Bill Belichick calls it a year of ‘baptism under fire’ for Patriots’ young offensive linemen
Belichick also said he doesn't plan to sit anyone out for Sunday's season finale vs. the Jets.
FOXBOROUGH — The final week of the season is here, and the Patriots have been eliminated from playoff contention. A loss to the Jets Sunday would virtually guarantee a top-three draft pick, and a win could drop them a couple of spots.
But coach Bill Belichick said he isn’t planning on sitting players.
“Players want to play — practiced, worked all year to play,” the coach said. “If they can play, I wouldn’t not play them. I think that’s fair to the player. I don’t know, maybe you see it differently.”
Belichick said he’s focused on playing those who have earned time rather than putting an emphasis on seeing what younger and newly acquired players have to offer.
“We’re going to get ready to play the guys that deserve to play against the Jets,” he said. “I think they all want to play.”
Game planning for the Jets starts with the pass rush, Belichick said.
“They have a really good defensive line — a lot of tackles for loss,” Belichick said. “A lot of pressure on the quarterback and had a lot of impressive defensive stats in games.”
The Patriots have had to use younger players on the offensive line this season out of necessity. Rookie guards Sidy Sow (12) and Atonio Mafi (5) have made a combined 17 starts. Rookie center Jake Andrews played a season-high 13 snaps last Sunday against the Bills.
Vederian Lowe, a 24-year-old tackle in his second NFL season, has logged 53 snaps or more in five of his 10 games since being acquired via trade.
Belichick was asked how the group has progressed over the course of the year.
“Baptism under fire,” he said. “There’ll be more this week.
“These [Jets] guys are really good. They play a lot of different spots, so they’re not always matched up against the same guy. You’ve got to block different players.
“They’re good, they rush the good passer as well as any team we’ve played. With multiple guys, you’ve got a lot of guys to stop. Those guys learn every week. They’re young players who get experience, teach some things, and hopefully it will pay off in the long run.”
Mike Onwenu, 26, is in the final year of his rookie deal. When asked about Onwenu, Belichick said he wouldn’t get into contract talks. He did offer some praise and listed a few of the matchups he expects to see the right tackle engaged in.
“He started the year at guard,” said the coach. “We talked after the Las Vegas game and started playing at tackle. He’s really embraced that.
“I think he’s had a pretty good year out there. It’s not totally new for him. He’s been out there before. He’s seen a lot of good players and has done a pretty solid job.
“He’ll see more this week. Multiple guys out there that he’ll face that are all good. [John] Franklin-Myers, [Will] McDonald, [Jermaine] Johnson, [Bryce] Huff. So, yeah, they’ve got a lot of good rushers.”
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