Offensive Line going into FA/Draft

[DaBruinz]

We are a lucky fan base and were blessed to get the GOAT at pick 199.

The super bowl win was great but the hits he took there going forward particularly are not acceptable. I don't think we can expect what will be a 40 year old QB to take many more games like that Atlanta game. BB does not tend to believe in investing big money into the OL besides OTs (Mankins being the one recent exception).

I think the Pats need to look at the OL as a whole and start to really appreciate the reality that if they want Brady to play here for 3-5 more years we need better. The question is how much do we invest?

Cannon to me is the only play I have zero worries about. One of the best RTs in the game and locked up for years. Andrews/Thuney/Mason are young players and some things can be done here if they want to improve this spot. Solder had a very good year but got abused in the super bowl. I don't know what to think about that going forward. Considering he is one of the 10 highest paid OTs in the NFL I expected more from him in that game.

So looking at this going forward how much do you think they should look to do or just bet on the young guys to improve?

You say that you have "zero worries" about Cannon and that Solder "got abused in the SB". Of the 5 sacks, how many were credited to Solder? One of them went to Cannon when he got bull-rushed into Brady. Mason got beat once.. Were the other 3 ALL on Solder? Or did the other O-linemen have a hand in them?

 

[PatsFan2]

We are a lucky fan base and were blessed to get the GOAT at pick 199.

The super bowl win was great but the hits he took there going forward particularly are not acceptable. I don't think we can expect what will be a 40 year old QB to take many more games like that Atlanta game. BB does not tend to believe in investing big money into the OL besides OTs (Mankins being the one recent exception).

I think the Pats need to look at the OL as a whole and start to really appreciate the reality that if they want Brady to play here for 3-5 more years we need better. The question is how much do we invest?

Cannon to me is the only play I have zero worries about. One of the best RTs in the game and locked up for years. Andrews/Thuney/Mason are young players and some things can be done here if they want to improve this spot. Solder had a very good year but got abused in the super bowl. I don't know what to think about that going forward. Considering he is one of the 10 highest paid OTs in the NFL I expected more from him in that game.

So looking at this going forward how much do you think they should look to do or just bet on the young guys to improve?

A Young RB > Blount could fix our OL Problems Blount is too much of a None factor in Big Games. Brady needs a workhorse RB at this stage of his career I am not opposed to another Guard in the Joe Thuney mold...Thuney wasn't perfect but he was solid. Mason is always going to have Pass Protection problems. Solder is what he is a Good RB would really mask his deficiencies.

 

[varjao]

We need to look to the future at LT.

 

[DaBruinz]

Couldn't run the ball all playoffs. RBs gettin all blowed up in the backfield.
Brady pressured 66% of passes in first half of SB until ATL gassed.
Brady taking bigger hits all year than I can ever recall
Solder turnstyle every other game
One OL stud would be nice

Gotta love when people over-react:
Against Houston: 23 rushes for 109 yards
Against Pittsburgh: 23 rushes for 57 yards
Against Atlanta: 25 Rushes for 104 yards

With so few rushes, it tells me that the game plans were not committed to the run. Which is probably why Brady had 38,42,62 attempts respectively.

Brady wasn't taking bigger hits all year. Nor was Solder a turn-style every other game.

Let's not give Atlanta's D-line any credit for playing better than they ever had or for their gameplanning..

 

[DaBruinz]

No he is not. He is under contract.

Vollmer is an Unrestricted Free Agent unless his contract isn't tolled because he was on the PUP the entire year..

@Miguel is the person to best answer

 

[jah]

Vollmer is an Unrestricted Free Agent unless his contract isn't tolled because he was on the PUP the entire year..

@Miguel is the person to best answer

Miguel has answered this question on Twitter quite a few times. His contract wasn't tolled, he's a Patriot but will likely retire.

 

[JMC00]

You don't blow up an OL that had some struggles in one half of a game after they were good to very good the whole season.

With Solder a FA next year probably draft an OT and give him a season and see what you got before making a decision to either extend Solder or go with the draftee.

As for OG the depth should be there with Jackson coming back and they clearly like Karras

 

[pdangle]

You say that you have "zero worries" about Cannon and that Solder "got abused in the SB". Of the 5 sacks, how many were credited to Solder? One of them went to Cannon when he got bull-rushed into Brady. Mason got beat once.. Were the other 3 ALL on Solder? Or did the other O-linemen have a hand in them?

Solder didn't have the best of games.

How the Patriots engineered the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history | PFF

"To put it bluntly, Patriots LT Nate Solder was getting his butt whipped. He was responsible for a ludicrous 10 QB pressures throughout the first 37 minutes of the game. At that point in the third quarter, Brady had been under pressure on 14 of his 32 dropbacks (43.8 percent). That’s a sizable jump from the 30.5 percent he had seen in his 14 games prior this season."

I came across this idea after reading multiple articles citing how well Cannon played - AGAIN-. In fact Thuney, Andrews and Cannon all played exceptional.

