Here's Jim McBride's take on Ngata and the NE running game:
"New England’s offensive line showed last week it’s not just an exceptional pass-blocking unit. The big uglies, particularly guards Logan Mankins (a relentless and ruthless blocker) and Stephen Neal (an exceptionally quick and athletic bully), were firing off the ball and winning the trench battles all day against an overmatched Falcon front seven. The task gets monumentally tougher this afternoon with the beastly Ravens in town. The key to Baltimore’s run-stuffing efforts (it hasn’t allowed a 100-yard rusher in 38 games) is 6-foot-4-inch, 345-pound tackle Haloti Ngata. This woolly mammoth has awesome strength and surprising quickness. Ngata can occupy several blockers, clearing space for Baltimore’s scary trio of linebackers to hunt down and punish ball carriers. Patriots center Dan Koppen along with Mankins and Neal have to deliver body shots on Ngata with the hope of wearing him down."
Scouting report: Ravens present formidible challenge - The Boston Globe
Pretty accurate. The Baltimore defense all revolves around Ngata, IMHO. Lewis, Suggs and Reed are the big play names, but Ngata makes it all happen - shuts down the run, sucks up blockers and opens the gaps for Ray, and collapses the pocket. Woolly mammoth is right - it's like having Manny from Ice Age on your DL.