Fierce competition on New England Patriots offensive line
[November 3 update: Click here to read about the New England Patriots starting offensive line during the 2007 season.]
The competition for roster spots among wide receivers is well know, but almost as intense is the fight for a roster spot on New England Patriots offensive line. Somebody, quite simply, has to go unless the team decides to put 10 offensive linemen on the roster, which seems unlikely.
Barring injuries, the starting interior offensive line is practically set in stone: Left guard Logan Mankins, center Dan Koppen and right guard Steven Neal are going to remain starters. Matt Light will likely hold on to the starting position at left tackle. Right tackle appears to be up for grabs. Ryan O’Callaghan, Nick Kaczur, and Wesley Britt took turns starting at right tackle during last season and they seem to be fighting for the starting position this year as well. The tackles who come up short are almost assured roster spots.
Life isn’t quite as simple for the interior linemen. Veterans Russ Hochstein, Billy Yates and Gene Mruczkowski are fighting for what will be probably be only two spots on the 53-man roster, meaning one will be cut. All three players are versatile and can play either guard or center. Hochstein is the more experienced of the three and I think he’ll earn a spot because of his proven dependability. I think Yates has an edge over Mruczkowski, so my guess right now is that the Patriots will keep Hochstein and Yates on the roster and try to trade Mruczkowski for sixth or seven round pick, or, failing that, cut him.
I expect rookies Mike Elgin and Clint Oldenburg and second-year Brian Barthelmes to end up on the practice squad. Rookie Corey Hilliard has a bit of an uphill struggle after his dismal performance rookie camp. Elgin is really a bit undersized to play in the NFL and the Patriots have enough interior linemen as it is, but he is reportedly a good football player, so I imagine Patriots will give him a chance to earn a spot as a special teams and situational player (according to The Boston Globe’s Mike Reiss, Elgin has beefed up to 290 pounds. He must be on that magical Mike Wright diet). On a side note, in college Barthelmes played next to Brad Butler, the infamous Virginia Cavaliers cheap shot artist who viciously cut down Boston College’s Mathias Kiwanuka. Butler is now on the Buffalo Bills, while Kiwanuka plays for the New York Giants. As luck would have it, Patriots finish their regular season on the road against the Giants. Of course, it would be a real bad sign if Barthelmes played in that game, or any other.
Some twists could well play out. Right tackle Kaczur may be traded or even cut, which could leave room for an extra interior lineman or it could result in Oldenburg getting a roster spot. Or maybe the Patriots will go with 10 offensive linemen. Or maybe they’ll get a fifth round pack for Hochstein and send him packing (although it seems unwise to me to ship out an experienced offensive lineman at the start of the season to get a relatively lowly draft pick that the team doesn’t really a pressing need for). Andy Hart at Patriots Football Weekly thinks Hochstein “could be a surprise cut.”
August 7 update:
The Boston Globe’s Christopher L. Gasper had a story on August 5 on the new somewhat more zone-blocking oriented scheme the Patriots are expected to employ this year. Also, in his press conference today Bill Belichick heaped praise on center Dan Koppen:
Q: With [Dan] Koppen now in his fifth year, do you and the coaching and staff have such a comfort level with him making calls and adjustments out on the field that he’s almost an extension of you and Dante [Scarnecchia]?
Bill Belichick: Well, yeah, Dan is an integral guy in the overall offensive scheme because of the position that he plays in the middle of the line and Dan is extremely smart and does a very good job. He’s football smart as well. He’s instinctive and does a great job with communication on the line of scrimmage with offensive line, the running game, the passing game, we change protections or when the front stems and moves before the snap and things like that, he can identify that. A lot of times he anticipates it before it happens and that makes it easier to communicate and eliminates some confusion. He’s a real smart player there. He can probably, not in the passing game, but as far and the overall blocking scheme and pass protections and audibles and checks and things like that, probably do it just as well as the quarterbacks can, just seeing the front seven, even sometimes the secondary rotation as to what we’re going to do on a particular play or if we’re going to alter the play somehow. He does that very well and is on the same page with our quarterbacks. So that helps the overall offensive communication. He’s really good at that. I’d say probably as good as anybody I’ve ever coached.
Q: What can be the different be between a guy who is really good at that and maybe a guy who is just average at it and just how it would affect everybody?
BB: It’s hard to put a price tag on it, but one or two mistakes on something like that or even a late call, any kind of gray area there, it can mess up a play, one play can mess up a game, one game can mess up a season. I don’t think you can overemphasize it or overstate its importance and Dan is really good at it. Like I said, he’s as good as anybody I’ve been around at communication and identification and just being football smart, knowing what’s going to happen and when to do the right thing, when to change something, when to leave it the same, when not to get bluffed or disguised by the defense and get kind of moved into one thing when that’s what they want you to do. Stuff like that he’s really good at.
Correction: I originally stated that Barthelmes is a rookie, which is incorrect.
[November 3 update: I wasn't too far off. Patriots cut Mruczkowski and kept Hochstein and Yates. Hilliard was also cut. However, neither Oldenburg, Elgin or Barthelmes managed to make the team's practice squad.]
