Trading Logan Mankins to Tampa Bay for tight end Tim Wright, during the preseason definitely left a lot of questions and concerns for Patriots fans. Mankins and Brady had great chemistry. Mankins also provided veteran leadership, which the Patriots are lacking right now. As I said, we traded Mankins...the leader of our offensive line...for a TE. It didn't make a whole lot of sense then, and still doesn't. Wright, disappointingly, hasn't been phased into our offense very much, yet. Which leads to the question, if he was worth trading Mankins for, why aren't we using him?
Aptitude and mental toughness are underrated and often overlooked traits when it comes to offensive linemen. They're typically the smartest guys on the field, right after the quarterback.
Two things to keep in mind: First, even though it's been messy and Brady's taken too many hits already, they've already shown slight improvement from week one. Obviously, there's still a lot of work to do. I'm of the impression that it can only get better. While it's disappointing to see the Patriots struggling so much, I think with time and experience playing together, they'll turn it around. Second, if making adjustments with the players we already have isn't enough, there's a couple free agent offensive linemen we could sign. One being Ritchie Incognito. Incognito to the Pats has been a rumor since the Mankins/Wright trade. While at first I didn't like the thought of Ritchie Incognito in a Patriots uniform (given all the drama surrounding him last season in Miami), I began thinking that if anyone could straighten him out, it's Belichick. He would almost immediately have a positive impact on the Pats offensive line. He's a very physical, tough, nasty player which is exactly what the Patriots need. He would also provide veteran leadership to a fairly young unit. Eric Baca is another option for the Patriots at OG. He was drafted in the 6th round by the Vikings in 2013. While there's not a lot of game tape on him (I believe he played in only four games last season), he has impressive athleticism, and could give the Patriots more depth at the position. Sometimes, a different player with a slightly different skill set, is exactly what's needed. Lastly, they could consider bringing Jon Halapio back. While he was certainly not the best, he would again be a different set of strengths and weaknesses for the Patriots to play around with.
Tomorrow night we face the Chiefs at Arrowhead, our toughest challenge yet. Keeping Brady upright, and giving him time to throw the ball is the key to a win.
What I would love to see:
1) Start Bryan Stork at center. Being a Florida State fan, I love the guy. He won two big trophies in college. A BCS National Championship and the Rimington Trophy for being the best center in all of college football in 2013. Hello, "best center in college football", start him. This makes Wendell and Connolly able to jump around on the offensive line. Move Connolly to left guard and put Cannon in at right guard. Love that idea. This would be a nice start to fixing the Patriots struggles.
2) Nate Solder has gotten beat at least two times in all 3 games so far. At left tackle, his main job is protecting Brady's blind side. Solder stands right at 6'8, your typical dream for a left tackle. He's allowed 2 sacks and something like 12 pressures on Brady thus far. Solder, a former first round pick, is in his fourth year in the league. I think he could be out of a starting job soon if he doesn't improve his game.
2) Nate Solder has gotten beat at least two times in all 3 games so far. At left tackle, his main job is protecting Brady's blind side. Solder stands right at 6'8, your typical dream for a left tackle. He's allowed 2 sacks and something like 12 pressures on Brady thus far. Solder, a former first round pick, is in his fourth year in the league. I think he could be out of a starting job soon if he doesn't improve his game.
3) Spreading the ball around and giving each receiver some love could benefit the Pats tremendously. I know Brady's been doing the best he can with who he's got and who he's most comfortable throwing to, but getting out of his comfort zone from time to time, might be a good thing. After all, chemistry is never going to develop with guys you never throw to during games. Connecting with LaFell, Wright, and Amendola in practice is great, but being able to complete passes to them in actual games is what really matters. Gronk and Jules are clearly Brady's security blankets. While they're both great players, opposing teams start to pick up on these kinds of things. So they'll start to double-team Edelman and Gronk, forcing Brady to look elsewhere to make a play. This is why it's so important to incorporate all of our wide receivers, TEs (Gronk, Hooman, & Wright), and versatile RBs into the game plan. Brady & Co will figure it out and get in synch eventually, I have no doubt. In fact, I'll go as far as to say we'll look better on offense starting this week, against the Chiefs.
4) Last but not least, our offense needs to be better balanced. The Patriots no huddle-hurry up offense works best when given a strong running game. While our running game hasn't been terrible this season, it needs to be better. We need explosive, dominant runs. Give Brady a much improved OLine, time to throw, and a strong running game, and we'll be on the right track to getting back to New England football that we all know and love.
As always, Go Pats.
As always, Go Pats.
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