Insider: Champs' O-line isn't pretty, just pretty darned good

Against Pittsburgh last Sunday, they kept the pressure off Brady for most of the day; he was sacked just twice by the Steelers' attacking defense. When it came time for ball control, they opened holes for Dillon to run.

"Nobody on our line is a big-time name guy," Neal said. "But we work hard and we play well together. It's nothing special, really."

Of the five, Light is considered the best. He is a left tackle who has good feet and is considered better in pass protection than in blocking for the run game. Light is the only lineman with a pedigree, coming into the league as a second-round pick in 2001.

The other four are self-made players. Andruzzi came into the league as a free agent with Green Bay before developing into a part-time starter for the Packers. The Patriots signed him as a free agent in 2000, and he became a full-time starter in 2001.

Center Dan Koppen, like Tom Brady, was a late-round draft steal, in '02. (Getty Images)

Right guard Neal is a former college wrestler at Cal State Bakersfield who won a gold medal in the 1999 Pan Am Games. He did not play football in college. But as usual, the Patriots scouting staff saw enough of him to give him a chance in 2001. He was cut and later signed by the Eagles as a practice-squad player but returned to New England for good in 2002. He did not become a full-time starter until this year.

And then there's Gorin, perhaps the best example of how this is truly a group of mutts. Gorin was signed as a practice-squad player in 2002 after being released by the San Diego Chargers. Before 2004, he had played little, with no starts. This season was to be no different, but when Tom Ashworth went down early with an injury, Gorin was forced in as the starter.

"That's the way it is around here," said Gorin, who started opposite Light in college at Purdue. "They prepare you as if you're going to be playing. It's not like you're just sitting around cashing a check."

Preparation might be the real secret. Offensive line coach Dante Scharnecchia, who also has the assistant head coach title, has served two stints with the Patriots (1982-88 and 1991-present, with two years with the Indianapolis Colts in between). He has worked for six different head coaches in New England in a variety of positions, which says a bunch about his coaching skills.

"Dante's on us, Charlie Weis is on us because we're expected to get it done," Neal said. "Even if you're not a starter, when it's your time you better be ready."

Cohesion, the players say, is another key.

"We know each other well," Gorin said. "It takes five to be cohesive. You can have four guys who go to the Pro Bowl, but one guy who doesn't fit, and you will have trouble. We have five guys who work well together. That's important in line play."

As Gorin talked, the mob surrounded wide receiver Troy Brown next to him. Few paid attention to a guy who might be one of the most important players come Super Bowl Sunday. Gorin will be matched against Jevon Kearse, but that mattered little to the media last week.

Line play is nice and all, but it isn't sexy. That's why the big guys in the corner went about getting dressed with little notice. But don't think for a minute the Patriots coaches and teammates aren't fully aware of just how important those players are to the success of the New England dynasty.

"All those guys play well together," linebacker Tedy Bruschi said. "You don't notice it because they play as one. They've been the strength of the offense."

Even if they are doing it with far less attention then they deserve.