Through the first three weeks of the regular season, one thing is clear — the New England Patriots need to improve their offensive line play.
The Patriots’ offense has generated barely over 300 yards per game so far in 2014, good for 26th in the NFL through Week 3. Their troubles start with the line, which has allowed quarterback Tom Brady to get sacked seven times, an uncharacteristically high number for a historically sound group.
With the departure of longtime offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia and Pro Bowler Logan Mankins, New England has had to adjust on the fly this season.
One newcomer who has been asked to fill in is center Bryan Stork, the Patriots’ fourth-round selection in the 2014 NFL draft. After missing a few weeks in training camp due to injury, Stork seems to be catching on quickly and has seen fourth-quarter playing time in each of New England’s last two games.
Head coach Bill Belichick acknowledged Stork’s improvement during a conference call Tuesday.
“Yeah, I think Bryan has definitely gotten better,” Belichick told reporters. “He’s improved. He’s had an opportunity to string a few weeks of practice together here and get a little better playing time the last couple weeks. I definitely think he’s moving in the right direction.”
Yet Belichick stopped short of divulging his plans for Stork going forward. “His playing time and workload is functional of his performance — same as it is for every player,” he said.
Stork likely will need time to develop under new offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo. But if the Patriots’ offensive line continues to struggle, we could see a lot more of the rookie as the offense searches for solutions going forward.
