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Patriots Offensive Line Review: Week 1

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The worst thing that could have happened prior to playing week one was an injury of any type to Nate Solder. The $6 million dollar left tackle was unavailable due to a suspected hamstring injury. This unforeseen situation would mean that several young offensive lineman would be called upon to perform well immediately against the Cardinals. Sebastian Vollmer is likely out of the season and it appears that Belichick will ride out the year with Waddle and Fleming as his depth tackles.

It certainly didn’t appear that the outlook was promising for the Patriots in pregame. News broke that Rob Gronkowski would not play Sunday. His skills as a blocker would be sorely missed, especially with a new quarterback under center. Shaq Mason had a broken hand but played with a club. This is certainly a testament to his toughness as a player.

Snaps

There would be a total of 71 offensive snaps in the unbelievable victory against Arizona. Four lineman stepped up and played every single down week one: Cam Fleming, Joe Thuney, David Andrews, and Marcus Cannon. Rookie Ted Karras and Shaq Mason saw less reps in the game. Karras totaled 57 plays and Mason 14.

The Patriots pulled it off with a solid performance from their offensive line. Fleming, Thuney, and Karras have never seen/had limited NFL reps. Shaq Mason and David Andrews are both second year players. The only veteran on the line was last season’s biggest disappointment in the trenches: Marcus Cannon.

The concern before this past game centered around giving the rookie quarterback an early boost of confidence. Belichick kept the pocket moving through play action and a variety of misdirection plays centered around Julian Edelman. This helped to keep the edge rushers honest and eliminated some of the pocket pressure. They also lined up in heavy sets and ran the ball consistently to keep Arizona honest. This opened up longer plays downfield like the 37 yard heave to Chris Hogan.

Individual Analysis

David Andrews continues to look like an above average NFL center. He is still very young and will continue to improve. Andrews is very strong in pass protection but sometimes struggles to handle double teams. I suspect this has much to do with a lack of chemistry developed across an ever-changing group of starters. He also visibly showed frustration at points during the game. Particularly when the Pats attempted to run the ball.

Joe Thuney is still the stud of this group. An incredible achievement considering his rookie status. Belichick knocked this draft pick right out of the park. The kid understands both pass protection and run scheme; finishes each play with an emphasis on physicality. Thuney did an outstanding job of pulling around and blocking to the second level. He also earned extra points for picking up defenders downfield on a screen or two. He can do it all.

Cam Fleming is showcasing the reasons why he has struggled to break through at the NFL level. His feet are below average and he struggles to block defenders at the second level. His lack of foot fire also leads to difficulty in pass protection. An elite edge rusher could easily take advantage of his deficiencies. On several occasions Belichick positioned a tight end next to Fleming in order to assist on passing downs. Cam is unfortunately the weakest link in this group. I wouldn’t expect to see much more of him after Solder returns. He put in a great effort on Sunday and that shouldn’t be forgotten.

Marcus Cannon is attempting to prove a whole lot of people wrong this season. I was originally horrified to find out Vollmer had gone down for the year. Then when I was notified Solder was out it felt like the end of the world. Cannon has been the veteran anchor for this group so far. It’s only week one but he has managed to stay healthy and played well through most of 2016. It remains to be seen if he can deliver consistently. He did have one major error during the second quarter that resulted in a quarterback strip-sack/turnover. It’s important to note that he was injured during this game and could potentially miss time. That would not be good for the stability of the line. He caught heat for not executing on a few circumstances but was solid most of the game.

Ted Karras‘ most important attribute is his overall strength. He is not technically sound but delivers punishing blows in the running game. Karras is a more than capable run blocker. He doesn’t have the same ceiling of potential as Thuney but might be a solid NFL guard. Perhaps Karras can continue to improve and win the starting job over Shaq Mason. We’ll have to wait and see. My money is on Mason if he stays healthy.

It’s tough to grade Shaq Mason with the low amount of opportunity on the field. The club on his hand made it really difficult for him. He only saw limited action, mostly in the end of the second quarter. He seemed like he played okay when he was out there. Belichick rode out most of the game with Karras at right guard. We’ll see more of Mason as the year goes on and perhaps a position battle with him and Ted Karras.

Conclusion

This is still a broken group that needs fixin’. Luckily the Patriots have a great coach that understands exactly what his team is realistically capable of executing. It’s a new season but more of the same for the offensive line. It will be a crap shoot guessing the starters each week. It becomes even more of a mess with the injury to Marcus Cannon. That could mean a guard sees tackle time or La’Adrian Waddle becomes a starter. Either way it’s not good when players come and go like this.

The bigger issues are ahead for this group. It remains to be seen if Nate Solder misses more than week one. It would be huge to have him back in light of the Cannon injury. Having both Waddle and Fleming at tackle is less than ideal. The interior line certainly has a good amount of depth right now. Thuney, Andrews, Karras, and Mason are all capable of playing well.

The issue is still protecting the edge of the pocket. According to several football insiders it’s unlikely that Belichick will be able to land a significant reinforcement at tackle. Could we potentially see the star rookie make a move to tackle? I think Thuney would be up to the task. Hopefully for the Patriots sake they won’t need that to happen.

Not so fast with all of the positive vibes surrounding this offensive line. There is still much to prove and fifteen weeks of regular season football left to play.

 

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