While it’s easy to look at the Patriots’ roster and see all the stars on offense who put up big numbers, I don’t think people give enough credit to who I believe to be the best offensive tackle duo outside of San Francisco. Nate Solder was impressive at left tackle a year ago but the play of Sebastian Vollmer in 2012 makes the decision on who to re-sign, or hit with the franchise tag, an easy one for me.
Since entering the league as a second-round draft pick of the Patriots back in 2009, Vollmer has been a standout on their offensive line, never finishing a season with a cumulative grade of less than +8.3 – and that low mark came in a 2011 season where he played in just seven games. That’s a level of consistency that not many players at his position can boast, and something the Patriots would be wise not to let go of if they can avoid it.
As a run blocker this past season he was solid, finishing the year with a grade of +5.8 in that regard and while he only had one game where he really excelled in the running game, he also only had one with a run blocking grade of -0.5 or lower. It showed on the field for the Patriots, where they averaged a decent, if unspectacular, 3.91 Yards Per Carry on runs either side of Vollmer’s right tackle spot.
As a pass blocker, he allowed Tom Brady to be hit or sacked on just 13 of his 617 pass blocking snaps and his 35 total pressures allowed resulted in a Pass Blocking Efficiency (PBE) Rating of 95.5, tied for 22nd amongst all offensive tackles. He’s been consistent in that regard too, never finishing a season in his four year career with a PBE Rating lower than 94.6.
Adding to all of this, and his overall value to the Patriots, is his ability to move over to left tackle in a pinch and perform at a high level. He did just that in his rookie season, allowing just one hit and seven hurries from four starts on the left. You could argue that he has actually done his best work on the left, but either way it’s obvious that the Patriots have to do everything they can to keep him on board in 2013 and beyond.
https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2013/02/11/free-agent-duel-welker-or-vollmer/
