Photo: Beth Hart, Flickr BY SAM HOLLINGSWORTH
Despite the departure of now-retired offensive tackle Matt Light, a five-time Pro Bowler, the Patriots are going on as business as usual.
Insert second-year tackle Nate Solder.
Solder, who played in all 19 games in the 2011 season (including postseason), proved himself in more ways than one throughout his rookie year. When starting right tackle Sebastian Vollmer was unable to go, Solder filled in for him — and impressively. He let up only three sacks and four quarterback pressures throughout his first regular season, and he’s gravely committed to improving. And when Vollmer and Light were both healthy, Solder was often used as an eligible tackle/tight end.
The 6-foot-8 Solder is also committed to gaining weight.
“I’d like to get bigger, stronger, maybe taller," Solder told ESPNBoston.com, joking about his height. “I've been trying to gain weight since I was a freshman in college. I can tell you that has been a struggle for me. So, I continue to try to gain weight.”
Currently, Solder weighs in at 310 pounds — 80 more than he was listed at during his redshirt-freshman season at Colorado. And he’s eating five meals a day in hopes to increase that number by another 20 pounds this offseason.
It’s obvious the Patriots were targeting a tackle in the 2011 Draft to replace Light when his time to ride off in the sunset did come, so the assumption that Solder will slide over and guard Brady’s backside hadn't been a surprise since the talk of Light's retirement began.
"Well, I feel like that is the reason I was brought here, to eventually be the starter, and that's great,” Solder told the Boston Globe at the end of March. “I'm excited about that.”
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