New England - Dan Connolly, Logan Mankins, Brian Waters, Matt Light, Nate Solder
NY Giants - David Baas, Chris Snee, Kevin Boothe, David Diehl, Kareem McKenzie
2011 Pro Bowlers
Logan Mankins, Brian Waters
The offensive line for both squads in Super Bowl XLVI are solid. They are both effective run blocking units, but are asked to protect their respective QBs far more often. There is certainly precious cargo to protect in Tom Brady and Eli Manning. The Giants and Patriots each finished in the Top 10 in sacks allowed on the year. New York finished 7th in the league by allowing 28 sacks, while New England ranked 9th by allowing 32 sacks. The Patriots did have both of their Guards named to the Pro Bowl.
New England's line is definitely a good unit if not great. They can run block well with their Pro Bowl Guards, Logan Mankins and Brian Waters. They paved the way for Benjarvus Green-Ellis to reach the end zone 11 times on the ground. And the pass blocking has kept Tom Brady clean for the most part. Mankins, Waters, and company will have their hands full against arguably the best defensive line in the NFL. The big uglies for the Patriots will have their quickness and versatility tested to the max when the Giants use their NASCAR alignment, lining up with 4 Defensive Ends on the field. Tom Brady must remain upright if the Patriots are going to win the franchise's 4th Super Bowl title.
The Giants Offensive Line has continued to progress all season long. Injuries played a role in the unit's poor play early in the year. This lead to New York ranking dead last in rushing offense. But the unit has meshed and has opened up many more holes throughout the Playoffs. They have done a good job protecting Eli all year. The Giants were a pass happy offense and still only allowed Eli to be sacked less than twice a game. New England's pass rush doesn't scare anybody so Eli should be able to keep off the ground. It will be interesting to see if the G-Men can establish a running game though.
Versatility is a key attribute amongst an offensive line. I think the Patriots have a little bit more on their line than the Giants do. They will need to prove this as the Giants Front 4 will be relentless. Though I don't particularly think that New England's offensive line can keep Brady off the ground all game, I do feel they are a better overall unit than the Giants. Look for New England's line to give Brady just enough time to do some damage.
Advantage - New England
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