FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:
1. Will OL hold up? Not long after Rich Ohrnberger was selected in the fourth round of the 2009 NFL draft by the Patriots, he remembers the team's legendary offensive line coach, Dante Scarnecchia, succinctly summing up the situation to players.
"Hey, you know that guy standing right there behind you? Yeah, he's the franchise. So we need you to protect him like our lives depend on it. Because all of our jobs depend on it!"
Ohrnberger obviously knew that about Tom Brady, but he recalled in an interview with ESPN last week that hearing it in those sharp-tongued terms "was one of those really impactful things that you carry with you.