FOXBOROUGH - Over the first two-plus months of the season, the Patriots’ offensive line had great health. The starting five had one missed game over the first 11 weeks of the season. You read that right. Just one. That was Jared Wilson, who sat out the lopsided win over the Panthers.
But like the team as a whole, this group has been hit hard over the last month or so. Both Wilson (ankle) and Will Campbell (knee) went down in Cincinnati, forcing the left guard to the sidelines for back-to-back games, while Campbell's injury was significant enough that he ended up on IR. The first-rounder isn’t eligible to return to action until the regular season finale, assuming the knee is ready for game action (I’ve heard good things up to this point). But just when the Pats saw the light at the end of the tunnel, Sunday night happened.
It started with Morgan Moses injuring his knee in the opening quarter. He spent time in the medical tent, then ended up in the locker room, and it appeared he was done for the night. Instead, his replacement, Thayer Munford, who was also doubling as the team’s jumbo tight end (something Josh McDaniels was hoping to lean on against the Ravens), also went down with an injury. That led to an illegal formation penalty on Kyle Williams, which Vrabel explained on Tuesday.
“Ben Brown goes in at the jumbo tight end when Thayer goes to tackle, and things happen so quickly that Kyle didn't even realize that Thayer was no longer the tight end,” Vrabel said. “He thought he had become the tackle. So, Kyle backs up off the ball, and he's like, “When did this happen?” We're like, “The last play.” And it was like, “This is not your fault, Kyle. This is my fault for somehow understanding that Ben now went in and reported, and Thayer was not reporting that he was the tackle.” So, that's how quickly things happen.
“Give all the credit to the players and the assistant coaches for having them ready and being able to help us win.”
Long explanation, but it tells you how quickly things were happening, where one hand didn’t know what the other was doing. At least, not immediately. Moses somehow willed himself back into the game and finished it, a true testament to his professionalism and very much admired by Vrabel, who gave him a long embrace as he headed back to the locker room. The 34-year-old struggled at times, but the alternative would have been breaking Caedan Wallace out of storage (he’s largely practiced at guard) or moving Mike Onwenu over from guard and inserting Brown in his spot.
And yet, with the injuries mounting, the Patriots line backboned a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown drives, one of 73 yards, the other of 89, to erase a 24-13 deficit. Yes, Drake Maye put on his cape and played the role of Superman a couple of times, but he didn’t do it alone.
“It's been next man up,” admired the man they get paid to protect in Maye. “I've been really proud of those guys for stepping in. It's props to them for studying different positions. Ben Brown studying; he was [the] jumbo tight end last week. He's been in at guard. He's been in at both guards. So, just props to them and props to the guys that are fighting, Big Mike [Onwenu], Mo [Morgan Moses], and Garrett [Bradbury]. I don't want to jinx anything, but they've been showing out and showing up every game. So, just proud of those guys and proud of the guys for – Thayer [Munford Jr.], and Marcus Bryant was in at Cincinnati and... who else? V-Lowe [Vederian Lowe]. Good gosh, I can’t forget about V-Lowe. V-Lowe’s been – my confidence hasn't shied away or dipped at all since those guys have been in there.”
So how have the Pats managed, beyond the studying? I put that question to Bradbury, who was unceremoniously cast off by Minnesota in the off-season but now is the anchor of a 12-3 team.
“Adjust. That's the keyword,” he told me. “It's the NFL. It's a long season. Things are going to come up, and even the guys who have been there have been battling through some stuff. I'm proud of how the unit as a whole has come together. I'm proud of the guys that are in there stepping up.
“We have a really good group. We're close. We have a lot of fun together, but we also like to work. And so, in every room, injuries are going to come up, and guys unfortunately have to miss time. But you hope that the identity that coach establishes - the identity that you want in your specific position room - will come out on Sundays.”
That identity was shaped by the hours put in during OTAs and even after practice, when the vets like Moses and Bradbury would continue to school the younger players, at times even bringing in defensive linemen to get their perspective on what they do or what they saw in practice. There's also the weekly offensive line dinners that usually feature a tray of Shirley Temples, helping to create ties that bind.
Vrabel has always been hands-on, and after spending a year working largely with the offensive line in Cleveland, is even more comfortable making observations and teaching. Combine that with a trio of offensive line coaches - Doug Marrone, Jason Houghtaling, and Robert Kugler - and you have a room getting as much attention as any. Oh, and did I mention Josh McDaniels has long been a wizard with his protection plans, and presenting a variety of looks to opposing defenses that, quite frankly, there are times when they don’t know where the double team is coming from?
“I trust those coaches in that offensive line room,” Maye added. “They've done a great job this year, and I trust Coach [Josh] McDaniels’ plan. He's great at adapting and not taking it easy on those guys. They've still got to block those guys eventually, but adjusting the game plan and realizing that maybe some chip help, some play action, running the ball, or different things can help them out. But I trust them to drop back there, sit back there and let us do our thing.”
This weekend’s game at MetLife will present another set of challenges. Wilson finds himself in concussion protocol, which usually means at least a one-game absence. The Pats signed Brendan Jaimes to the active roster to give them interior depth, and we’ll have a better sense of where Moses and Munford are at health-wise when the practice report comes out later on Wednesday. But the bottom line is this group will be tested, but they’ve proven repeatedly that they can find answers, generally sooner rather than later.