New England Patriots: Five Things To Watch For In Joint Practices With The Washington Redskins
By Cyrus Geller
Jul 24, 2014; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots tackles
Sebastian Vollmer(76) guard
Logan Mankins(70) and offensive lineman Dan Connolly (63) during training camp at the team practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports
3. Offensive line
The Pats offensive line seems to be in a good place, but we won’t really know until they face some outside competition. Washington boasts two of the best edge rushers in the business in Brian Orakpo, and Ryan Kerrigan, and handling those two is always tricky for the left and right tackles.
Most of the uncertainty along the offensive line comes from the interior, but facing those two will present Nate Solder, and Sebastian Vollmer with solid challenges. Solder and Vollmer are two of the best in the game, so hopefully this will be an opportunity for them to shine once again.
With rookie Bryan Stork currently nursing a lower body injury, it will also be interesting to see who Bill Belichick goes with at the center position. Ryan Wendell started the last two seasons, but right guard Dan Connolly is also capable, and has been taking snaps at center in training camp. When the first team offense battles the Washington first team defense, whoever Belichick decides to go with for the majority of practice may give us insight into how he views this battle.