That extra time is coming in handy. Injuries have forced players to become moving pieces on a line that protects the team’s most valuable asset in quarterback Tom Brady.
“Yeah, it’s important, camaraderie on the offensive line,’’ Brady said. “Those guys, the communication between that group is very important.
“We’ve had that for a number of years. The guys that have been in there have played with each other, and fortunately a lot of our backups have been in there, too. Like Ryan Wendell stepping in, Nate Solder has done a good job as a young player, Marcus [Cannon] had his first little bit of experience out there.
“All those reps are very important. They’re coached very well, and there are very high expectations for those guys and they always live up to the challenge.’’
This season, the Patriots have had to put that camaraderie to the test. In the season opener, center Dan Koppen suffered a season-ending ankle injury. Dan Connolly filled in at center and free agent signee Brian Waters took over at right guard. Meanwhile, the rookie Solder was in at right tackle for an injured Sebastian Vollmer.
Waters has proven himself a constant on the right side. Logan Mankins and Matt Light have secured the left side. Connolly has handled a majority of the center duties, and Vollmer has returned to his responsibilities at right tackle.
But last Monday night against the Chiefs, Light went down with an ankle injury in the final minutes of a 34-3 win against the Chiefs. And Connolly and Wendell shared snaps at center.
Once a member of the Patriots, an offensive lineman knows he will have to learn the responsibilities of several positions, and when a player is out, there isn’t room for a learning curve.
“That’s kind of part of the job - people get hurt and other people step in,’’ Vollmer said. “It’s kind of our goal, obviously, to keep the same five out there if we can, but if we can’t, other people have to step in.
“Myself, I’ve been in that situation and it’s hard to do sometimes. You have to make do, and that’s what practice is for and that’s what training camp is for. You get to try all sorts of combinations.
