Foxboro, MA – After committing two holding penalties in the first quarter, one of which wiped out a 17-yard gain from Tom Brady to Brandon Lloyd, starting left tackle Nate Solder said he realizes his play has to improve before the regular season.
"I've got to do better than that," Solder said after Thursday's 7-6 win over the Saints in the preseason opener. "It's just learn and move on, you know? It's all about getting better, building off of it and continuing to work hard."
Solder and right tackle Marcus Cannon collided in the pocket as protection broke down on another play, a strip sack of Brady that led to a turnover and a New Orleans field goal.
"I think it's always a building process, always trying to get better, always trying hard to work better together, be more efficient and make a lot of plays," he said.
Solder said he is not thinking about replacing the retiring Matt Light, who protected Brady's blindside for over a decade.
"It's up to me to work hard and get better and that's my one focus right now," he said.
Solder said he's confident the new unit, which includes himself, Cannon, Wendell, Dan Connolly and Donald Thomas can gel well together.
"I think we've gotten real used to spending a lot of time with a lot of different people. So, no matter who's in there we're going to work hard and do the best we can," Solder said.
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