It’s not surprising for people to get high on the performance of a surprising rookie. OT Sebastian Vollmer was thrust into a starting role after Matt Light went down with an injury.
It’s an understatement to say Vollmer handled himself well. He got the better of some well known pass rushers in his three starts at left tackle. He nullified Tennessee’s Kyle Vanden Bosch in a snowy Gillette Stadium. Most recently Vollmer shut out loudmouth Joey Porter, keeping Miami’s OLB from registering a sack or a tackle.
These performances have people thinking that Vollmer could vault Light in the starting lineup. Even with two Pro Bowl selections under his belt, Light is susceptible to the speed rush.
If Vollmer truly is worthy of full-time status, he has to prove he can handle speed rushers better than Light. We’ll get to see first hand if Sea Bass is up to the task as he faces arguably the best speed rushing end in the game, Dwight Freeney.
This will be a different challenge from Vollmer’s previous experiences. Vanden Bosch is a strength technician who will use leverage, strength, and endless effort. Porter has lost a step from his prime years and relies more on technique than he did before.
29-year-old Freeney is a compact blur that’s hard for blockers to get their hands on. If he’s slowing down, no one has noticed. It’s like going from warp speed down to the speed of light. We’re talking about a player that came out of Syracuse with 4.4 speed as a defensive end. That kind of speed was unheard of for that position in 2002.
Besides being a small target that can turn the corner like Carl Edwards at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Freeney has his one-of-a-kind spin move to quickly change direction and turn an outside rush inside.
Success in the trenches always factor into the result. New England somehow has to get close enough to distract Indianapolis QB Peyton Manning. I’m ruling out the Patriots sacking him because Manning has been sacked just seven times this year and the Pats rank 26th with just 15 sacks. Freeney and his bookend mate Robert Mathis have combined for more sacks (16) than the whole Patriots team.
It’s on Vollmer and the rest of the offensive line, a unit that might play without C Dan Koppen, to keep Tom Brady safe. If the unit accomplishes that Sunday night, then maybe it’s safe to speculate Vollmer starting ahead of Light.
A few things I’m looking for:
Peyton is En Vogue: Like the singing quartet’s single, the Patriots are never gonna get Manning in the pocket. Better get hands up and try to deflect passes.
Go, go Gadget McGowan: Dallas Clark leads all tight ends in receiving yards. If Brandon McGowan thought Atlanta’s Tony Gonzalez was hard to cover…
Don’t Get Personal: Of the four personal fouls the defense has from hitting the quarterback, only once did an opponent capitalize on the penalty. Manning would make New England pay if he gets penalty help.
The secondary pays the price if 1. The pass rush can’t pressure Manning or 2. New England gets burned while blitzing. It will be high scoring, with the Colts holding on for the win.
Questions? Comments? Send to talktome@randolphc.com.
