TeamPats

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...ll.pros/1.html

To begin I never liked Dr. Z much, I don't even know why. He just has that blue-blood feel when I read his work as if he knows the game better then any of his readers. But one thing I will say is the man analyzes Special Teams and Offensive Line play better then any writer. When I read his picks I was sort of shocked to see Logan Mankins as one of his All-Pro Guards. I later read on to find out that he has him as the BEST overall in the league. I think back to draft day with the expression on Mel Kiper's face when we selected Mankins, priceless. The Kool-aid has never been sweeter, and let this be a lesson to any of you recent posters who think trading our first 2 picks is a good idea, we selected Mankins 32nd overall...I think. On a team like the Patriots 2 will always be greater then 1.

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In front of his team after a 28-10 loss to the Packers in 2002, Belichick said: "We have a lot of smart guys in this room, but on the football field we play like a bunch of f------- morons. If you are one of the players flinching at the harshness of these words, you might as well begin packing. There is no way you are going to last as a New England Patriot."

IcyPatriot

Good find ... Mankins is a beast ... Stephan Neal also.

cstjohn17

Watching Mankins and Graham destroy people is incredible to watch. When the screens passes are clicking there are bodies flying everywhere. Mankins adds a very physical presence to the O line. Lets hope O'Callahan or Kaczur (whatever the hell his name is...) can continue to develop. I am not worried about our O line for next year, I think Light has been more banged up than we know. That being said I hope the slide a TE his way when we play the Ravens and Chargers.

unoriginal

I think good football writing, like good football, starts with the lines. Contrast Zimmerman's column against Peter King's offering. Steve Huchinson in particular seemed to make it based on hype.

I also love this part, where Zimmerman ranks the best ST coverage guy:

"The Eagles' Quintin Mikell leads the team not only in tackles but also in blocks and being the first man downfield. The team takes the job of providing comprehensive special teams stats very seriously. Some do not. The Raiders, for instance, include neither special teams nor defensive stats in their weekly releases. They're the only team that fails to do that, but when you're riding the crest of the wave you can get away with anything, right?"

patsox23

what I appreciated on draft day was that Kiper was surprised, but then extremely deferential to the Pats F.O. He was like, "Well, they picked him, and they have a great track record, so..."

MrBigglesWorth

Good point on Kiper.

I thinkMAnkins is good, but ALL-PRO? I don't see him at that point. When I think of all pro I think of a player that you can run behind and you'll get positive yardage 99% of the time. Now maybe Light is the weak cog. But I don't see the left side of the line dominating and how much do they ask Mankins to pull to the right? doesn't seem like they utilize that much in their scheme.

He's good but not ALL-PRO just yet.

PonyExpress

He's all-pro, but not hall of fame yet.

pats60

Earlier i had a post that had pro football weekly naming
Mankins their all pro guard.That was thru half a season.They haven`t
named the full season yet.

Stokes

I agree, I actually thought Steve Neal had the better year. He is such a devastating run blocker, he would get my nod over Mankins. Still nice to see a Patriot in there though. Not having Warren is borderline criminal I think, he was so clearly a dominant force this year, and it wasn't all this talk about Seymour always getting the double. I saw plenty of times when Warren was beating the double team and making the play.

tedylb

Is # 70 an all-pro? I don't know enough to compare. But since his first start last year he's been solid and getting better. Watch him Sunday. He's almost always on his feet and driving his man until the whistle. It's nice to see an unheralded "grunt" get some props. Neal & Koppen deserve some too. And I wouldn't be surprised to see Mankins take Light's place some time in the future.