Patriots
“You place one in for the opposite and there’s no drop-off.”
Depend Dante Scarnecchia among the many rising quantity of soccer personnel and gamers who consider that Ezekiel Elliott will achieve his new residence in Foxborough.
Throughout his weekly look on WEEI’s “Gresh and Fauria” present, the previous longtime Patriots offensive-line coach believes that Elliott’s skillset as a short-yardage weapon, pass-catching risk and succesful blocker ought to additional bolster New England’s offense.
Particularly, Scarnecchia thinks that Elliott and New England’s prime operating again Rhamondre Stevenson will each profit from sharing reps in Invoice O’Brien’s offense.
“I believe each these guys, Rhamondre and Ezekiel Elliott, have confirmed that they will play within the Nationwide Soccer League,” Scarnecchia mentioned, as transcribed by WEEI.com’s Mike Kadlick. “I do know that Rhamondre is an actual risk out of the again discipline and I additionally know that so is [Elliott]. The extra that you may have guys which have the power to try this, to run with pace … and energy and finesse when it’s required, and are capable of catch the ball, I believe it simply provides you a two-headed monster.”
“You place one in for the opposite and there’s no drop-off. When you’ve obtained that capability that’s a fairly good factor. I believe we’re all anxious to see during which route that goes, see what Ezekiel is like at this level in his profession, the opposite man we all know, three years within the league and is on the upswing.”
Despite the fact that Stevenson will doubtless sit atop New England’s depth chart, the Patriots have already thrown regular reps at Elliott throughout his first two practices with New England.
After solely participating in non-contact drills on Wednesday throughout New England’s first joint-practice session in opposition to the Packers, MassLive.com’s Mark Daniels had Elliott down for 14 snaps throughout 11-on-11 drills on Thursday in Inexperienced Bay. Elliott ran in for 2 touchdowns throughout a aggressive apply, and likewise reeled in a catch from Mac Jones.
“Two guys that may actually make issues arduous for the protection,” Scarnecchia mentioned of each Stevenson and Elliott. “And I at all times consider this, and I consider this with all my coronary heart: good backs make the lineman higher. As a result of they’ll discover the holes, particularly these backs which have nice imaginative and prescient, they’ll discover what’s there… you often do fairly effectively with guys like that.”
As for the state of New England’s offensive line, Scarnecchia isn’t hitting the panic button at this stage of the preseason. Regardless of final Thursday’s lackluster displaying in opposition to the Texans’ go rush, Scarnecchia believes that it’s powerful to gauge the play of a unit that’s nonetheless lacking a variety of anticipated starters.
“I don’t understand how a lot they’re scuffling with their finest guys on the market,” Scarnecchia mentioned. “All of us noticed what occurred the opposite evening. Look — I’m all for enjoying these younger guys as a lot as you possibly can and accelerating the rising course of with these guys as a result of one or two of these guys might find yourself taking part in this 12 months, you by no means know. … “I might hope that right here within the second preseason recreation and particularly this week after they’re training in opposition to Inexperienced Bay and so they’re not having to dam [Josh] Uche and so they’re not having to dam [Matt] Judon and people guys and unexpectedly it might get a bit of bit higher.
“Or it might nonetheless be a battle, I don’t know. However I might hope that they, presently, and definitely by subsequent week, that issues could be rather a lot higher and extra the best way that they’d need them to be.”
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