FOXBOROUGH — As the Patriots make their final preparations for Sunday night\u2019s showdown with the Green Bay Packers, the team will likely be without starting right guard Shaq Mason (calf).<\/p>\n
With Mason on the shelf, the Patriots will turn to their version of a utility man in backup Ted Karras.<\/p>\n
Karras has only started three games in three seasons in the NFL, but he\u2019s the teams top backup at all three interior positions along the offensive line.<\/p>\n
Karras will likely make his first start at right guard since his rookie season this week, yet in true Patriots fashion, he said his preparations this week won\u2019t change.<\/p>\n
\u201cI prepare the same every week,\u201d Karras said in the Patriots locker room on Friday. \u201cI\u2019ve been around here for a while with kind of the same role. If the time comes, I\u2019ve always been ready.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Patriots\u2019 2016 sixth-round pick has been very reliable for the Pats when called upon throughout his NFL career.<\/p>\n
Last season, Karras filled in for an injured David Andrews at center for two weeks and allowed only three total pressures (zero sacks) in pass protection with a solid 71.8 overall grade from Pro Football Focus.<\/p>\n
[arve url=”https:\/\/streamable.com\/s\/lzkm6\/lfcile” \/]<\/p>\n
(#75 at center)<\/p>\n
In particular, Karras was dominant at times as a run blocker in the game against Oakland in Mexico City a year ago and flashed those run blocking skills in the 2018 preseason as well.<\/p>\n
Karras\u2019 versatility has allowed him to earn a roster spot over the years as he can play multiple positions along the interior of the offensive line, something that sounds difficult but appeared to come naturally to the Illinois product.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think at first my rookie year I had never played center before, so learning how to get into a left-handed stance was a challenge. But other than that, I\u2019ve been fortunate to carve out a spot for myself the last three years, and it’s been my job. I really take it seriously,\u201d Karras said.<\/p>\n
Karras and the rest of the Patriots offensive line will have their hands full on Sunday night with Green Bay\u2019s front seven.<\/p>\n
The Packers are third in the NFL in pressure percentage (41 percent) and fourth in blitz percentage (37 percent) bringing rushers from multiple spots along the defensive line.<\/p>\n
For Karras, in particular, he\u2019ll have to deal with an interior defensive line duo of Kenny Clark and Mike Daniels that\u2019s playing at an extremely high level.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose guys are great,\u201d Karras said. \u201cThe Packers have a lot of great players on the other side. [Kenny] Clark, [Mike] Daniels, [Tyler] Lancaster, they have a whole crew inside, and we are definitely going to have to bring our best.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s unclear how long the Patriots will be without starting right guard Shaq Mason, arguably their best offensive lineman and a player they signed to a multi-year extension in August.<\/p>\n
But for the time being, the team will rely on Karras until Mason returns.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
FOXBOROUGH — As the Patriots make their final preparations for Sunday night\u2019s showdown with the Green Bay Packers, the team will likely be without starting right guard Shaq Mason (calf). With Mason on the shelf, the Patriots will turn to their version of a utility man in backup Ted Karras. Karras has only started three<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":131993,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[430,427,429,210,390,431],"class_list":["post-73252","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-kenny-clark","tag-mike-daniels","tag-packers","tag-patriots","tag-shaq-mason","tag-ted-karras"],"yoast_head":"\n