BY SAM HOLLINGSWORTH
If there’s even a sliver of hope that a player may be able to contribute for the Patriots before season’s end, head coach Bill Belichick will be patient.
And that’s probably why New England hasn’t placed Sebastian Vollmer, one of the team’s second-round draft picks in 2009, on IR yet. He’s been out since Week 12 and getting treatment, hoping to return before the end of the season, although there’s still no true timetable for his return.
Belichick is hopeful Vollmer could return in the playoffs and contribute.
“I think if a player isn’t placed on Injured Reserve then there’s an expectation that he would have a chance to play at some point the remainder of the year,” Belichick told the media in a conference call on Monday. “Any player that isn’t on Injured Reserve, we think there’s a possibility that those players could play. If they were out and they couldn’t play then they would be on Injured Reserve.”
Vollmer’s replacements — rookies Nate Solder and Marcus Cannon — have been solid at right tackle in his absence.
Vollmer was inactive in last Sunday’s win over Buffalo, as was guard Logan Mankins.
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