NFL Injury Update: New England Patriots Lose Nate Solders for Remainder of Season
The New England Patriots suffered a blow to their title defense in the 2015 NFL season after left tackle Nate Solder sustained an injury that will keep him out of action for the entire season.
ESPN reported that Solder was diagnosed with a torn biceps in his right arm, which he suffered during the second quarter of their 30-6 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
Solder, who initially thought the injury is nothing serious until tests showed otherwise, has been an important part of the Patriots since he was selected during the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft. According to the ESPN report, only quarterback Tom Brady has played more snaps than Solder -- 4,242 against Brady's 4,648.
Without Solder, right tackle Sebastian Vollmer could move to the left side, while Marcus Cannon could take his spot on the right side.. Tackles Cameron Fleming and Blaine Clausell could get more opportunities in their coming games along with guard Chris Barker.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick knows that losing Solder is a big blow to the team, but he is confident that Cannon will rise to occasion similar to what he did before when they were also hit by injuries.
"Marcus has always played well for us," Belichick said of Cannon via Boston Globe. "Two years ago when he was in for Vollmer, last year the opportunities that he had early in the year, particularly at tackle, and then this year he's played in every game, played a number of snaps in all of our games, so he's always done a good job for us."
Cannon, whose versatility was lauded by Belichick during a press conference on Wednesday, also said that he is ready to take a bigger role in their remaining games this season. He said that he is ready to take additional load on his shoulders because he has been preparing himself for such role since the start of training camp.
"We have to do our job, that's what they expect from us," Cannon said. "You have to understand who you're playing against and if they want to put you in, you gotta play and you should do just as good as everyone else because you had the same preparation."
The Patriots, who defeated the Seattle Seahawks at Super Bowl 49 earlier this year, are on top of the AFC East standings with their 4-0 record. They will put their perfect record on the line against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday.
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