Following his first AFC Championship victory, Patriots running back LeGarrette Blount said…well…bluntly that the Patriots offensive line was, “The best in the league, for sure. I probably should’ve had more yards than I did. I probably missed a couple holes.”
That is a strong statement from Blount, who finished the game with 30 carries for 148 yards and three touchdowns, considering how the offensive line began the season.
Just days before the kickoff of the 2014 season, the Patriots traded former-All Pro Logan Mankins to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The move generated much ire from Patriots Nation and cast a close eye on whomever was to fill the shoes of the beloved and suddenly former-Patriot. It also put more attention on new line coach Dave DeGuglielmo who was taking over for the retired Dante Scarnecchia, the much beloved coach who had been with the organization for over 20 years.
Injuries and inconsistency plagued the offensive line and DeGuglielmo came under heavy criticism as New England tumbled out of the gate to start the season at 2-2.
The season turned for the Patriots following their Week 5 matchup against the, then undefeated, Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday night. The Patriots won soundly 43-17 and after a bit more shuffling and recuperating from injury the offensive line was set with Nate Solder, first-time captain Dan Connolly, rookie Bryan Stork, Ryan Wendell, and Sebastian Vollmer.
The offensive line finished the regular season surrendering just 21 sacks to opponents. Only the Baltimore Ravens and Denver Broncos gave up fewer.
A wrinkle DeGuglielmo used was rotating players and rearranging the lineup when certain scenarios were presented. Rookie Cameron Fleming and Marcus Cannon being heavily involved in the rotation.
“[W]e just draw it up and we see if we like it and if we feel good about it in practice we just run it on game day,” Fleming said following the Patriots championship victory.
The Patriots also added an eligible tackle as a tight end in some three tight-end sets to add an extra blocker. Fleming, when healthy, has been the go to as the third tight end/tackle, as he helped to pave the way for running back Jonas Gray in the Patriots Week 11 victory over the Colts and again was substituted in heavily during the AFC title game.
“It felt great,” Fleming added . “I guess I came back at the perfect time and was able to report eligible at the right game, so, it was great. I was very happy.”
It has been a long season for the offensive line who have been heavily criticized when things go wrong and never acknowledged when things go right.
Late in the season the play of Solder seemed to dip, once injuries began to plague Connolly. Fans were quick to bark out their opinions and observations as they feared for quarterback Tom Brady’s blindside protection. But in the end, Solder validated his position in more ways than just blocking.
“Well, we thought it would work. It was a great time. Josh called it,” Brady said, referring to offensive coordinator Josh McDaniel’s decision to throw a pass to Solder, which the 6’8″, 320-pound tackle caught and rumbled for 16-yards, diving for the touchdown.
“Nate made a great catch,” Brady continued. “Tough conditions out there – it’s raining, I mean, for God’s sake and he runs over two guys to get in there. He played a little tight end his first year [in college]. So I don’t know, maybe we have more tricks up our sleeve.”
The shifting has not stopped. After the line began to really gel, Stork suffered a knee injury in the Divisional Round victory over the Ravens. Stepping in for him was Josh Kline and Wendell shifted over to fill the gap at center left by Stork. Despite being thrust into duty, the Patriots diversity showed once again, and the team gained 177 yards on the ground. If anything is certain in New England, it is that things are always changing.
