Metaphors and Matt Light's SoBe commercials aside, the New England Patriots' offensive line is one of the most cohesive groups in the NFL. Each of the five starters — left tackle Light, left guard Logan Mankins, center Dan Koppen, right guard Stephen Neal and right tackle Nick Kaczur — has been with the team for at least four full seasons, and with the exception of a few injuries, this will be their fifth consecutive season together as the starting unit.
"It helps," Koppen said of their familiarity with one another, "but at the same time, we try to treat every year and every season like we're starting over with one another. None of us take anything for granted. We try to make all the calls and learn it over again. It helps to have everybody knowing what's going on, but there's always tweaks. There's always different things, and you've got to get used to those."
It's also a badge of honor that the Patriots have developed each of these players in-house. Light has anchored the left side since he was drafted in the second round in 2001, although he missed 13 games in 2005 with an injury. Neal, who was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2001 and has fought through injuries each of the last two seasons, has been the starter since 2004.
Koppen has emerged as one of the league's best centers, and he's been the full-time starter since being nabbed in the fifth round of the 2003 draft, with the exception of an injury that limited his time in 2005. Mankins has started every single game since being selected in the first round in 2005. And Kaczur, who signed a contract extension this week, has been a starter since he was a 2005 third-round pick, with the exception of an injury that limited him in 2006.
As a result, they've developed a level of trust with one another that can't be forced. For instance, if a team signed the five most talented offensive linemen in the league during a single offseason, there's still no guarantee they'd work well and be effective as a group because there is an adjustment period that cannot be replicated.
"If you don't know what you're doing, you can't do anything," Mankins said. "You've got to be able to know what you're doing and know what the guys around you are doing so you can work together."
The Patriots linemen are all friends, which also helps in their communication. Long before the live action on Sundays, they work with one another on their assignments, snap counts (which also includes silent counts prior to road games) and in the meeting room, where honesty is never an issue with the group.
"We all trust each other, which you have to do," Neal said. "Just try to do your own job, let everyone else do theirs, and don't try to do too much or too little, and hopefully, it'll all work out."
Koppen, who handles the pre-snap calls, believes the offensive line might be the most important position on a team to have a high level of trust and familiarity.
"We're so close to one another," Koppen said. "What one guy does really depends on what another guy does. How we work together and how well we know each other, it may be a little bit more [important] than other positions just because it's so intertwined."
Consistency goes beyond the offensive line in the Patriots locker room, though. Quarterback Tom Brady certainly appreciates being able to work with the same group of guys, and Dante Scarnecchia has been New England's offensive line coach since 1999. So even though the linemen are used to hearing their own voices, they've been getting direction from two important pieces who have also been longtime mainstays.
"I think we have a great offensive line," Brady said. "It's a very veteran offensive line that's been together for a while. [Koppen] leads that group standing in the middle of two guys on each side. It's a very athletic group that works hard and is very well coached. Dante is one of the best offensive coaches in the league. They always provide great protection. It's a smart group, a tough group. They're always out there. I look forward to being back behind them."
