Patriots Offensive Line Remains Major Concern After Uneven Performance In Preseason Opener
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- Yes, it was just the first preseason game for the Patriots. No, the team should not have been expected to improve the offensive line overnight. Yes, there's still plenty of time for returning coach Dante Scarnecchia to mold the line into a solid group. But Thursday night's preseason-opening win over the Saints was a painful reminder of the team's fatal flaw last season and how far Scarnecchia really has to go before even figuring out how to set up the offensive line, let alone get them to play at a high level as a unit.
Perhaps most concerning was the up-and-down performance of left tackle Nate Solder, who is returning from a torn pectoral muscle suffered at Dallas in Week 5 last season. Solder will be counted on as an anchor of the line, especially early in the season with Jimmy Garoppolo under center, but he showed Thursday night that he has a long way to go before getting back to being a dependable lock-down blindside protector.
The line will inevitably get better, especially when right tackle Sebastian Vollmer returns, but it still was an uneven start for Solder and the group.
"The overarching issue I know [was that] I gave up some pressure. The guy had a sack on me. So that's stuff that I need to work on," said Solder. "Those are the things that I'll take away that I need to improve. I don't take anything for granted. That's not what I want to do and it's not how I play. So I've got to improve."
The sack in question came in the first quarter on the Patriots' first possession of the game, when Solder got flat-out beat off the edge by the Saints' Kasim Edebali, a third-year undrafted linebacker out of Boston College who may be a starter on the Saints' defensive line but is not exactly an unstoppable force.
On the third Patriots possession of the game, it felt like a defender was getting in untouched on every single play. The Saints consistently blew up the Pats' O-line, culminating with Edebali got through again on a first-and-10 play to sack Garoppolo for a 14-yard loss. Fortunately, the Patriots' expected Week 1 starter got off some quick throws to avoid sacks at times, but the Patriots still had to punt at the time.
The line, however, did have its good moments. It was able to open up a nice big running lane for Brandon Bolden on this particular play:
(This was with most of the first-stringers out of the game, but hey it was still well-executed and impressive rookie guard Joe Thuney (No. 62) makes a key block on the play.)
They also managed to keep the pocket clean for Jimmy Garoppolo on this pretty-looking throw to Malcolm Mitchell, among others:
Still, the O-line did not show the kind of consistency you'd hope for in a Scarnecchia-coached unit and has yet to show improvement upon the debacle of the end of last season. Scar still has time to configure and coach up the line the way he and Bill Belichick want to, but Thursday night was just a clear indication that there's still plenty of work to be done. If their issues bleed into the regular season, the concern for the offensive line will only grow greater.
Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. His opinions do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Have a news tip or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.
