Game Day Thread The Official Patriots vs. Steelers : GAME DAY THREAD 2015 Week 1 (9/10)

[Gronkowski123]

Andrews, Jackson and Mason/Kline

Potentially 3 rookies playing on the o-line interior. Wow.

could be a blessing in disguise.
or, a total disaster/tom gets destroyed all night.

 

[OhExaulted1]

Let's hope not

Fingers crossed no one gets hurt.

 

[ivanvamp]

doubt we have much success running the ball tonight. tom's throwing 50 times..

I think that was probably the game plan going in anyway. The Steeler secondary looks like it's going to be a disaster. The OL just needs to keep Brady upright for 3 seconds at a time and the Pats should score 35+.

 

[Marqui]

Hoping to see my boy Eric Martin get some pass rush opportunities on 3rd down.

 

[Drake&BarmoreFTW]

To be entirely honest, Wendell scares me. When he's 'on', he's fine. Decent in pass-protection, but he's never been a strong run blocker and is easily overpowered.

Throw Jackson and Mason out there at RG and LG, respectively, and let them sink or swim. They drafted these guys for a reason -- they're big, powerful, and strong. Obviously there's a learning curve and it will take time for them to develop, but I'd rather see them out there than Wendell at this point.

Only concern is the center position. I'd love to see Stork, as I feel that'd be an incredibly strong offensive line. But such is life... suppose it's time for Andrews to step up, and should he struggle, Kline would be option number two.

If/when Stork returns, I'll be excited about this offensive line. That said, I tend to think that he should cut his losses and retire. Don't want his life to end miserably/prematurely. But I digress... another discussion for another time.

All-in-all, the only spot I'm unsure of is the center position. That said, Andrews and Kline should be able to handle themselves.

I actually think that your view on Wendell is slightly backwards. I think he's a good run blocker, but he can get overpowered in pass protection.

 

[PatsfanTN]

Who's playing center with Wendell being out? And why the hell is Wendell out? Sorry if I missed it

 

[catent]

Could we see Cannon at G tonight?

Would rather see Mason and Jackson get an opportunity. Cannon has seen some time there and hasn't been impressive.

Despite Mason's/Jackson's occasional struggles during the preseason, I have seen encouraging signs from both. Mason has made some nice blocks while pulling in the running game, and Jackson has looked solid in pass protection.

Throw the rookies out there and roll with it. Will it be perfect? No. But I think they'll ultimately end up as very good players for this team.

As I mentioned earlier, the only spot I'm unsure of is the center position. Ideally Stork returns to health and fills that void. Otherwise, it'll be on Andrews'/Kline's/Wendell's shoulders for this season, with us looking for a long-term solution during the off-season, as I don't think any of the aforementioned are permanent solutions (although Andrews may develop into something worthwhile). We'll see.

 

[woolster22]

Well with the 3 rookies inside we will see a LOT of 2 TE sets.

Not necessarily a bad thing if the kids can hold up. Get Chandler baptised early...

 

[RelocatedPatFan]

I'm not sure what we'll get from Brady for the first couple of series. I expect he's either going to be laser focused and taking it up a level or he might have to let his emotions/adrenaline calm down a bit before he reels it in (and I wouldn't blame him one bit as most men would have succumbed to their emotions long before this).

As for the Steelers, I think they'll want to try to score quick on long plays. But, they'll have to settle what is available and hope for some RAC.

 

[farn]

Gronk and Chandler. Hope them show. Inside OL gettin me real nervous.

 

[catent]

I actually think that your view on Wendell is slightly backwards. I think he's a good run blocker, but he can get overpowered in pass protection.

I don't think the two are necessarily mutually exclusive, although I should've been more clear with my original post.

Wendell, when he's 'on', is capable. He can hold his ground and do enough to not be noticed (which is generally a positive). That said, he's susceptible to being easily overpowered, and that leads to issues in both the running and passing game.

 

[festy1986]

Who the hell is Fitzy? He was almost as annoying as Felger before I switched channels.

 

[raduray]

Who's playing center with Wendell being out? And why the hell is Wendell out? Sorry if I missed it

I would guess the UDFA rookie Andrew. He's listed on the Patriots roster as a center.

 

[BradyFTW!]

Great, Jerry Rice on the NBC pregame show. That'll be worthwhile and productive.

 

[BradyFTW!]

I would guess the UDFA rookie Andrew. He's listed on the Patriots roster as a center.

You're probably right, but I hope not on account of how he sucked throughout the preseason.

 

[raduray]

Unfortunately, the filtered version on Comcast sucks.

 

[ViperGTS]

Great, Jerry Rice on the NBC pregame show. That'll be worthwhile and productive.

Bet he won't drop the mic with the stickum he doesn't use right?

 

[PatriotSpy]

LET'S GOOOOOOOOO!!!

Send those idiots back to their steel mills!

 

[DefenseRules]

Get that NFL crap out of here.

 

[Froob]

So ****ing lame this is in San Fran. This was supposed to be our night.