They say that great offense begins with great play on the line, and the 2010 Patriots certainly provided proof.
Tom Brady & Co. topped the NFL in scoring with 518 points last year. They also led the NFL wire-to-wire on our Offensive Hog Index, ending the year with a very good ground game (4.35 YPA), great success protecting the passer (5.64% Negative Pass Plays) and great success on third down (converting 48.2% of attempts).
Much was made of the Logan Mankins hold out and the seemingly superior play of the Patriots offensive line after his return. But the truth is that the New England OL was nearly as strong without him as with it was with him.
Oh, sure, it got better with Mankins in the lineup. But not sure if it was enough of an improvement to catch with the untrusty old eye test. Plus, the big improvement after the Mankins return came in Negative Pass Play percentage. But was that because of Mankins, or because of the other-worldly play of Tom Brady? The QB had thrown all four of his regular-season INTs by the time of the Baltimore game in Week 6, with Mankins still out.
Was the great guard responsible for the fact that Brady did not throw another pick the rest of the year? We don't know. But it'd be a stretch to say it was.
Here's a look at where the Patriots ranked after Week 8, after their first seven games without Mankins, and where they ranked at the end of the year, after playing the final nine games with Mankins:
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Rank on OHI
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YPA (rank)
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NPP% (rank)
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3down (rank)
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Avg. rank
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Before Mankins
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1st
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4.20 (12th)
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6.75% (8th)
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46.43% (2nd)
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7.3
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End of Year
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1st
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4.35 (10th)
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5.64% (3rd)
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48.22% (2nd)
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5.0
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So, like we said, there was some improvement in the New England offensive line when Mankins returned. But it was already the best in the business without him.