So far, the biggest concern in Patriots training camp has been the offensive line. The unit’s depth has been tested thanks to projected starters Trent Brown, Cole Strange and Mike Onwenu all dealing with injury issues. In large part because of that, the line has struggled to hold up against New England’s formidable pass rush and provide a clean pocket for the quarterbacks.
The Pats’ O-line will get its first chance to go against a different opponent in Thursday night’s preseason opener against the Houston Texans, but it remains to be seen what the group will look like when and if it actually gets healthy.
Appearing on The Greg Hill Show Thursday morning, former Patriots offensive tackle Matt Light acknowledged those concerns, but also wasn’t hitting the panic button and actually offered a few reasons for optimism – specifically the center, the O-line coach, and his own experience seeing offensive lines greatly improve in-season. Listen to the full interview below.
“I’ll tell you one thing: I’ll always feel good if David Andrews is healthy and he’s out there playing,” Light said. “I mean, what he brings to the table, it’s hard to measure. You’re talking about a real leader, a guy who has a lot of respect from everybody in that locker room. But one guy can’t do it on an offensive line. So, it’s the one thing that worries me.
“What I do like is that Adrian Klemm is there. I like Klemm. I played with Klemm. … I know he loves the game. I know he’s gonna want to get it right every play. He’s got to figure out which one of these guys, A, are going to be healthy enough to be out there, and then, B, who can fit in the best.
“And I can tell you this much, too: We went into a number of seasons with some serious question marks across our offensive line. And, it is a position that you can develop throughout the season, right? If you don’t have it perfect on day one when the season starts, you can develop that. So, I’m gonna hold out hope until we get to maybe Week 4 or 5, because that's when you know what you got.”
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