Deep breaths. Deeeeeeep breaths. That’s what I’m taking since this tweet came across my timeline…
Rob Gronkowski, Nate Solder & Jonathan Cooper have been downgraded to out for #NEvsAZ.
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) September 10, 2016
Gronk pulled up in a mid-August training camp practice, tweaking his hamstring and wasn’t seen again until this week’s practice. Meanwhile, Solder, possibly forced to play because Tom Brady needed fourth-preseason-game-snaps, pulled up lame himself against the Giants. Now both will miss the season opener. Yikes.
First, perspective. These are two vital players. There is no need to trot them out there in the first game of the season against an NFC opponent. This is a game that is as close as you can get to meaningless in the regular season.
That doesn’t make it any less scary though. Especially for, you know, a young quarterback making his first career start.
Gronk I can handle. They have Martellus Bennett, who should be better than about 90 percent of the tight ends out there. Let’s just be thankful Gronk’s absence doesn’t mean we have to trot Scott Chandler or Michael Hoomanawanui out there as the starter. Bennett starts his season-long free agency audition as the unquestioned top tight end. A big game will go a long way for him.
If he has a bad game there’s going to be a ton of negative focus on him. And let’s not forget about AJ Derby. I think the Pats need the two-tight end offense this weekend and Derby had a great preseason.
As for Solder, there’s no way to sugar coat this one. There are so many levels to be upset about. First, going back to the offseason, when I made tackle my biggest draft priority. Instead the Patriots literally did NOTHING at the position. And that was when they should’ve probably known Sebastian Vollmer might not be ready to go. He was already breaking down last season, this season he’s broken.
So now here we are, back in an EVEN WORSE PLACE than we were in during the AFC Championship. Even the most ardent Marcus Cannon haters are thinking “thank Hoodie we have Marcus Cannon” now.
Throw in that Solder really shouldn’t have even had to play in the fourth preseason game if it wasn’t for Tom Brady’s bullshit suspension and oh yeah, I’m on fire.
So now what happens? Last year they tried Marcus Cannon at left tackle and quickly saw it didn’t work and flip flopped him with Vollmer. My bet? Keep Cannon at right tackle and give LaAdrian Waddle, who was the backup left tackle in camp, the first shot. Waddle was once a promising young player on the Lions and the Patriots liked him enough from his microscopic sample size last season to give him a new contract.
LaAdrian Waddle, all hope rests with you.
If not Waddle, it’s our old third blocking tackle/tight end Cameron Fleming, who saw his first action that I can recall at left tackle against the Giants after Solder went down. There’s nothing reassuring I can say. These guys aren’t who you want going against the Cardinals front.
Again, this isn’t a season-long concern, but Solder was the player besides Tom Brady that I believed was most critical to the offense. There just isn’t another athletic tackle in back of him. So this will be a preview of just how limited the Patriots offense could be without big Nate. Dante Scarnecchia work that magic one more time! Please?
The gameplan will have to call for a lot of running and a lot of quick passes. They can’t ask whatever offensive line they roll out there to block that defensive front for any prolonged period of time.
So prepare yourselves for perhaps the most conservative offensive gameplan we’ve ever seen out of Josh McDaniels and Bill Belichick. We don’t have to like it, but hopefully Solder bounces back next week when the Pats host the Dolphins. That game is far more important.
Football’s back and so are the shitty injuries that make it so hard to have fun.
