The Men in the Middle: New England Patriots offensive linemen
Tom Brady is the best quarterback in the National Football League and he may be the best quarterback of all time. It strikes me as highly unlikely that the New England Patriots would have won a single Super Bowl without him, let alone three of them. Yet, Brady might as well have been playing for the Arizona Cardinals had he not received adequate protection from his offensive line. Head coach Bill Belichick has shown a strong preference for mobile offensive linemen and the ones who have stuck around are a little bit on the smaller side compared to the typical offensive linemen in the NFL. The line’s play somewhat resembles that of the Denver Broncos offensive line in that it uses a lot of cutblocks and often attacks the second level of the defensive front seven. However, it is reasonable to say, I think, that the Patriots linemen use a wider array of tactics and techniques.
This season’s offensive line has gelled around the following players this season:
Matt Light, left tackle. Light was drafted in the second round in 2001 by the New England Patriots and has won three Super Bowl titles with the team. He is frequently criticized for struggling against speed rushers, which he often does, but he dominated San Diego Chargers Pro Bowl outside linebacker Shawne Merriman in an AFC divisional playoffs game the Patriots won 24-21. Matt Light’s biography on Patriots.com.
Logan Mankins, left guard. Mankins was drafted in the first round in 2005 and started the first game of his rookie season. Mankins is often credited with being the toughest, meanest and probably the best of New England’s offensive linemen, but I think he mainly gets a bit more exposure since he does a lot of pulling and downfield blocking on screen passes. He’s good, though, so don’t roll your eyes too much next time you hear somebody on TV declare that Mankins is the best of the lot. Logan Mankins’s biography on Patriots.com.
Dan Koppen, center. Koppen isn’t exactly a local boy done good, but he did play for Boston College, so we’ll claim him anyway. Patriots drafted Koppen in the fifth round in 2003 and he became a starter in the second game that season. I remember quite vividly how me a fellow Pats fan were convinced Koppen would eventually hit the so-called rookie wall, but he just kept on blocking all the way to his first Super Bowl ring. Part of the debacle that was New England’s 2005 season (that debacle ended with a play off loss, or The Miracle Season, as it would have been known in Arizona, had they ever known such a season) stemmed from Koppen missing the second half of the regular season and the post season. Dan Koppen’s biography on Patriots.com.
Stephen Neal, right guard, was never drafted but instead signed as a free agent in 2001. Neal was a championship wrestler in college and is generally known to be the line’d most athletic player. Belichick initially tried to turn him into a defensive lineman, but for whatever reason that didn’t work out so instead he moved him to the offensive line (“my brilliant decision” is how Belichick has drily referred to the shortlived DL experiment). He was placed on injured reserve in 2002 and 2003 (meaning his season ended pre-maturely but he remained a Patriot who couldn’t be claimed by other teams). It appears that Neal has secured a starting position for the foreseeable future. Neal is a powerful run-blocker who moves very well in the open field. Neal threw a memorable block on a hapless Atlanta Falcons defensive back in 2005 that sprang tight end Daniel Graham free for a 45-yard touchdown on a screen play. Stephen Neal’s biography on Patriots.com
Nick Kaczur, right tackle, was drafted by the Patriots in the third round in 2005 and can fairly be described as the best Canadian-born player on the offensive line. Like Light, Mankins, and Koppen, Kaczur became a starter in his rookie season. He’s been plauged by some injury problems but has clearly established himself as the team’s best right tackle. Nick Kaczur’s biography on Patriots.com
New England’s offensive line is quite entertaining to watch. It’s well-drilled by one of the best offensive line coaches in the league, Assistant Head Coach Dante Scarnecchia. While none of the players are particularly imposing individuals, together they form a cohesive and versatile unit that allows Belichick to tailor his game plans to whatever suits the opposing team the least. When the Patriots play against big teams like Jacksonville they go spread offense and when they play speedy teams they go with multiple tight-end formations and grind it out in the mud. The formation I enjoy watching the most is the Power-I, preferably with tight-ends Daniel Graham and Dave Thomas lined up on the left side, with Corey Dillon running to that side behind lead-blocking fullback Heath Evans. Their best execution of that play actually happened when executed to the right against the Tennessee Titans in the last game of the 2006 regular season. That was an outstanding play.
Perhaps better known nationally is the line’s impressive ability to plow ahead for a yard or two on fourth down.
