Pats Pulpit
Stability has been the name of the game along the New England Patriots offensive line for much of the season. However, last week’s 26-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals put an end to it: the team lost its entire left side to injury, with tackle Will Campbell suffering a sprained MCL and guard Jared Wilson a high ankle sprain.
Campbell has since been placed on injured reserve and as a consequence will miss at least four games. Wilson, meanwhile, is considered week-to-week and, like his teammate, will not be able to suit up against the New York Giants this coming Monday night.
For the remainder of the Patriots’ offensive line, the mantra moving forward is simple: adapt, but don’t panic.
“It’s not panic. It’s just move on. Next man up,” said center Garrett Bradbury at his Gillette Stadium locker on Wednesday.
Bradbury, right guard Mike Onwenu and right tackle Morgan Moses are the only starters left standing following the injuries sustained by Campbell and Wilson. Joining them in the lineup moving forward will be Vederian Lowe at left tackle and Ben Brown at left guard.
Both Lowe and Brown bring plenty of experience to the mix. Not only did they replace the injured rookies down the stretch versus the Bengals, they also have a combined 21 and 11 starts on their respective career résumés.
“They’re veteran players. All the guys that are going to step in have played a lot of football,” said Bradburgy. “So, I’ve got all the confidence in the world in them. And also, Coach [Mike] Vrabel’s message all year has been, ‘Prepare like a starter and take advantage of opportunities when the opportunity comes.’ With that messaging, with that being not beat into your head, but that’s what you’re hearing all year, well, there are opportunities now.
“And so, I’m excited to play with them. It’s not the same five, but it’s it’s going to be fun. We’ve been working together all year. I think coaches have done a good job of throwing guys in in training camp and even during the season, even in the spring, just getting guys playing next to different people. The communication doesn’t change, but it’s just a good opportunity for us.”
The first of those opportunities awaits against one of the most talented defensive fronts in football. Led by 13-sack man Brian Burns, the Giants also feature a host of other A-grade players like Dexter Lawrence, Abdul Carter and Kayvon Thibodeaux.
“I think 57 of the 66 quarterback hits come from those guys up front,” said head coach Mike Vrabel. Three edge guys with Burns, Thibodeaux, Carter. Obviously what Big Dex can do inside, and [Roy] Robertson-Harris. So, those guys are certainly impactful players that have to be accounted for every play. They rotate them through there pretty good, and so there’s a lot of juice there. There’s a lot of disruption.”
How will the Patriots’ new-look offensive line counter New York’s defensive front. For Bradbury, it all starts by...
