Sebastian Vollmer: The Forgotten Key to the New England Patriots Offense

When one sits back and examines the New England Patriots offense and looks at what makes it work and what areas of concern need to be addressed, several keys come to mind. That is, several factors that, depending on whether or not they are clicking correctly, can totally determine the offensive output New England will see on gameday.

How rusty is Tom Brady? Which running game will show up? Will the receiving corps be in stride with Brady?

All three of those questions are valid ones, and they all can determine how well the New England offense will perform during any given game. You can see articles about them plastered all over any website having to do with the Patriots. They are three of the bigger questions regarding the offense (although certainly not the only ones), and it makes sense to discuss them.

However, one issue that seems to be getting less attention than it deserves is New England's loss of left tackle Matt Light. While there appears to be no ligament damage to Light's knee, he will be out for an undetermined period of time, leaving a void at left tackle for the Patriots to fill.

Enter Sebastian Vollmer, a rookie from Germany who was considered a major project when he was drafted in the second round of this year's draft.

How Vollmer plays in the coming weeks while Light recovers from his knee injury could have a dramatic effect on how well New England's offense performs.

Generally, when one thinks of the crucial parts of an offense, the quarterback, running back, and star wide receiver come to mind quickly; usually before any other player. In a way, it makes sense. These are the players who grab the headlines and score the points.

However, how well they play can be directly attributed to the offensive line. The line opens holes for the running backs to run through and protects the quarterback, giving him time to look downfield for an open receiver.

The argument can be made the five guys who comprise the offensive line are the five most important guys on the field, since the offense effectively goes nowhere if they don't play well.

In that sense, Vollmer's job is very important. But, given his specific spot on the line (left tackle), his importance grows even more.

While every man on the offensive line is crucially important to the unit's success as a whole (there's a reason everyone keeps talking about chemistry along the line), there are two positions that hold a little more significance than the others.

One is the center, simply for the fact that he is the only player on the field that is guaranteed to touch the ball every play and it is his job to get the ball into the hands of whoever is going to be running the play (usually the quarterback, sometimes a direct snap to the running back).

The importance of the center in an offense is obvious.

When a team employs a right-handed quarterback (like the Patriots do with Tom Brady), the other position along the line that carries immense importance is the left tackle position.

Everyone along the line is responsible for making sure that the quarterback remains upright throughout the course of the game. Blitzes can come from anywhere, and they all need to be on their toes every play, being aware of stunts and guys blitzing from the linebacker and secondary spots.

Usually, though, a quarterback has the benefit of seeing these guys coming.

Granted, just because you see a middle linebacker blitzing up the middle doesn't mean you are going to be able to avoid him. If the linebacker comes in unimpeded, it's usually lights out for that play. But at least the quarterback can brace himself.

However, if the left-side defensive end or a blitz comes from the left side after the ball is snapped, most of the time the quarterback is going to have no idea they're coming.

It's called a quarterback's blindside, and it's the left tackle's job to protect it.

Rushers coming from the blindside of a quarterback are usually the ones who get the bone-crushing sacks, the strip sacks, and the forced fumbles. They get them more often than other rushers because the quarterback has no idea they're coming.

If a guy comes up the middle, at least the quarterback has time to see him and tuck the ball away. Sure, he still might get sacked, but at least he won't turn the ball over.

If a defensive end coming from the blindside rocks the quarterback and has an opportunity to chop down on the throwing arm, it'll be a fumble nine times out of ten.

In short, the responsibilities that come with being a left tackle are great. Perhaps they are a bit inflated, as the line certainly does work as one cohesive unit, but they are critical, nonetheless. After all, when a team is rebuilding its offensive line, there's a reason they go with a new left tackle first.

When an offense doesn't have an adequate left tackle, it stops. It breaks down. At the very best, it sputters.

Every offense, not just New England's, needs a rock on the left edge of the line to protect the quarterback.

All that being said, left tackle is a difficult position to play. Many times, the left tackle is left out on an island to fend for himself against the best pass rushers in the game, and they have to succeed if they want their team to go anywhere.

New England is lucky to posses a left tackle of Matt Light's caliber. Granted, he is a bit overrated at times. But that does not mean he is a bad player.

