Shaq’s pancake house
Pats enjoy guard’s blocking prowess
FOXBORO — There’s been a weekly Shaq attack this season in New England.
Right guard Shaq Mason has improved as much as any lineman on the roster this year, but more than that, he seems to make at least one highlight-reel block in every game. That’s atypical for the big fellas up front who are usually stuck in the shadows.
But at Gillette Stadium, the Masonry is on full display. When asked if the Patriots rewind some of Mason’s highlights to revel in his best work, center David Andrews smirked and conceded, “Every now and then.” When linemen flatten someone, they admit to hitting the rewind button to get an extra few laughs, and Mason is often the star of the show.
“I take a lot of pride in it because, really, when you’re out there, you’re trying to take another man’s will,” Mason said. “That’s all it is in the trenches, so there’s a lot of pride taken in that aspect of it. If it happens like that and you pancake a guy or make a touchdown block, definitely you take pride in it.”
When the running backs know Mason is tasked with opening the lane, they recognize the potential for a big gain.
“I look forward to it,” Dion Lewis said. “If I know I’ve got him pulling, I’m going to stay behind him because I know he is going to make the right read and a great block for me. When I’m behind him, I pay close attention to that.”
Mason might have just had his best game of the season when the Patriots knocked off the Bills, 37-16, at Gillette. He blasted defensive tackle Kyle Williams and drove him into the end zone to open a huge hole for Mike Gillislee during his easy 1-yard touchdown plunge. And Mason flattened defensive end Jerry Hughes to pave the way for Lewis’ 12-yard touchdown on a screen pass. He later pulled left to stone linebacker Matt Milano on Lewis’ 4-yard scoring run.
It’s a pretty remarkable feat to provide the key block on three touchdowns, but that’s the latest example of Mason’s surge in his third season.
“Shaq has a lot of things you can’t coach, athletic ability, all that,” Andrews said. “He is putting it all together with his knowledge of the offense, how to really play, and I think seeing him (progress) from Year 1 to 3 is pretty impressive. He was a kid coming here with a very different football background from (Georgia) Tech, but he still uses a lot of those tools from there that he can apply now, and it makes him do some special things in the run game.
“Every week, he is a consistent player who plays tough, plays physical, and he has a lot of things — the size, the explosion, a lot of very good attributes.”
Mason had a steep learning curve after getting his runblocking degree for the Ramblin’ Wreck of Georgia Tech’s tripleoption system, but the fourthround pick became an immediate contributor as a rookie and has since started every game over the last two seasons.
The run blocking has always been good, and Bill Belichick was especially quick to point out his barricade of Texans linebacker Benardrick McKinney last season during quarterback Jacoby Brissett’s 27-yard touchdown scamper. Running back Rex Burkhead, who isn’t permitted to address the media while out with a knee injury, would probably be quick to thank Mason for making one of the blocks of the season in Buffalo to yield his career-best 31-yard run.
Mason isn’t a complete pass blocker just yet, as evidenced by allowing Tom Brady to get hit when he was intercepted two weeks ago against the Steelers. However, earlier in the victory, Mason walled off Javon Hargrave to the outside, which allowed Brady to step up and deliver a 4-yard touchdown strike to wide receiver Brandin Cooks.
On the whole, Mason has allowed three sacks this season, which is the fewest among the Patriots’ full-time starting linemen, and he hasn’t surrendered any since Week 5. His eight quarterback hits are the second fewest to Andrews, and Mason has given up just a single pressure (disruption without a hit).
Mason’s performance this season has been defined by the devastation that Mason can level upon his opponents. He might not get the love on the networks, but the audience in the film room has been captivated by his extra servings of pancakes.
“When I’m running, I don’t really see it,” Lewis said. “But definitely when we watch film, you see he is pancaking guys and getting good, clean shots, too. That’s hard for linemen to hit a guy who is a lot smaller than them in space like that, and he does a good job of it.”