that was on Solder himself, how much on his injury, and how much on having three new guys on the interior.

 

[TheFlyingWedge]

With Scars back at the helm, they should be in better shape this year.

 

[meatface]

They need to cut Cannon and then we'll talk.

its been said a million times but BB and Scar like Cannon a lot more than fans do