With No Retirement, Don't We Have Our 9 OL's?

[captain stone]

By the way, the Patriots have taken 5 IOL in the last 2 drafts.

Despite the old saw that tackles are valuable, guards and centers much less so, we saw many teams struggle to protect their QBs up the middle last year.

I suspect the Patriots are well ahead of the game in finding good value at guard, and that the NFL is going to start looking very hard at this position in the future, as teams move away from the running game more and more, sending smaller quicker DLs into the middle of the line.

No they're not.

They're no longer "ahead of the game" in ANY aspect of this football thingy.

 

[State]

Matt Light was 33.

Got it. A tackle will be on the field in Reiff who will already be two years older than Matt Light when he retired.

What could go wrong?

DaBruinz, ever read Charles ****ens? You remind me of Seth Pecksniff.

 

[DaBruinz]

Got it. A tackle will be on the field in Reiff who will already be two years older than Matt Light when he retired.

What could go wrong?

DaBruinz, ever read Charles ****ens? You remind me of Seth Pecksniff.

SO, you ignore the other tackles who played just as long as Reiff because it doesn't fit your ridiculous narrative.

You remind me of the dumb jocks in Revenge of the Nerds...

 

[State]

For the better part of Bill's first decade, the Pats kept 10 OL on the main roster. That being said, with the ability to sign up to 3 vested vets to the PS, I can see it being easier to keep only 9 on the "53".

With McDermott being 33, I'm not sure if another team will swoop in to sign him to a "53". A team that has suffered OT injuries would do it though.

One has to wonder how much Reiff has left and how much of that "guaranteed" salary is guaranteed for injury only and how much of it is guaranteed if he retires.


I only see 6 OL as "LOCKS" right now. So much will depend on injuries. Something that seems to happen in TC to O-linemen regularly.

The Patriots have the following players on the 90 at OL. 16 in total :

Centers:
*David Andrews - OC
*Jake Andrews- OC/OG drafted
Kody Russey - OC/OG - How much did he show last year? Did he learn enough to beat out Ferentz? Is he destined for the PS?
James Ferentz - OG/OC - Re-Signed 3/9
Chasen Hines - OC/OG - How much did he show when he was taken off the NFI last year? Was IRed by October.

Pure Guard:
Atonio Mafi- OG - drafted - 5th rounder. He's got his work cut out for him as a pure guard.
Bill Murray - OG - Futures Deal - 1/23

Guard/Tackle:
*Michael Onwenu - OG/OT
*Cole Strange - OG/OT
Conor McDermott - OT - Re-signed 2/18/23 - Stepped in well, but how much does he have left at 33?
Andrew Steuber - OG/OT - Injured most of last year -
*Sidy Sow - OG/OT - drafted

Pure Tackles:
*Calvin Anderson - OT Signed
Reilly Reiff - OT - signed 3/15 - 35yr old. How much does he have left.
Trent Brown - OT - Not a lock by any stretch. If he performs in TC like last year, he's likely gone.
Yodney Cajuste - re-signed - Injured every year except 2021, but only appeared in 7 games seeing 105 total snaps on offense and special teams. Was putrid last year when not injured.

Great write up. By your own analysis the offensive tackle position is in a perilous state unless Sidy Sow performs a miracle at LT.

He speaks French, sings like Freddie Mercury, and is going to be awesome.

So it might just happen.

Here are the likely grades for the upcoming season’s performances:

LT, Trent Brown, C
LG, Strange69, A-
C, Dave Andrews, B
RG, Onwenu is god, A+
RT, Reiff, D+.

I’m seeing a pattern of weakness at the tackle position, a collective C- grade. You will see it too.

Sidy Sow may be the Anointed One.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Got it. A tackle will be on the field in Reiff who will already be two years older than Matt Light when he retired.

Let's not forget that Matt Light also dealt with Crohn's disease for virtually his entire career.

Conversely, Brian Waters signed with the Patriots and made the Pro Bowl that year at age 34.

 

[TheRainMaker]

LT, Trent Brown, C
LG, Strange69, A-
C, Dave Andrews, B
RG, Onwenu is god, A+
RT, Reiff, D+.

Those are some generous grades.

 

[n6249c]

Those are some generous grades.

Pure guesswork. Or fantasy.

 

[Wozzy]

Those are some generous grades.

Grades come after the season, not before, they’re completely made up and meaningless.

 

[mgteich]

Grades come after the season, not before, they’re completely made up and meaningless.

If you can't grade players before the season, you can'tbe very good at evaluating who to keep on the 53.

 

[mgteich]

Great write up. By your own analysis the offensive tackle position is in a perilous state unless Sidy Sow performs a miracle at LT.

He speaks French, sings like Freddie Mercury, and is going to be awesome.

So it might just happen.

