New England Patriots rookie left guard Cole Strange might be the figurehead of what's been an up-and-down season for the team's offensive line.
The first-round pick received praise in the early part of the season as he was a force in the ground game, leading the way for Rhamondre Stevenson and Damien Harris to get yards when running on the left side. Strange and the offensive line received even more praise when they were able to keep fourth-round rookie Bailey Zappe upright and dealt with a heavier burden of run blocking when Mac Jones went down for three games.
However, things haven't been great for New England's offensive line since the middle of October, especially for Strange. He was benched in multiple games and was flagged for four penalties over a three-game stretch between Weeks 7-9. Strange also allowed two sacks and five pressures during those three games and gave up four pressures in the Patriots' Thanksgiving loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
Patriots left tackle Trent Brown has been a fan of the rookie through it all though, sharing his been helping mentor him following Patriots practice on Wednesday.
“Just his willingness to work, never quitting,” Trent Brown said of Strange. “And I’m always trying to preach to him about … moving on to the next play. You’re gonna have a long career. Everybody has bad plays. You just gotta move on to the next one.”
Great rep from Cole Strange locking down Zach Allen and an objectively hilarious effort from David Andrews to buy his QB time pic.twitter.com/Rn7kGb00Yd
— Taylor Kyles (@tkyles39) December 13, 2022
Brown was asked in a follow-up question how Strange should move on to the next play when the previous play doesn't go his way. The Patriots LT gave a funny answer as to how Strange should respond to his critics.
“I think, especially for him, he feels like he has a lot of weight on his shoulders,” Trent Brown said. “And he’s his own biggest critic. So, I just try to tell him next play, have a short memory and everything will be all right. Everybody’s gonna fuss, good or bad. The fans are gonna talk [expletive], good or bad. [Expletive] ’em.”
If Strange is following that mentality, then it's worked over the last couple of weeks. He's graded out well over the last two games as Pro Football Focus gave him his two-best grades of the season in the Week 13 matchup against the Buffalo Bills and the Patriots' win over the Arizona Cardinals on Monday. Strange has allowed just one pressure and has been penalized only once over the last two games.
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