Following a somewhat shaky start against Aaron Schoebel and the New York Jets defense (then again, who hasn't struggled against Rex Ryan and the Jets), Light has settled down and was doing a solid job against the likes of John Abraham (Atlanta), the Baltimore Ravens, and D.J. Williams (Denver).

Those are not easy players to block.

As Light's play against the blindside rushers improved, so did Brady and the offense as a whole. Offensively, the Patriots scuffled to nine points in New York, and then they turned around and looked solid against Atlanta and Baltimore.

When Matt Light plays well, the New England offense just seems to click and perform at a higher level.

So, after establishing the importance of the position and seeing how Light was performing, who is Sebastian Vollmer and how much can we expect out of a rookie from Germany?

Vollmer was born in Germany and did not start playing football until the age of 14. Following his prep career in Europe, Vollmer made his way stateside and signed on with the University of Houston, where he played tackle for the Cougars.

New England drafted him in the second round of this year's draft, expecting the talented yet raw prospect to be somewhat of a project. He can play both right and left tackle, giving him immense versatility, something that coach Bill Belichick has always held in high regard.

Coach Belichick had this to say when asked about Vollmer:

"Considering everything, he is probably a lot further along than maybe what we thought he would be when he first got here. He’s worked hard and he’s continued to improve. He’s definitely headed in the right direction." -Boston Herald

This is all well and good, but the fact remains that he is still a rookie. An inexperienced rookie at that.

With that in mind, it is important not to place gigantic expectations on Vollmer right away, as he is preparing to likely make his first NFL start this Sunday when the Tennessee Titans visit Foxborough.

Vollmer looked solid in limited time against Denver, as he avoided making any glaring mistakes that would make New England fans overly concerned about his ability to play the position effectively.

However, it wouldn't be a bad idea to make sure that he has a little bit of help against the Titans edge rushers, as it would not be surprising if the Titans made the rookie a target in their gameplan.

Granted, Tennessee does not have an end in the same class as Schoebel or Abraham. But they do have a solid group headlined by Kyle Vanden Bosch and Jevon Kearse, aka "The Freak." In addition, starting outside linebackers Keith Bulluck and David Thornton may not be pass rushing aficionados, but they are more than capable of creating havoc at the line of scrimmage.

To be successful this coming weekend, Vollmer will simply need to keep the blind side rushers off of Brady. He may receive help from backs and tight ends, but the majority of the responsibility will fall on his shoulders.

It is unfair to expect Vollmer to totally dominate the left side of the line, to open gaping holes for the backs, and to render Kearse and his mates totally irrelevant.

He's still a rookie making his first start.

With that being said, New England could be in much worse shape than they are now, as Vollmer has made some great strides so far this season. Vollmer has great potential in this league, and he could be a major cog on the Patriots' line for the foreseeable future.

He is talented, smart, yet still raw. Vollmer will need to call on all his talent this weekend as he makes his first start, because, while the Titans are 0-5, they are still an NFL franchise with some supremely talented players on the other side of the ball.

Belichick could decide to move right tackle Nick Kaczur over to the left side and have Vollmer play right tackle (Kaczur can also play both tackle spots), but, in all likelihood, Vollmer will be suiting up as the left tackle on Sunday.

This is a game New England should win, and they should be 4-2 come Monday morning. Even if the offense has an inconsistent day, this is a team that New England still should be able to beat.

However, it would make Patriots fans everywhere much more comfortable if New England could put some points up on the board, particularly because the Titans secondary has been a problem area so far.

If New England wants to expose this weakness and have a comfortable win against the visiting Titans, Vollmer will need to step up and perform at a relatively high level.

He doesn't need to be a Pro Bowler, but simply needs to do his job and hold down the fort until Light is ready to return from injury.

Everyone's eyes will be on Brady, the backs, and the receivers to see how New England's offense is performing and how far away the unit is from reaching its peak.

Go ahead, be sure to check out those guys, they're pretty important, after all.

But don't forget about the forgotten key. While Light is healing up, Sebastian Vollmer is going to need to step up and perform if the Patriots want to make strides on the offensive side of the ball in the coming weeks.