Dante Scarnecchia Has Tall Task Developing Patriots' Young Offensive Line

In 2016, we may literally find out if New England Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia can roll out of bed and coach a raw offensive line into a group of starters.

The Patriots have several pieces locked in on the offensive line for the upcoming season. Left tackle Nate Solder and right tackle Sebastian Vollmer are incumbent starters and among the best at their positions, and one interior spot was stable with Bryan Stork and David Andrews sharing the load at center.

Between the three interior offensive line positions, though, the Patriots could have as few as three combined years of experience if they choose to go with Andrews at center along with Shaq Mason and Tre' Jackson at guard.

Granted, the scales could tip the other way, as well: If Stork is the center and Josh Kline and Jonathan Cooper are the guards, the Patriots will have a combined eight years of experience at the three interior positions.

Getting everyone on the same page and developing the young talent on the interior of the Patriots offensive line will be a huge key to the offense's ability to jell in 2016.

At the same time, the task and benefit of developing young talent is not restricted to 2016. The Patriots must also begin to build their depth at tackle, where they have problems with health, age, talent and other factors.

If either Solder or Vollmer were to be injured again in 2016, the Patriots offensive line would once again be thrown into disarray with Marcus Cannon stepping back in as a starting tackle. Cannon struggled in 2015 and finished as the league's 52nd-ranked tackle in pass protection out of 75 qualifying tackles, according to Pro Football Focus. Cannon allowed 19 hurries, eight hits and four sacks on 365 pass snaps.

If the top backup isn't Cannon, it's likely to be Cameron Fleming, but the third-year backup didn't fare much better in 2015 as the league's 66th-ranked tackle in pass protection, yielding 19 hurries, four hits and two sacks on 267 pass snaps.

Unless one of those two take a step forward, the Patriots are one injury away from a serious problem at tackle.

It could be worse. If the guard play doesn't improve, they could be zero injuries away from a problem at that position. Jackson and Mason flashed brilliance in 2015, but neither man could sustain his success over the course of the season. Kline was the better guard for a majority of the year and could easily win the starting job if the coaches feel that he could bring consistency and stability.

Position	Tackle	Age	Guard	Age	Center	Age
1	Nate Solder	28	Tre' Jackson	23	Bryan Stork	25
2	Sebastian Vollmer	31	Shaq Mason	22	David Andrews	23
3	Marcus Cannon	27	Josh Kline	26
4	Cameron Fleming	23	Jonathan Cooper	26
5	LaAdrian Waddle	24	Joe Thuney	23
6	Keavon Milton	25	Ted Karras	23

Between those three and former Arizona Cardinals guard Cooper, acquired via trade, the Patriots have plenty of options for starters on the inside. And with the selection of young linemen Joe Thuney and Ted Karras in the 2016 NFL draft, there are even more options if the Patriots are unsatisfied with what they have built.

The Patriots know what they have in their tackles—though they may not necessarily like what they have in each of them. 

But just look at the depth charts on the interior offensive line. At guard, the Patriots have six prominent names: two rookies, two second-year players, a veteran and a new recruit. They have players in their second and third year at center. 

There are a lot of unknown quantities, but the common thread is that Scarnecchia will be the one who is charged with getting the most out of them. With so much young talent on the offensive line, Scarnecchia's job may have never been as difficult as it's about to be.

Perhaps the hardest part of all will be getting the entire young unit to work as one, featuring some pieces that have never worked together. There are some returning components, but there is so much left to be determined in terms of starters and backups. At this point, one could make a case for almost any iteration of the Patriots offensive line as the starting five.

Quite the rude awakening for a man coming out of a two-year retirement.

That being said, if anyone is up to the task, it's Scarnecchia. With his experience in New England, his connection to returning veterans and his reputation of developing raw offensive line prospects into capable starters, the Patriots' offensive line play could make a quick turnaround.

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained firsthand.