FOXBORO, Mass. – One of the Patriots’ many downfalls of the 2022 season was the performance (or lack thereof) of their offensive line.
Despite this, they opted for a piecemeal approach at the position this offseason instead of hopping on the influx of top-tier tackles in of free agency.
They signed veterans Calvin Anderson and Riley Reiff, hired Adrian Klemm as their new offensive line coach, and drafted Sidy Sow, Jake Andrews, and Atonio Mafi to add depth at the position.
Reiff, aged 34 and now joining his fifth team, spoke with reporters on Tuesday and was asked what motivates him to continue playing:
“A ring.”
While New England has raised six Lombardi Trophy’s since 2001, they’ve failed to make the playoffs in two out of the last three seasons, are coming off a modest 8-9 2022 where they were all but forced to clean house on their offensive coaching staff. That doesn’t seem to matter for the 12th-year pro.
Reiff was a first-round pick with the Lions in 2012 and has since made stops with the Vikings, Bengals, and Bears. He’s played left tackle for the majority of his career but has moved along both sides of the ball to do what’s asked of him:
“I’m just an offensive lineman. Whatever the coaches want me to do I’ll do it.”
Given that Trent Brown has been primarily a left tackle during his time in New England, many assume that Reiff will play on the right. He says he’s comfortable with both:
“At first it was hard,” said Reiff on learning both left and right tackle. “I’m used to it now. That’s something that, you bank the reps, you put in the extra time to get it right. It’s harder than it looks.”
Reiff also hammered home the fact that the Patriots are still very much in learning mode this offseason. Their heads are in the playbooks alongside new offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien and offensive line coach Klemm:
“You just come here, you come to work, you learn the playbook, get to work.”
He also said that Klemm has “been an awesome coach, teacher. We’re just trying to build every day.”
We’ll finish it off with a fun fact. Reiff played college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes, where he met and became best friends with teammate James Ferentz, who was jealous that he wasn’t one of the first to know that he was signing in New England.
“He’s one of my best friends.”
Make sure to follow Mike on Twitter @mikekadlick, and follow @PatriotsCLNS for the latest up-to-date Patriots news!
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