New England Patriots: Nate Solder, Joe Thuney Driving Success
Even without Tom Brady, the New England Patriots are 3-0. Nate Solder and Joe Thuney deserve all of the credit for the improbably hot start.
The New England Patriots are the top rushing team in the NFL through three week. That is not a typo; the pass-heavy Patriots are leading the NFL in rushing yards per game and LeGarrette Blount leads the NFL in rushing yards. This success has hinged on the success of the New England Patriots offensive line, especially on the left side with Nate Solder at tackle and Joe Thuney at guard.
Both Solder and Thuney have been entrenched in their starting positions on the left side since the start of training camp, working almost exclusively with each other. This continuity was the plan for the Patriots in 2016, as stated by returning offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia during training camp.
“I think that’s huge. I really do. They had so many guys playing multiple positions [last year], and we believe in continuity and trying to keep the same guys next to each other as much as we can,” Scarnecchia said to the New England media before Training Camp. “You can’t always do that, [but] I think that was a huge deal last year and hopefully we won’t get into that situation this year. Keep working with the same guys day in and day out, and hopefully they will improve.”
As a team, the Patriots have run the ball a total of 108 times for 452 yards. 38 of these rushes have come to the left of center for 203 yards and two touchdowns. When running out to the left sideline, the Patriots have seen the most success with 13 carries for 131 yards and one touchdown. This includes a 41-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter of the Patriots 27-0 win over the Houston Texans, a 31-yard run in the fourth quarter of their 31-24 win over the Miami Dolphins, and a huge 13-yard run on 3rd-and-11 to help run clock in the opening 23-21 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
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There was a common thread in each of those plays: terrific blocking from the left side of the offensive line. This includes dominant blocking from Solder, who has solidified himself as the best blocker on the Patriots line in 2016. With his own personal health problems behind him and a motivating factor coming from his son Hudson’s battle with cancer, Solder has asserted his dominance throughout three games with terrific leg drive and finishing power.
The Patriots have been able to combine this with the impressive rookie play of Thuney. Both he and Shaq Mason (right guard) have been extremely impressive on the move, especially when pulling to the outside. “Thunk” was known as a strong run blocker when coming out of college, but has taken the next step when paired with Solder.
Thanks to their consistent play and the blocking abilities of tight end Martellus Bennett and fullback James Devlin, New England have been feeding the run game. This has been especially true late in games when Josh McDaniels and the Patriots have been trying to protect leads. As a team, they have run the ball 58 times in the second half of games, compared to 50 times in the first half. Despite only running the ball eight more times, the Patriots have a 262-190 advantage in rushing yards in the seconds half versus the first. They also have four of their five rushing touchdowns in the second half.
They have an even distribution of 29 rushing attempts each in the third and fourth quarters, but have the most rushing yards in the fourth quarter with 138 yards. This smart play calling from McDaniels and consistent play from the offensive line has allowed the Patriots to move to 3-0 overall while Tom Brady serves his four-game suspension. The combination of Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett have been protected by the run game.
With just one game left before Brady returns, expect the run game to remain a big part of the offense for the Patriots—especially with both Garoppolo and Brissett nursing injuries. The ability to trust the left side of the offensive line is invaluable for either quarterback and is something very comforting for Brady when he returns. If both Solder and thunk can remain healthy throughout the year, the Patriots run game could be here to stay beyond the backup quarterbacks.
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