BRADY’S PROTECTORS HAVE PLUGGED LEAKS
FOXBORO — Nobody appreciates a good offensive line as much as the oldest quarterback in the NFL.
There were times earlier this season when Tom Brady was shaken around like a Magic 8 Ball, but the Patriots offensive line has improved by a considerable margin over the past few weeks. Brady was sacked 11 times in the first five games but just seven times over the past five games, and that’s important with speed rusher
Cameron Wake and the Miami Dolphins arriving today at Gillette Stadium.
Also impressive, the Pats have improved with some moving parts. Center David Andrews had started 28 consecutive games until he was sidelined last week with an illness, and
Ted Karras will get another opportunity today. And LaAdrian Waddle will get his fourth start today for right tackle Marcus Cannon, whose ankle injury has given him problems all season.
“It’s an interesting thing because the offensive line is obviously critical to everything that you do — run game, pass game — and they set the tone for everything and their coordination of things,” Brady said. “You go against all these teams that we’ve had, these great rushes and great D-lines and all these guys that are some of the best at their position in the whole league, and guys on our team have been going in and out (with injuries).
“Typically with offensive lines, the more you play together, the better you get, but it really speaks to their mental toughness and how well they’re prepared, how well Dante (Scarnecchia, the offensive line guru) coaches them, how much they embrace what they’re being told and what they’re taught, and then them going out and executing at a really high level.”
Left tackle Nate Solder hasn’t allowed a sack since Week 3, and he hasn’t surrendered a quarterback hit or pressure in back-to-back games. Left guard Joe Thuney still hasn’t given up a sack this season and has only yielded one quarterback hit in the last two weeks. Right guard Shaq Mason hasn’t surrendered a sack in five consecutive games and has also only allowed one hit in the past two weeks.
The backups have been strong, too. Waddle, who also played the majority of the victory against the San Diego Chargers, has yet to allow a sack and has given up four hits and one pressure. Karras only yielded one pressure last week in his first career start at center.
Brady obviously wants that trend to continue against Wake, the defensive end who has seven sacks this season in a rotational role and 9.5 sacks against the Patriots in his career. The Pats also don’t want Ndamukong Suh (3.5 sacks) anywhere near Brady, given the defensive tackle’s long-standing reputation as a dirty player.
“I have so much confidence in those guys, and I’ve just been impressed with all those guys,” Brady said of his line. “At practice, guys are going in and out, and it’s all about communication and trust. It’s been a real strength of our team.”
Friendly competition
Defensive end Trey Flowers and linebacker Kyle Van Noy are still tied for the team lead with four sacks after sharing a takedown of Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr last Sunday.
In fact, the pair have held the team lead since Week 6 when Van Noy pulled even with a two-sack performance against Josh McCown and the New York Jets. To continue the parallels, the Patriots have three split sacks this season, and Flowers and Van Noy have two of them. (Linebacker Elandon Roberts and defensive tackle Lawrence Guy shared a sack against the Chargers.)
Flowers and Van Noy don’t have a wager on the line, but Van Noy joked that they should get one in place.
“I better beat him,” Van Noy said with a smirk.
Flowers leads the Patriots with 15 quarterback hits, 13 pressures and 32 total disruptions (sacks, hits and pressures), as well as three batted passes. He wouldn’t admit that he’d like to lead the Pats in sacks for the second consecutive season but noted it’s important for him to continue affecting plays by any means necessary.
“I’m just trying to affect the quarterback the best I can,” Flowers said. “If that comes with sacks, it comes with sacks. If it comes with pressures, knockdowns, things like that, I’m cool with that, too.”
Landry catches attention
Despite the Dolphins’ annual quarterback woes, the Patriots know they’ve got a problem against wide receiver Jarvis Landry.
Over Landry’s last five games against the Pats, he has 39 receptions, 453 yards and one touchdown, including 19 grabs, 211 yards and a score in two games last season. Landry’s worst game over that stretch was a six-catch, 71-yard affair in 2015.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick said the matchup problems extend beyond Landry, as wideouts Kenny Stills and DeVante Parker and tight end Julius Thomas are also threats. And even though the numbers aren’t impressive for running backs Damien Williams and Kenyan Drake, they’re each capable of hitting a home run. Williams has a 69-yard dash this season while Drake has a 66-yarder.
“They have really good skill players,” Belichick said. “I mean, they’re all good.”