Last season, left guard Joe Thuney was the only Patriots player to play 100 percent of the team's offensive snaps. He logged 1,119 reps in the regular season at left guard and continued to play every snap during the team's Super Bowl run.
Even more impressive is the fact that Thuney has played similarly high snap counts during the first two seasons of his career. He tied for first in snaps in 2016 with 1,114 and played 1,134 (good for second behind Shaq Mason) the following year. Clearly, Thuney is durable and does everything he can to stay on the field.
Recently, Thuney opened up about how he's able to stay healthy and log so many snaps in a league where availability is the most important ability.
"I think trying to maintain flexibility, stay on your nutrition, get your body right and just try to stay on top of it through the whole season, whether it be massages or just getting in the training room," Thuney said Thursday, per Andrew Callahan of MassLive.com. "Just trying to keep on top of things so nothing gets out of control."
Clearly, whatever Thuney is doing is working, so he should certainly stick to that regimen moving forward.
Thuney has proven to be a bright spot for the Patriots over the last few years. Because of his durability and his skills, he has established himself as a very solid starting guard and was a crucial part of the team's stellar offensive line play en route to a Super Bowl title. However, he is entering the final year of his rookie contract and will soon need a new deal.
New England Patriots
If Thuney has it his way, he wouldn't mind staying in New England.
"I love it here. It’s great. The organization’s been awesome, teammates have been awesome," Thuney said, per Callahan. "So absolutely no complaints from me."
The Patriots already have a starting guard locked up in the aforementioned Mason, as they signed him to a five-year, $45 million contract last offseason. It will be interesting to see if Thuney commands a similar price and whether or not the Patriots will be willing to pay it.
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