EXCLUSIVE: Former Patriots OL Criticizes Training Camp Strategy

R.J. Prince was in New England for training camp and preseason last year.

FOXBORO – The offensive line has been underwhelming to kick off training camp for the New England Patriots. In fact, the entire offense has not looked up to par as the first preseason game is coming up.

With former defensive coordinator Matt Patricia taking control of the offensive line, the team has struggled to keep up with the speed on defense. The team has been vocal about changes on that side of the ball, but those tweaks are not yet yielding positive results.

R.J. Prince, a guard/tackle who spent the 2021 preseason with the Patriots and is currently a free agent, spoke to Patriots Country about the offensive line thus far and some ways to improve as they head into the regular season.

One thing that is new this season is the offensive line has been wearing bright red oven mitts to prevent them from committing holding penalties.

“No wonder they’re doing bad," Prince said. "How the hell can an (offensive lineman) execute outside zone and inside zone without being able to grab a hold of something?

“Coming from the tackle spot, they need to set the edge running outside zone on the end or OLB. How are they supposed to get and maintain leverage on their shoulder pads and put a dent in the edge if they can’t grab?”

The former North Carolina star also gave props to the Patriots defense, which has dominated camp the last week.

Said Prince, “Not doing good against a ‘Matty P’/ Steve (Belichick) and Bill (Belichick) made defense shouldn’t be that worrisome.”

Tackle Trent Brown, among other players, spoke to the media about how the new schemes and streamlined playbook have made the offense faster and easier to understand, but the quality of play has not matched the increased tempo.

Said Prince, “I can see why David (Andrews) was pissed off at the end of last practice.”

After Monday’s practice, Andrews, a team captain, led a passionate speech to the offense after what some would say was their worst performance of the summer.

Prince is hopeful for his former teammates and is preaching to let the preseason finish before anyone makes any rash judgements. His glass-half-full advice:

“Wait out the preseason and maybe the first game or two," he said. "See if it’s productive.”

The Patriots will kick off their 2022 preseason schedule with a home game against the New York Giants on Thursday, Aug. 11.