- Joined
- May 1, 2008
- Messages
- 16,682
- Reaction score
- 3,686
From the OP:
So far all the Pats have done has been to re-sign Wendell, the "sieve in pass protection". Richard Hill paints a pessimistic picture of what to expect form the interior OL:
Patriots Offensive Line Are Under Pressure - Pats Pulpit
Unless the Pats have some hidden gems in Josh Kline, Braxton Cave and Chris Barker, it's hard not to see this being a major priority.
2. Better protection is the best weapon for Brady.
Brady has plenty of weapons. What he needs is adequate protection to use them - especially protection up the middle. The interior OL was terrible in 2013, and Brady was under pressure far too often. Ryan Wendell was a sieve in pass protection, and the rest of the interior line may have suffered trying to compensate for him. Give a QB of Brady's caliber time to go through his reads and find the open guy and the offense will be close to unstoppable.
So far all the Pats have done has been to re-sign Wendell, the "sieve in pass protection". Richard Hill paints a pessimistic picture of what to expect form the interior OL:
To expect this unit to venture into the realm of mediocrity sounds like a disappointment, yet would be a tremendous improvement. I don't believe we can expect it to happen. The list of 32 year old guards who play at an elite level is far smaller than you would imagine.
With two-thirds of the interior playing at a sub-par level, the Patriots offense's greatest weakness (interior pressure) is magnified. We have to hope the Patriots buck their historical trend to address the center or the right guard position before the fifth round, if not for the immediate improvement, then for the sake of Brady's remaining future.
Patriots Offensive Line Are Under Pressure - Pats Pulpit
Unless the Pats have some hidden gems in Josh Kline, Braxton Cave and Chris Barker, it's hard not to see this being a major priority.