Patriots need Stork to deliver
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| Patriots fans are hoping Stork's game is as pro-ready as his beard (Jim Rogash/Getty Images) |
The Patriots used a bit of a rotation with their linemen on Sunday. The starting line consisted of right tackle Sebastien Vollmer, right guard Jordan Devey, center Dan Connolly, left guard Marcus Cannon and left tackle Nate Solder. However, every few series saw Devey subbed out for center Ryan Wendell, with Connolly sliding over to right guard. This rotation continued until Wendell left the game with an injury midway through the third quarter.
Meanwhile, it's questionable whether Devey will remain in any rotation after the showing he put out there on Sunday. No one on the Patriots offensive line played well, but Devey lead the team with six QB hurries surrendered, despite playing fewer snaps than all but Wendell. The 2013 undrafted rookie was simply overmatched no matter who he lined up across from, and his struggles played a big role in the offense's second-half collapse. Take this sequence from the third quarter, as reviewed by ESPN Boston's Mike Reiss:
First-year right guard Jordan Devey had a very difficult quarter, the type of 15-minute stretch that makes one wonder if he will be able to hold on to the job next Sunday. He was bull-rushed by tackle Randy Starks on first-and-10 (6:55 remaining) to allow a pressure on an incomplete pass to Brandon LeFell, was slow to pick up a looping Wake on third-and-8 to allow another pressure on an incomplete pass, missed a backside block in failing to cut down defensive tackle Earl Mitchell on a Stevan Ridley run for minus-2 yards (Mitchell made the tackle), and then allowed an easy inside pressure to Jared Odrick on a second-and-20 play in which Brady was sacked by linebacker Chris McCain, who had beaten left tackle Nate Solder.
With Wendell banged up (no word on the severity of his injury yet) and both Devey and Josh Kline not ready for regular season action, the Pats appear to need another lineman to step up into the rotation alongside Vollmer, Cannon, Connolly and Solder.
Enter rookie center Bryan Stork. A fourth round selection this past spring, Stork enters the league coming off of a 2013 season that saw him win the Rimington Award as college football's best center while serving as a leader for the BCS national champion Seminoles. Most scouts agreed that Stork would have been drafted higher if not for an injury history that scared away some teams; an injury history that already reared it's ugly head when the rookie missed several valuable weeks of training camp with an ankle issue.
That missed time was likely the reason Stork was a healthy scratch in Week One, as the rookie was obviously well-behind his teammates when it came to practice reps. However, prior to his injury, Stork was considered a legitimate option for the starting center job, and the rookie did play well in his only action of the preseason against the Giants.
Whether or not Stork is ready for live NFL action is obviously up to the coaching staff, who know far better than I how close the rookie is to making up for his lost time in August. However, if Stork can step into the center job and make it his own (as fifth round pick Dan Koppen did as a rookie in 2003), it would do wonders to solidify the line.
With Stork at center, the Pats could keep Connolly at right guard, allowing Devey and Kline to continue to wait and learn from the bench. Meanwhile, Marcus Cannon should continue to grow into his unfamiliar role at left guard with more reps (remember, many projected Cannon as a guard when he came out for the draft in 2011). With Vollmer and Solder manning the tackles, the Patriots would finally have a set starting five, and one with the potential to actually be pretty good as they gain experience playing with each other.
Of course, all of this is predicated on Stork being ready for NFL play, which is no given until he gets a chance to sink or swim out there. Given how last Sunday went, I like Stork's chances of swimming far better than Devey's, and the Florida State pivot was drafted with expectations of making Wendell expendable sooner rather than later.
Again, relying on an unknown commodity is never an ideal situation. However, given the circumstances at hand, it appears that a step up from Stork is the Patriots best hope at avoiding a repeat of Sunday's performance this season.
