"You have to support yourself," said Kaczur in a voice as rough as the macadam he used to work around. "We did like sidewalks and driveways, patios and stuff like that. We did some commercial stuff like factories, but more residential than anything. It was just making a living. You got to do what you got to do."
Now, in his third NFL season, Kaczur, 28, has laid the foundation for a solid career. The 6-foot-4-inch, 315-pounder has filled what was the lone hole in the Patri ots' line. The laconic lineman locked down the starting right tackle spot in training camp, beating out second-year player Ryan O'Callaghan. He's part of a unit that has been one of the big reasons behind the Patriots' prolific offensive output, and has bought quarterback Tom Brady and the league's top-ranked passing attack (299.4 yards per game) time to click and pick apart defenses for 27 touchdown passes.
New England is third in the league in fewest sacks per pass play (one every 34.1 attempts), and has allowed just seven sacks all season.
"I think our whole line has had a solid season, both in terms of protection and the running game," said Patriots coach Bill Belichick. "We've seen a lot of different schemes. They work well together. They make good adjustments, [and] work well with the quarterback in terms of communication."
Kaczur, a third-round pick in 2005, has been a steady contributor since his rookie season, when he filled in after left tackle Matt Light broke his right leg, protecting Brady's blindside for 11 of the final 13 regular-season games and in the playoffs.
Left tackle is Kaczur's natural position. He was a four-time all-Mid-American Conference selection at the University of Toledo, but with a Pro Bowler in Light on that side, the Patriots switched Kaczur to right. That transition was truncated as a rookie and took another hit last year, when a shoulder injury shelved Kaczur for five of the first seven games. He recovered to start the last nine games and all three playoff contests.
