Success in the Trenches Key vs. Ravens, But What Makes Good Offensive Line Play?

Quarterback is the most important position in football and, one could argue, in all of sports. But don’t forget any of the five guys who spend their Sundays in a three-point stance directly in front of the QB. As a collective, if they fail, the QB is very likely to fail as well.

We’re talking about the offensive line, of course. Rarely has there been any another component of the Patriots that’s been the subject of so much consternation since their era of excellence began in 2001. All week long leading up to Saturday’s divisional round matchup between the Pats and the Baltimore Ravens, the most asked question by hundreds of miles revolves around whether or not New England’s offensive line will be able to deal with Baltimore’s front seven.

That remains to be seen. But in the meanwhile, this game provides a great chance to take a look at the elements and intricacies of what goes into making an offensive line great.

Former Pats center Dan Koppen, who won two rings and has since taken his football expertise to TV as an analyst on Comcast Sports Net, distilled all of it into a few key terms.

“The line needs to be smart,” Koppen said. “It needs to be tough. There has to be trust. And they must see the game through the same set of eyes.”

Koppen knows of what he speaks. He can list a Pro Bowl and second team All-Pro honors on his list of accomplishments. The other key term he noted may be the most important of all when it comes to an O-line succeeding.

“Communication is big,” he said. “It’s verbal if you have guys who haven’t played together that long. For those guys who have been around each other for a long time, there’s much less talking. Then, you’re communicating with your eyes and your actions.”

Not surprisingly, plenty of other folks with knowledge of the ins and outs of offensive line play were quick to bring up the C word too.

“The biggest thing for us is communication,” said Dan Connolly.

“The communication among those guys is what’s most important because they work as a unit,” said Tom Brady.

“Whether it’s on the field before the snap or before the game, we all have to be on the same page from a communication standpoint,” said Nate Solder.

That’s it. A pretty big reason why in the first month of the season as veterans like Solder and Connolly and Sebastian Vollmer were trying to get used to a new guy like Jordan Devey, and someone who’s been around but never gotten regular reps in Marcus Cannon, things looked so rough.

Of course, the departure of Logan Mankins late in training camp didn’t help. Again, Koppen said that when there’s the kind of familiarity that grows out of a group staying together for a long stretch, “guys are able to be on the same page with a lot of things. Calls and changes get made on more of a name basis after a long time playing together.”

Brady doubled down on that idea, pointing out that “the more familiarity they have with one another and the more they trust each other, the better they play.”

As for how good communication manifests itself on the field as the players line up, Koppen offered a few examples.

“We would identify if it’s four down (linemen) or three down,” he said. “Tommy gives the Mike (middle linebacker) point. If a call needs to be made from there, he makes it. If there’s a check, we make a new call. We look at the safety rotation and then comes another call. Maybe a tight end yells ‘zebra,’ we then expect a zone blitz and everyone can look for a slant going or the defensive end is going to drop. Some things are there in the game plan, which is big. You kind of figure out what blitzes are part of their game plan as they go. Then when you see certain formations, you can make your calls off of them.”

After the recognition and the communication, the next step is execution. Solder in particular made it a point out the importance of the offensive line’s ability to make plays. Not so much in the sense that a hauling in a great catch or a forcing a fumble or coming up with a big open field tackle is making a play, of course, but simply by doing the job each individual lineman is there to perform.

Well, maybe Connolly can make a play in a different fashion.

“Blocking is making plays. That’s what we’re out there to do,” Solder said. “The best offensive line is the one that makes the most plays. If we can do that and we can control the line of scrimmage, then we’re making plays.”

Communication. Familiarity. Making plays. Each represents a vital component of an offensive line’s overall success. Put all of those elements together and the chances of having a successful and productive group will increase.

“We’re kind of a team within the team,” said Connolly, the team captain who will return for the matchup with the Ravens after missing the last two games of the regular season with a variety of ailments. “That’s why being on the same page is so important.”

The Patriots will have their most productive combination healthy and intact for the game against the Ravens. This is the group that displayed all of the keys discussed by Koppen, Brady, Solder and Connolly after coming together in Week 5 against the Bengals. It’s not a coincidence that Brady took off on that Sunday night in early October, nor is it surprising that the Pats ripped off seven straight wins as the unit of Solder, Connolly, rookie Bryan Stork, Ryan Wendell and Vollmer gained that familiarity, fine-tuned their communication and made plays. This is the most capable, most together group the Pats have and it gives them the best chance at success.

“Playing offensive line is all about everyone being on the same page,” said Koppen. “If just one guys fails, you’re screwed. At least if everyone is wrong, you still have a chance.”