What Caught Cole Strange Off Guard In Rookie Season With Patriots

Cole Strange was warned ahead of time before his rookie season with New England: The Patriots playbook is not an easy study.

Far more experienced NFL players have had issues remembering all the intricacies of it when they got onto the field. And the offensive guard from FCS Chattanooga would need to tackle it, and quickly, with Strange being a plug-and-play option on the offensive line after the Patriots drafted him 29th overall.

Even with the Patriots going to Strange right away, the left guard didn't get caught off guard often during his transition to his first season in the NFL. But he couldn't be completely compared for trying to learn the playbook, either.

"(The playbook), maybe that's one thing that surprised me," Strange told The Boston Globe's Christopher Price on Wednesday from the Sports International football camp at UMass-Lowell. "I was told the playbook would be something, especially compared to college. Maybe that. But even then, I was told that, this, this, and this would be much more difficult. So, I expected it. That doesn't mean it was easy."

Cole went through the usual highs and lows all rookies seem to face, including getting benched at points during games. But the soon-to-be 25-year-old came out on the other side of it starting all 17 games for the Patriots. He played in 94% of the team's offensive snaps, which matched center David Andrews.

Cole credited those around him for aiding him during his rookie season as he gets set to be an integral part of New England's offensive line yet again with the Patriots facing plenty of questions at their tackle spots.

"I feel pretty lucky in the sense that I had a pretty good team directly around me. My agent, my financial adviser, coaches . . . my dad has always given me some great advice," Strange told Price. "I'm not saying anything caught me off guard necessarily, but in one way or another, I was prepared for everything. I knew it was going to be difficult."