Top offensive grades:

RT Marcus Cannon, 84.9

C David Andrews, 83.1

LG Joe Thuney, 77.4

WR Danny Amendola, 76.3

WR Malcolm Mitchell, 73.4

 

[DaBruinz]

Solder didn't have the best of games.

How the Patriots engineered the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history | PFF

"To put it bluntly, Patriots LT Nate Solder was getting his butt whipped. He was responsible for a ludicrous 10 QB pressures throughout the first 37 minutes of the game. At that point in the third quarter, Brady had been under pressure on 14 of his 32 dropbacks (43.8 percent). That’s a sizable jump from the 30.5 percent he had seen in his 14 games prior this season."

I came across this idea after reading multiple articles citing how well Cannon played - AGAIN-. In fact Thuney, Andrews and Cannon all played exceptional.

Top offensive grades:

RT Marcus Cannon, 84.9

C David Andrews, 83.1

LG Joe Thuney, 77.4

WR Danny Amendola, 76.3

WR Malcolm Mitchell, 73.4

It doesn't change the fact that the 1st sack Brady took was specifically because Cannon was bulldozed back into him. It doesn't change the fact that Mason was also responsible for another sack on Brady..

I'm not saying that, overall, Cannon didn't play well. He did. I'm one of his biggest supporters.. But I'm also going by what actually happened in the game.

 

[BTTA]

Need to draft a decent OT. If either Solder or Cannon go down, the team is in big trouble.

A the coach has pointed out numerous times, most teams have trouble finding two starting caliber OT. Only one or two are fortunate enough to carry three, and it only lasts for a year or two when it happens. It is a flash in the pan.

Every team is in trouble if one of their starting OT's goes down.

 

[patriot1136]

I'm interested to see what happens with Mason, Andrews, and Jackson. Ive heard some say that maybe Mason or Jackson could be C? They are all young players though and along with Thuney, could all improve.

 

[DaBruinz]

I fully expect the Pats to add a Left OT in the 1st two rounds. Someone who they can groom behind Solder. It's been what BB has done previously. He drafted Light while they still had Armstrong and then drafted Solder while they still had Light.

 

[Ring 6]

We are a lucky fan base and were blessed to get the GOAT at pick 199.

The super bowl win was great but the hits he took there going forward particularly are not acceptable. I don't think we can expect what will be a 40 year old QB to take many more games like that Atlanta game. BB does not tend to believe in investing big money into the OL besides OTs (Mankins being the one recent exception).

I think the Pats need to look at the OL as a whole and start to really appreciate the reality that if they want Brady to play here for 3-5 more years we need better. The question is how much do we invest?

Cannon to me is the only play I have zero worries about. One of the best RTs in the game and locked up for years. Andrews/Thuney/Mason are young players and some things can be done here if they want to improve this spot. Solder had a very good year but got abused in the super bowl. I don't know what to think about that going forward. Considering he is one of the 10 highest paid OTs in the NFL I expected more from him in that game.

So looking at this going forward how much do you think they should look to do or just bet on the young guys to improve?

The ol is a strength of this team and will get better if kept in tact.

 

[luuked]

You say that you have "zero worries" about Cannon and that Solder "got abused in the SB". Of the 5 sacks, how many were credited to Solder? One of them went to Cannon when he got bull-rushed into Brady. Mason got beat once.. Were the other 3 ALL on Solder? Or did the other O-linemen have a hand in them?

According to Girardi on the ExPats Podcast Koppen said that from his point of view most of the OL issues were because of coverage and not bad OL play. But offensive linemen are players that people really like to scapegoat..

 

[luuked]

I fully expect the Pats to add a Left OT in the 1st two rounds. Someone who they can groom behind Solder. It's been what BB has done previously. He drafted Light while they still had Armstrong and then drafted Solder while they still had Light.

I agree that we should start grooming someone behind Solder. Not sure if it will be a day 1/2 selection though as that player doesn't need to be a starter right away but can be groomed by Scar in the background and act as swing tackle. I get that you are going for the high pick == higher potential angle here but often higher picks are just more pro-ready players and I trust Scar to evaluate accordingly.

 

[pdangle]

I agree that we should start grooming someone behind Solder. Not sure if it will be a day 1/2 selection though as that player doesn't need to be a starter right away but can be groomed by Scar in the background and act as swing tackle. I get that you are going for the high pick == higher potential angle here but often higher picks are just more pro-ready players and I trust Scar to evaluate accordingly.

Another underrated aspect of BB's draft strategy is this. Bc/he rarely (ever?) is forced to draft based on immediate need, he can find some 1st day talent that slips due to injury, age, lack of playing time, position switch, etc, in the later rounds. Vollmer is a perfect example. He came out as older 24yr age player, German, who had just picked up the sport, raw but with flashes of dominance. Although I think he won the starting job his rookie year, BB/NEP don't need/expect these picks to jump right in and contribute bc/he drafts a year or two in the future.