Patriots 2015 Position Preview: Offensive Line
BOSTON (CBS) -- Through four games last season, the Patriots' offensive line appeared to be the team's Achilles' heel, the major weak spot which was sure to waste another precious year of Tom Brady's career.
It was in those four games that Brady got taken down nine times, losing 51 yards, killing several drives and resulting in an out-of-rhythm and barely functioning offense.
It was after that embarrassing Monday night in Kansas City that the Patriots switched up their starting line for good, and the results the rest of the way -- from the "on to Cincinnati" game all the way through the February trip to Glendale -- spoke for themselves.
Brady was sacked just 12 times in the remaining 12 regular-season games. He went from completing 59 percent of his passes for an average 198 yards per game in those first four weeks to completing 65.6 percent of his passes for an average of 277 yards per game. (It was really an average of 294 yards per game, if you eliminate Brady's one half of play in Week 17.) That "wasted" season for Brady was salvaged in the most impressive way possible, and the O-line had a lot to do with that.
Last year's line did leave something to be desired in terms of a running game, as the Patriots ranked in the bottom third of the league in yards per rushing attempt.
Additions
Tre' Jackson (fourth-round draft pick)
Shaq Mason (fourth-round draft pick)
Kevin Hughes (free agent)
David Andrews (UDFA)
Subtractions
Dan Connolly (retirement)
Depth Chart
Nate Solder, LT
Marcus Cannon, LG
Bryan Stork, C
Ryan Wendell, RG
Sebastian Vollmer, RT
Shaq Mason, G
Tre' Jackson, G
Cameron Fleming, T
Josh Kline, G
Jordan Devey, G
Chris Barker, G
Caylin Hauptmann, G
Kevin Hughes, T
David Andrews, C
Outlook
Dan Connolly's decision to retire represents the only loss for the Super Bowl-winning unit, but it is nevertheless a significant one.
Connolly played in 13 games last season and was certainly part of the solution on the offensive line, not one of the problems in the first month. The versatile Connolly played center to start the season before the rookie Bryan Stork took over. During that time, it seemed that whenever Marcus Cannon, Josh Kline or Jordan Devey saw regular time filling in at guard, the Patriots found trouble.
From that standpoint, the Patriots have to hope that either Shaq Mason or Tre' Jackson develops at a rather swift pace -- not unlike Stork did last year -- to be able to take starting reps sooner than later. Basically, the Patriots have to be hoping that Mason and Jackson can be better than Devey and Kline. Such an expectation may not be too lofty, but expecting the rookies to get up to speed in time for Week 1 might be a bit aggressive.
So, at least in the short term, expect many of those reps to go to the uninspiring yet experienced Marcus Cannon. Remember, the team extended Cannon just last December and gave him a $3.2 million signing bonus, so clearly the team sees some type of role carved out for him.
After that, it really becomes about health. Stork battled an undisclosed training camp injury, a midseason concussion and a divisional-round knee injury last year. He was able to gut it out to play in the Super Bowl (the Patriots didn't really need him in order to beat the Colts in the AFC Championship Game), but given the lack of veteran depth at the position, Stork's health is of chief importance this season.
Cameron Fleming earned himself some playing time last season as the sixth offensive lineman, and he played an instrumental role in leading the way to Pats running backs gaining 373 yards and scoring seven touchdowns on 73 carries in two games against the Colts. It at least provided some reason for positivity in the event that either Nate Solder or Sebastian Vollmer suffers an injury.
It's likely that the unit might experience a hiccup or two through the preseason and even into the first three weeks of the regular season before the bye. That's especially likely if Jimmy Garoppolo ends up being under center for a few games. Yet with Dave DeGuglielmo in his second year on the job, and with four-fifths of the championship-winning line returning, the offensive line should be considered a strength of the team as camp opens.
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