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New England Patriots Offensive Line Rotation “Genius”

By Dan Schmelzer

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With a dominant 3-0 start to begin the 2015 season, the New England Patriots have received positive performances nearly across the board. Tom Brady has the offense rolling, while their new and improved front seven has allowed for great play defensively as well.

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Brady being great, Rob Gronkowski being dominant or the front seven looking fresh and talented is not surprising. These things were all at least relatively expected as we entered the season. The most surprising positive performance early in the campaign has been the incredible play of the Patriots’ young interior offensive line.

The Patriots have been set at both tackle positions, with Nate Solder and Sebastian Vollmer holding down the fort incredibly well. However, the interior offensive line was a major question mark for the team entering the season. When starting center Bryan Stork was placed on short-term IR with a head/neck injury right before the season opener, the Patriots’ lack of proven depth on the interior was downright scary.

Aug 6, 2015; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots offensive guard Tre Jackson (63) with guard Josh Kline (67) and center Bryan Stork (66) during training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

That being said, they have received incredible play from all of their young offensive lineman. Shane Andrews is an undrafted rookie who has stepped in for Stork at center and not missed a beat. Andrews has been incredible for the Patriots, and despite Stork being one of the best rookie offensive lineman in the NFL last season, he is likely to have to fight for his job when he returns from injury.

At guard, the Patriots have implemented an extremely successful rotation of players. Josh Kline and fourth-round rookie Tre’ Jackson have been the primary starters, but Shaq Mason (also a fourth-round rookie) has figured heavily into the plans as well.

With the three players being similar in overall talent, the Patriots are rotating their guards each and every possession. This has proved to be effective as all of Kline, Jackson and Mason are able to stay fresh throughout the game. Bill Belichick and offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo deserve a ton of credit for figuring out how to make this work, and it is catching some attention from throughout the game.

Legendary Florida State offensive line coach Rick Trickett has certainly taken notice.

"“I think it’s one of the smartest things I’ve ever seen,” Trickett said, according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. “It’s genius.”"

I understand why teams would hesitate to pull of an offensive line by committee approach like this, with lack of continuity and communication seemingly being an issue.

That being said, the Patriots have clearly figured out a way to make it work, and it is a huge reason why their offense has been so successful early in the season.

Team’s usually just stick their five best offensive lineman out there and let them roll. However, if position competitions are close, they might as well mix it up to keep everyone fresh. According to Howe, the Patriots have used nine different offensive line combinations to start their 30 offensive drives so far this year. They also featured a heavy goal-line package on Sunday with the bruising Marcus Cannon stepping in to play some guard.

Once again, the Patriots have found a way to get an edge on their competition. It may seem minimal on the surface, but at least one expert offensive line coach thinks that it is a brilliant move. Could other teams follow suit and start mixing up their offensive line combinations? Only time will tell, but one thing is for sure; the Patriots have found a strategy that works for them.

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