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What was our best Offensive Line?


Hunter2_1

Our best OL  

8 members have voted

  1. 1. Pick an OL

    • 2003: Light - Hochstein - Koppen - Andruzzi - Ashworth
    • 2004: Light - Andruzzi - Koppen - Neal - Gorin
    • 2007: Light - Mankins - Koppen - Neal - Kaczur
    • 2010: Light - Mankins - Koppen - Neal - Vollmer
    • 2011: Light - Mankins - Connolly - Waters - Solder
    • 2012-2014: Solder - Mankins - Wendell - Connolly - Vollmer
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    • 2016: Solder - Thuney - Andrews - Mason - Cannon
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From a pure talent level, 2007 and 2011 were the best. Yet, those two units (Mankins in particular) came up the smallest when it mattered most.

From a performance point of view, the 2004 team would be my pick. Best run blocking in Belichick's tenure (granted, Dillon made the blocking look even better than it was), and the pass blocking was reliable even against quality fronts. Light, Koppen and Neal were all very good. Andruzzi was solid. Gorin/Ashworth at RT were below average but they got by thanks to help from Fauria/Graham.

2010 could have been the best but with Mankins holding out and Neal (inevitably) getting hurt, they only played together for a few games.

Nitpick: Mankins wasn't on the 2014 OL - He was traded before the season started

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Waters not returning in 2012 was such a shame - he could have made a big difference that year.

I didn't see any before 2006, so I can't comment on the early SB teams, but 2007/2011 were the best that I've seen in (in regular season).  The 2014 season didn't have Mankins, he was traded to Tampa (for Wright + something else, I think). The 2014 line was pretty good. Unfortunately, the story of all the OLs recently - even the SB winning ones - has been coming up small in the play-offs and getting Brady hit...a lot. The only real difference bewteen the 2014 OL and the 2015 one is that Brad was able to overcome getting smashed around in the play-offs.

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5 minutes ago, tonyto36 said:

2007 and 2011 are clearly head and shoulders above all the rest IMO.   Wasn't Vollmer the RT in 2011 and Solder still TE?

Waters/Vollmer/Solder are so much better than Neal/Kaczur that I went with 2011.

Always thought Koppen was overrated.

Steve Neal, when healthy, was the best guard they've had under Belichick. Consistent, smart and an elite blocker. Mankind was, perhaps, more talented but his propensity for idiotic penalties and playing poorly in big games puts him behind Neal.

If Neal had been healthy in SB42, the Pats probably would have finished 19-0

Kaczur was solid but definitely below Vollmer and Cannon

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2 minutes ago, tonyto36 said:

I'll trust your judgment, but I remember thinking he was so-so and Waters was dominant.

I hated Mankins.

Waters was awesome. One of the best one-season Patriots, along with Revis. A shame that they couldn't get him a ring, he was one of the best guards of his era.

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