FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots’ offensive line doesn’t yet know what went wrong against the Oakland Raiders. They’ll need to check the film.
That’s the company line at Gillette Stadium this season, and without any clear-cut answer after three weeks, it appears quarterback Tom Brady will continue to see his football career flash before his eyes every time he drops back to pass.
Brady was sacked twice Sunday and hit six times. If his receivers are getting open, he doesn’t have time to scan the entire field.
“When he gets hit, it definitely hurts,” right guard Jordan Devey said after Sunday’s 16-9 win. “Obviously the job is to try to keep him clean. So, anytime he gets hit, it’s a shortcoming. I let up one I’m not really proud about.”
Devey was removed in the fourth quarter for rookie center Bryan Stork, pushing captain Dan Connolly to guard. The offense appeared to improve after the personnel change, but it might be too small of a sample size to judge.
“I did all right, but there’s a lot of room for improvement,” Stork said in the Patriots’ locker room after the game.
The entire Patriots’ offense needs to continue to improve, but so far it seems their struggles stem from the offensive line. Patriots rushers gained just 76 yards on 32 carries against a defense that’s averaging 200 yards allowed per game. Even left tackle Nate Solder has struggled in three games this season.
“We need to be more consistent, absolutely,” Solder offered. “That’s an area we need to improve on for sure.”
Brady has seen countless combinations of wide receivers, tight ends and running backs come through his offense in 15 NFL seasons, but strong offensive line play has remained consistent. Now, with Dante Scarnecchia retired and Logan Mankins shipped to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, his offense is in flux. The Patriots’ offensive potential might depend on how greatly its line can improve before January.
Perhaps Stork is the savior, but there are issues across the five-man line, and even Connolly, the captain, doesn’t have answers right now.
“We just need to look on film and see where we made mistakes, and we’ll go from there,” Connolly said.
The problem is that the mistakes appear to be continuing from game to game. The Patriots’ offense generally improves as the season goes along, and new offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo has his work cut out for him in the next 14 weeks.
Brady, despite the constant pressure, isn’t throwing the unit under the bus just yet.
“Those guys are playing hard,” Brady said. “They’re working hard to do the right thing and make improvements. It’s a physical game, so that’s what we train for.”
Perhaps the film will reveal the offensive line’s glaring issue and everything will be fixed and click before Week 4, but trading Mankins is looking like a more and more questionable decision every week that Brady gets demolished by the opposing defensive line.
