FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- When assistant coaches are available to answer questions from reporters, the hope is to come away with a better understanding of the team and some of the personnel. Along those lines, offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia shed light on one of the biggest storylines from the New England Patriots' preseason that has turned out to be a positive for the club: the play of right tackle Marcus Cannon.
A frequent target for criticism in recent years, Cannon was highlighted as a potential weak spot entering the season, as he was coming off a rough performance in the AFC Championship Game against the Denver Broncos and a generally rocky two seasons under former line coach Dave DeGuglielmo. The Patriots had tapped him as their starter in the wake of Sebastian Vollmer suffering a hip injury that landed him on the physically unable to perform list, and Cannon -- who is listed on the roster at 6-foot-5 and 335 pounds -- has since held down the position with few issues.
So what has been the difference in Cannon's play this season?
"The improvement we've noticed has really been this year. We asked him to play a different way and do things differently," Scarnecchia said Tuesday morning. "He's such a good guy, he really tries to do them that way, and I think he's made great strides. He's improved over the course of this season, and that is all you can ask of any player. He's a big man that moves very well and uses his hands much better in pass protection. He can be a real force in the run game, so I'm pleased with where he is. But neither one of us is satisfied, so we just keep moving forward."
OL coach Dante Scarnecchia explains how Marcus Cannon has used arm length to his advantage, sparking '16 improvement pic.twitter.com/zBtYpdda6Y
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) November 1, 2016
Asked to elaborate on how the Patriots have asked Cannon to play a different way, Scarnecchia explained the change is tied to his 34-inch arm length.
“He hasn’t used his length,” Scarnecchia said. “His arms are really long, but he doesn’t use them like a guy that has long arms needs to use them. The more you keep the defenders out and away from you, instead of letting them get into your body and grab things, the better off you’re going to be at tackle. He seems to grasp that very well and embrace it. If he will continue to play that way, he’ll be fine. And he has been fine.”
That change in style of play, coupled with Cannon arriving to training camp in his best condition in six years with the club and playing at his lightest weight, have been the key ingredients to the turnaround.