Before they left for the offseason, Pat Shurmur wanted to impress upon all of the rookies the importance of maintaining a good structure of preparation while they are away from the team. It is, he said, the first time they’ll really be on their own.
He might have had to deliver that message to a certain veteran left tackle, too.
January begins on Tuesday and Nate Solder isn’t quite sure what he should be doing. After seven seasons with the Patriots, none of which ended short of a conference title game appearance, Solder is left wondering how he should be spending the next few weeks.