Patriots offensive line finds success amid change
FOXBOROUGH, MASS. (AP)
From the onset of training camp, the New England Patriots offensive
line has been a work in progress, a mix of experience and youth that
led to a handful of questions.
There's still uncertainty surrounding who's playing which position each
week, of course, but there's little doubt remaining about the level of
protection provided to the quarterback.
After surrendering 12 sacks through the first five games, the Patriots'
patchwork front five has allowed opposing defenses to sack Tom Brady
just three times in the last six games, and only once in the past three.
''You try and do that as best as you can,'' guard Donald Thomas said.
''So, it's always a bonus when you can try to keep him as clean as
possible. Nothing's ever going to be perfect. You try to do your job
and that's what our job is.''
They've done it well. The Patriots (8-3), after all, are in first place
in the AFC East and have won five in a row heading into their meeting
with Dolphins (5-6) in Miami on Sunday.
But it wasn't always easy for this line, especially when you look back
at the summer.
The first blow came when Brady's decade-long security blanket -
three-time Pro Bowl left tackle Matt Light - retired. The second
arrived in the form of six-time Pro Bowl guard Brian Waters failing to
show up for training camp. Left guard Logan Mankins was coming off
surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.
Longtime center Dan Koppen was released. Nothing was secure.
''Training camp was a little mixture of guys,'' Thomas said.
Then the season started.
Right guard Dan Connolly missed the game against Indianapolis two weeks
ago. Mankins has been sidelined for four games so far, including the
last three with hip and calf ailments. And guard Sebastian Vollmer also
was inactive against the New York Jets last Thursday.
But the New England way is to make it work ... somehow. Move people
around. Change things up. Do whatever's needed.
So, the Patriots did.
Thomas, in his fifth season, and second-year linemen Nick McDonald and
Marcus Cannon all have stepped in at various times - and various places
- to valiantly plug the voids. And so far, so good.
''You never know what's gonna happen during the course of a season,''
Thomas said. ''Fortunately, guys that were asked to step up were guys
that were playing a lot during preseason and able to play with all the
guys and we were all comfortable with each other.''
And of course, no one wants to let anyone else down.
''I think we take pride in it. I also think it's something that's
necessary,'' said center Ryan Wendell, who has started every game this
season. ''There's only so many guys that can dress for every game and
be out there. So, guys have to be able to play more than one position
and also guys have to be ready to fill in there because it's football
and guys are going to be hurt.''
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Wendell in at C for Patriots. (US Presswire) |
The line has a tough test Sunday. The Dolphins are tied for ninth in
the league with 29 sacks, 9 1/2 recorded by linebacker Cameron Wake.
''Regardless of anything else that people say, I think they're pretty
good,'' Thomas said. ''Probably one of the best fronts we'll face this
year.''
Vollmer and Connolly returned to practice Thursday after missing
Wednesday's session, but Mankins sat out practice all week and was
ruled out Friday for the game.
''It's what we prepare for,'' McDonald said. ''Everybody counts on each
other and we're all pretty comfortable with each other.''
So, it should come as no surprise that the offense hasn't skipped a
beat.
Leading the highest scoring attack in the league, Brady is enjoying one
of his most explosive seasons since 2007 and has been sacked just 15
times, tied for the second-fewest among quarterbacks with at least 300
pass attempts.
The running game has surprisingly flourished, too. Second-year back
Stevan Ridley is seventh in the league in rushing, on pace for the most
yards for a New England back since 2004.
''They've all done well. They're all young guys in the relatively early
part of their careers that have come in here in a variety of
circumstances,'' Patriots coach Bill Belichick said of Thomas, McDonald
and Cannon. ''I think that the offseason program and their ability to
go from last year to the offseason program to OTAs to training camp,
that those players, all three of them, have improved significantly from
where they were this time or even going back to September of 2011.''
Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels credited longtime offensive line
coach Dante Scarnecchia for once again placing a formidable product on
the field.
''I think when you talk about those players and the roles that they
play on our team and the contributions that they've made, I don't think
you can talk about them without mentioning Dante because he does an
incredible job of preparing all of them as if they're all going to
start and play for four quarters,'' McDaniels said. ''He makes sure
that they have reps. He makes sure that they understand all the
communication and I have an incredible appreciation and respect for him
as their coach.''
The work ethic of the offensive line apparently mimics that of the
coach.
''He's usually the first guy in the building,'' McDaniels said of
Scarnecchia. ''I think the way he works, the way he approaches his job,
it kind of demands respect because all he does and all he cares about -
when he's here - is making sure his guys are prepared to do what we're
asking them to do in the game plan, and he really goes to every length
to make sure that happens.
''I think the way they see him work, they immediately appreciate what
they have in him as a teacher.''
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