Pats OLine & Graham

[cstjohn17]

Bored and restless I have been going over stats and game reports for the Pats and Colts.

While not scientific, something that is interesting is that this is the first year I can remember the Pats having their top 5 O lineman for the playoffs. It is usually a mix and match of various street free agents. Also they have a good streak of playing together (5 plus games with the same unit). The continuity helped against SD.

Also Graham did not play against the Colts, in my opinion he is a stabilizing force for the offense. He can block, he makes a few plays and is tough as nails. Watson is very incinsistent and a can't be relied upon to block. Grahambo helps give the O a little bit of swagger and physical attitude.

Last point, Mankins has really emerged as a beast. The guy is strong and mean, I remember thinking during the draft "a freaking guard?". Great pick, he has added a lot to the team and is much better than Joe And.

Final analysis - I think our protection is going to be fine and Brady is going to have a great game.

 

[sieglo]

Mankins just utterly obliterated people in the San Diego game. There were actually a couple BS penalty calls on him for holding when in reality he just pancaked people.

 

[BelichickFan]

Don't forget Neal missed the last Indy game too. We have a very good, and mobile, interior line, I'm hoping to see them get out in front of Maroney on some screens and smoosh some of those little Colt defenders.

 

[oldskool138]

Mankins just utterly obliterated people in the San Diego game. There were actually a couple BS penalty calls on him for holding when in reality he just pancaked people.

I think ol' Logan gets flagged quite a bit for false starts and holding a bunch for my tastes...At least twice a game. I don't know. I'm not really sold on him yet due to his #1 pick status and penalty problems (not to mention getting tossed in the Denver game a couple of years).

 

[BelichickFan]

I think ol' Logan gets flagged quite a bit for false starts and holding a bunch for my tastes...At least twice a game.

I don't have stats on it but we've played 18 games, I am confident that Mankins doesn't have 36 holds/false starts to his name this year.

 

[oldskool138]

I don't have stats on it but we've played 18 games, I am confident that Mankins doesn't have 36 holds/false starts to his name this year.

Okay, I may be guilty of exaggeration. Still, I don't think he's a "shut down" O-Lineman, at least not yet. Sure, he doesn't get blown up as often as others...I don't know. All I can say is that I won't be buying a Mankins jersey in the near future.

 

[TeamPats]

Okay, I may be guilty of exaggeration. Still, I don't think he's a "shut down" O-Lineman, at least not yet. Sure, he doesn't get blown up as often as others...I don't know. All I can say is that I won't be buying a Mankins jersey in the near future.

Count me as one of the biggest Mankins fans in football. Dr. Z actually had Mankins rated as his best Guard in the NFL. I don't think there were any False Start penalties last game which is incredible in that enviornment, and the Holding call on Mankins I think was BS and only called because the ref couldn't understand how he could have been so badly pancaked unless he held him. Which after further review was no hold. Also don't forget which Lineman Faulk followed into the endzone on the 2 point conversion.

 

[Oswlek]

Count me as one of the biggest Mankins fans in football. Dr. Z actually had Mankins rated as his best Guard in the NFL. I don't think there were any False Start penalties last game which is incredible in that enviornment, and the Holding call on Mankins I think was BS and only called because the ref couldn't understand how he could have been so badly pancaked unless he held him. Which after further review was no hold. Also don't forget which Lineman Faulk followed into the endzone on the 2 point conversion.

He had two holds that I recall, one was a one-armed pancake that should never have been called, the other was a legitimate hold.

You can't really blame him for pass interference penalty as the timing of the screen was off.

 

[maxhagen]

Just remembering how Logan "removed" the lineman during the 2-points convertion on Sunday gives me goosebumps... just... WOW...

 

[unoriginal]

Mankins and Neal are the best parts of our O-line. They're almost overqualified for guard.

 

[oldskool138]

Mankins and Neal are the best parts of our O-line. They're almost overqualified for guard.

Neal I like just because he never played a down of football in college. And how awsome is it to see a former wrestler become a good O-Lineman? That's thinking outside the box!

 

[5 Rings for Brady!!]

I want to see Mankins at left tackle next year if we don't draft a stud. And forget this nonsense about how great Light has been doing. We had 7 guys blocking the Chargers at almost all times. Light blocked a Linebacker at times in the Chargers game. Yet during the year, he has let Brady get hit dozens of times. I find that to be unacceptable.

 

[onegameatatime]

I keep looking at the line and seeing really good players, but then I do not see the holes open up the way they seem to for some teams in the running game, even the Colts. Maybe it's the fact that other teams play a stretch and that looks better at times.

Light was great against Merriman, but we've also seem what Schoebel (sp?) and Jason ("have some popcorn, Shawn") Taylor can do to him.

 

[unoriginal]

I want to see Mankins at left tackle next year if we don't draft a stud. And forget this nonsense about how great Light has been doing. We had 7 guys blocking the Chargers at almost all times. Light blocked a Linebacker at times in the Chargers game. Yet during the year, he has let Brady get hit dozens of times. I find that to be unacceptable.

Impossible to say Mankins is better/more athletic than Light. They are both about the same height, which is a little short for the left tackle position.

 

[pats1]

I want to see Mankins at left tackle next year if we don't draft a stud. And forget this nonsense about how great Light has been doing. We had 7 guys blocking the Chargers at almost all times. Light blocked a Linebacker at times in the Chargers game. Yet during the year, he has let Brady get hit dozens of times. I find that to be unacceptable.

Incorrect.

Light did not get help from ANYBODY on the Pats' first half touchdown drive.

Merriman got within 5 feet of Brady once.

 

[jczxohn1]

Impossible to say Mankins is better/more athletic than Light. They are both about the same height, which is a little short for the left tackle position.

IIRC, the knock on Mankins at tackle was his short arms. Short, but obviously very powerful. Anyway, puts him at a disadvantage in "riding out" a speedrusher.

 

[unoriginal]

IIRC, the knock on Mankins at tackle was his short arms. Short, but obviously very powerful. Anyway, puts him at a disadvantage in "riding out" a speedrusher.

Agreed. I think putting him at tackle would result in a Robert Gallery fiasco.

Maybe Belichick knew what he was doing when he immeadiately moved Mankins to guard.

 

[BelichickFan]

Mankins isn't moving to Tackle. If he was, when Light was hurt Mankins, the #1 pick, would have moved to the tougher position not Kaczur, the #3 pick.

Mankins is a Guard. And a damn good one.