Here are the like grades for the upcoming season’s performances:

LT, Trent Brown, C
LG, Strange69, A-
C, Dave Andrews, B
RG, Onwenu is god, A+
RT, Reiff, D+.

I’m seeing a pattern of weakness at the tackle position, a collective C- grade. You will see it too.

Sidy Sow may be the Anointed One.

I see no reason for Reiff to be rated as D+. If he isn't better than that, McDermott will start, or an OT yet to be acquired. Reiff is near the end of his career. It does NOT follow that he is a terrible player. He just is much less a player than at his prime. And, just BTW, he is an OT that hasn'r missed much time due to injury.

However, we are nitpicking. I can see Brown as a C- and Reiff as a C-, although I expect C level play from one of them.
===============================
Even with your ratings, this is a bit better than a B- line, a B line with a C level RT. That's NOT terrible at all. I do NOT think that OL play will keep us out of the playoffs. In the end, Jones will be good enough or he won't. And even if not, perhaps he will improve enough to make us a playoff favorite for 2024.

 

[Wozzy]

Grades come after the season, not before, they’re completely made up and meaningless.

@mgteich

Reiff plays better than a D+ when healthy… what’s the grade based on?

Trent Brown has played at an All-Pro level, he’s in a contract year and wants one more big contract… what’s his grade based on?

Good players playing poorly is you looking into the future.

 

[State]

Tackle position is the one that bears—or is it “bares”—paying attention to.

It is a group that likely will struggle. Will Trent Brown’s lackadaisical attitude carry over from last year? Will Reiff see the field and avoid injury, much as he did last year with the Bears? Yet, according to PFF his level of play was nothing to brag about.

Sidy Sow? Wow, that’s going to be interesting. He did LT before…in 2018 as a college freshman.

Not drafting an OT in 2023 could echo this season. In a bad way.

I do think undersized Calvin Anderson is a decent patch.

McDermott stabilized the sh-tshow that was last year’s RT. That’s not a high bar. He is maybe a solid backup.

Looking over the past two drafts, OT has been ignored.

Belichick apparently cares more about kickers—moving up on Chad exemplifies this—and punters than protecting his QB’s blindside.

Perhaps a decent OT comes to us at the end of the preseason in cutdowns. That is very possible. But a risky way to operate.

 

[Ollie]

If you can't grade players before the season, you can'tbe very good at evaluating who to keep on the 53.

he is next seasons performance based on nothing he has seen in practice etc. I predict Tyquan will be a A+ next year. It means nothing. I am concerned by Reiff but Brown can play well we just didn't see it last year and i think Anderson has potential too.

 

[Taxed in Maine]

Just a point of discussion, is it possible TBrowns lackluster attitude and performance last year came from a lack of confidence or buying in to the incompetent offensive plan.

 

[Water Boy]

Just a point of discussion, is it possible TBrowns lackluster attitude and performance last year came from a lack of confidence or buying in to the incompetent offensive plan.

I think that had a lot to do with it. Plus I believe this is a contract year for him.

 

[Sciz]

Just a point of discussion, is it possible TBrowns lackluster attitude and performance last year came from a lack of confidence or buying in to the incompetent offensive plan.

I think he’d get more benefit of the doubt if this wasn’t exactly how things went with the 49ers and Raiders. The injuries and inconsistent performance have followed him everywhere. The weight issues seem to have improved, at least. He hit 400 pounds while rehabbing with both the 49ers and Raiders, but I’m not aware of any reports saying that was again a problem after his 2021 calf injury.

 

[captain stone]

Just a point of discussion, is it possible TBrowns lackluster attitude and performance last year came from a lack of confidence or buying in to the incompetent offensive plan.

I think that had a lot to do with it. Plus I believe this is a contract year for him.

He was also taken-away from his now more-natural Right Tackle position before the start of TC. It was clear as crystal that he's no longer a starting-caliber Left Tackle for a QB like Mac. That switcheroo was a complete disaster.

 

[DaBruinz]

He was also taken-away from his now more natural Right Tackle position before the start of TC. It was clear as crystal that he's no longer a starting-caliber Left Tackle for a QB like Mac. That switcheroo was a complete disaster.

But NONE of that had ANYTHING to do with the HORRIBLE coaching they were getting, right? Had NOTHING to do with Patricia NOT understanding the Shanahan Outside Zone Concepts. It was just that Brown was terrible.. SMH..

 

[State]

I think that had a lot to do with it. Plus I believe this is a contract year for [Trent Brown].

The Kenneth Sims’ “breakout” contract year?

 

[Wozzy]

He was also taken-away from his now more natural Right Tackle position before the start of TC. It was clear as crystal that he's no longer a starting-caliber Left Tackle for a QB like Mac. That switcheroo was a complete disaster.

He’s played left tackle as well as right, switching sides had nothing to do with the offensive dysfunction.