Vollmer On Gresh & Zo: Don't Blame Coach DeGuglielmo For Offensive Line's Struggles
BOSTON (CBS) -- The offensive line of the New England Patriots has come under fire over the first three weeks of the season.
Quarterback Tom Brady has been sacked seven times and is seemingly under pressure whenever he takes a snap. New England running backs have averaged just 3.5 yards per carry -- which ranks 26th in the NFL.
While the individual linemen have been under fire, so has new offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo, who has been tasked with replacing long-time O-Line coach and Belichick assistant Dante Scarnecchia.
Patriots tackle Sebastian Vollmer joined 98.5 The Sports Hub's Gresh & Zolak on Thursday, and said it's wrong to blame all of the line's struggles on DeGuglielmo.
"I would say that's pretty unfair. Us five are going out there, and if we get beat you can't look at someone else," said Vollmer. "We have to step up and do better. You can't look at someone else to take the blame.
"We're definitely intent on getting better," Vollmer said when asked if he and his fellow linemen are "pissed" at what they've been doing on the field. "You want to put out a good performance and when we don't do that, we obviously don't like it. We're doing everything we can to get better as a unit and hopefully we can show it."
There was a big shakeup along the line when the Patriots traded veteran guard Logan Mankins just a few days before the start of the regular season. While Mankins may have lost a step in his game, what he brought to the line was grit and nastiness. Vollmer, now in his sixth season with the Patriots, said it's up to everyone who lines up to carry that torch.
"The goal for every offensive line is you want to be a little nasty and play on the edge a little bit. I think it's up to each individual player to do that so you can be aggressive, powerful and nasty as a unit. Everybody has to put that on their shoulders, and if it's not there pick it up a little bit. It's not up to just one player."
The Patriots have a tough game on the docket this weekend, facing off against the Kansas City Chiefs on the road. Arrowhead Stadium can get pretty loud, making it difficult for the opposition to communicate on the field. Vollmer said that is something they've been addressing this week in practice.
Tale of the Tape: Patriots vs. Chiefs
"It's going to be great energy; it's Monday night and everyone will be fired up. On one hand it's a lot of fun to play in such a stadium. On the other you have to prepare well and know what you're doing. You have to communicate verbally and get your message across," he said. "The best thing is to practice well and practice with noise, and know what you're doing so there's not that much communication going on."
Sebastian Vollmer On Patriots Offensive Line
Tune in to Monday night's Patriots-Chiefs game on 98.5 The Sports Hub – the flagship station of the New England Patriots. Pregame coverage begins at 5:30 pm, and stay tuned following the game for three hours of postgame coverage! On the TV side, tune in to myTV38 immediately following the game for Patriots 5th Quarter!
MORE PATRIOTS COVERAGE FROM CBS BOSTON
