What Injuries To Rob Gronkowski, Patriots Linemen Mean For Jimmy Garoppolo

by Zack Cox on Fri, Sep 9, 2016 at 10:09PM 1,786 Share this: Jimmy Garoppolo’s first true NFL test just got a whole lot more difficult. The New England Patriots quarterback, who’s set to start the first regular-season game of his career Sunday night against the Arizona Cardinals, now will be forced to do so without his starting left tackle (Nate Solder), a player who likely would have started at right guard if healthy (Jonathan Cooper) and arguably the league’s most dangerous offensive threat (Rob Gronkowski). Solder, Cooper and Gronkowski all officially have been ruled out for Sunday’s season opener, further hamstringing a Patriots offense that already was without suspended superstar signal-caller Tom Brady. How will these developments change New England’s game plan against an Arizona defense

Resetting Patriots’ Offensive Line With Shaq Mason, Sebastian Vollmer Sidelined

by Zack Cox on Mon, Aug 22, 2016 at 8:00AM 1,340 Share this: g On the first day of New England Patriots training camp, recently rehired offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia preached the importance of continuity within his unit. That unit now more than likely will begin the regular season without two of its five projected starters. The Boston Globe’s Jim McBride on Sunday shared some unfortunate news regarding guard Shaq Mason and tackle Sebastian Vollmer, reporting Mason is dealing with a broken hand and Vollmer likely is headed to injured reserve as he nurses an undisclosed ailment. CSNNE.com’s Tom E. Curran later reported a nagging hip injury that could sideline Vollmer for the entire season, and NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport also chimed in with a report that the 32-year-old had undergone