FOXBOROUGH, Mass — The worst-case scenario became a reality for the New England Patriots on Sunday when starting right guard Mike Onwenu went down with an injury in the first quarter.
But, fortunately for New England, Greg Van Roten was ready for that exact type of moment, stepping in when his team needed him most.
"I mean, you're just trying to stay ready in case something happens and you got to go in. And Mike went down, and I don't know if it's going to be for one play or for the rest of the game," Van Roten said in a 1-on-1 conversation with Patriots Wire. "So you're really just trying to take it one play at a time. And if you have a good play, you want to build on that. If you have a bad play, you want to kind of push it aside, find out why
it went wrong, correct it, and move on. So for me, I knew it wasn't my best game, but we won, and that's what matters at the end of the day. And there's a lot to improve on personally and as a unit."
Van Roten slotted in next to Morgan Moses, which also helped as the two had a lot of familiarity playing with one another.
"So Morgan and I actually played next to each other on the Jets in 2021," he explained. "So we've banked a lot of experience together. So I have familiarity with him, and he's obviously a really great tackle. So it's very easy to go out there. I don't have to worry about him. He doesn't have to worry about me. And we've both played a lot of football, so it's really just, it's good to be out there with an experienced group like that."
And he also knows Josh McDaniels' system, having played for him in Las Vegas during the 2023 season, serving as the team's starting right guard.
"In the beginning, it's a lot of mental stuff and just kind of catching up on the playbook. But I've been in the system, so I have familiarity with that," Van Roten said. "And that was kind of one of the reasons that they wanted me was because I knew the system, I can play multiple positions. So the beginning is mental, and then it's just physically trying to get yourself into football shape, which is really hard to do unless you're playing football. So this is my first couple quarters and we'll see how many more they need me for."
Onwenu was immediately ruled out of the game with an ankle injury and shortly after the final whistle blew, it was reported that he suffered a broken ankle, sidelining him longterm. So, that means the team will likely turn to Van Roten to fill that void for the foreseeable future.
"As long as they need me and want me. I love to play, and I want to keep playing," Van Roten said. "So we'll see what's up with Mike and kind of go from there."
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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Greg Van Roten was ready when Patriots needed him most
