Now they have the best offensive line, too.

John Madden — the actual guy, not the video game — announced the Patriots won the 2010 Madden Most Valuable Protectors Award, an honor established last year to recognize the NFL’s best offensive line.

The award is based on a combination of criteria including O-line stats (sacks allowed, rushing and passing yardage, time of possession, penalties, conversion percentages and red-zone efficiency), fan voting and Madden’s evaluation.

“All season long, these guys proved they had the mental and physical toughness that enabled the Patriots offense to put up impressive numbers on the ground and in the air,” Madden said.

Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia’s boys beat out the other finalists: the Atlanta Falcons, Kansas City Chiefs, New Orleans Saints and New York Giants.

Patriots left guard Logan Mankins was first-team All-Pro and started in the Pro Bowl despite a contract dispute that caused him to miss the first seven games of the season. Left tackle Matt Light was chosen for the Pro Bowl as an alternate. Right tackle Sebastian Vollmer was voted second-team All-Pro.

The Patriots also endured two significant O-line injuries. Last year’s right tackle and projected left guard Nick Kaczur missed the entire season with a back injury. A bad shoulder placed right guard Stephen Neal on injured reserve after eight games. Dan Connolly was the super sub who filled in at left guard for Mankins and Kaczur and then at right guard for Neal.

The Patriots led the NFL in scoring. They ranked eighth in total offense, ninth in run offense, 11th in pass offense and fourth in sacks allowed.

New England surrendered 25 sacks. Ten of them came in a three-game stretch in October and nine more in a three-game stretch in December. That left 10 games in which New England gave up zero or one sacks.

So much for that laid back trip to Hawaii.

Pro Bowl left guard Logan Mankins told the Boston Herald on Friday that he thinks “the door is totally shut” on a return to the Patriots. Mankins, a free agent who sat out the first seven games of last season in protest, said the Patriots haven’t approached him about a new contract, and he’d be peeved if they decided to use the franchise tag on him.

This now marks the second consecutive offseason that Mankins has started a public battle with the organization that selected him in the first round of the 2005 draft. When he reported to the Patriots during the regular season, he said he didn’t accomplish everything he hoped by sitting out, but he never again spoke poorly of the organization.

This has got to make for an awkward week in Honolulu, where Mankins, six Patriots teammates and Bill Belichick‘s coaching staff are preparing for the Pro Bowl. Apparently, Belichick hasn’t used this time to convince Mankins to remain in New England.

It would be a mistake for the Patriots to let Mankins walk away. Clearly, they had enough respect for his game to start him in Week 9 against the Browns after practicing just three times, and Mankins was voted as a Pro Bowl starter by his peers despite his limited playing time in 2010.

Without Mankins, the Patriots would likely use Dan Connolly at left guard next season, and that would increase the importance of Stephen Neal‘s decision about his future. Neal, the team’s starting right guard, has one year left on his contract and has hinted that a string of injuries could cause him to retire. Without Mankins or Neal, Ryan Wendell would be the current starter at right guard.

There’s no telling where Mankins would wind up, but the Patriots would have to fear one possibility. The Jets, who might have the best offensive line in the NFL, might be intrigued at the prospects of upgrading their left guard position, which was the closest thing to a weak spot they had up front this season.

Of course, the Patriots could end all of that speculation by locking up their best offensive lineman to a long-term contract. As of Friday, though, those chances look grim.

Should the Patriots re-sign Logan Mankins? Leave your thoughts below.

Jan. 11, 2011

FRESNO, Calif. - Three former Bulldogs are playing in the NFL postseason and they all happen to be on the same team, the New England Patriots. Logan Mankins, James Sanders and Ryan Wendell helped New England attain the best record in the NFL this season, 14-2, which ensured the Patriots a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Here is a look into how they contributed to the Patriots’ success.

Even though Logan Mankins did not play until Week 9 against the Cleveland Browns, his tenacious play throughout the remainder of the season was enough to earn him a starting position in his third Pro Bowl bid (2007 and ’09 being the other years) in six NFL seasons. Mankins, a first-round selection by the Patriots in 2005, is only one of two New England guards to be named to a Pro Bowl team since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.

“He’s been outstanding, on and off the field,” Patriots’ head coach Bill Belichick said about Mankins at a press conference. “He brings a great attitude and work ethic, superior toughness to the field and to the football team and that unit. Just an outstanding performer, a smart guy who doesn’t make any mistakes, plays hard, run/pass, every down, from the snap to the whistle, from the first play to the last play. Very consistent player. Always has been. He’s shown that this year; it doesn’t matter whether it’s a Friday practice or the fourth quarter or the first play of the game, he’s very, very consistent. And good. Very good.”

The Patriots’ offensive line was fourth in the league in sacks allowed and tied for third in quarterback hits allowed. They also helped open up holes for a running game which was tied for second in rushing touchdowns with 19 and in the top ten in total rushing with 1973 yards.

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A key piece to the offensive line in the last couple regular season games was second-year guard Ryan Wendell. Wendell, a four-year started for the Bulldogs from 2004-07, took the place of starting guard Dan Connolly who missed the last two games due to a concussion. In the two games Wendell started, against Buffalo and Miami, the New England offensive line allowed only one sack and five quarterback hits while the Patriots rushed for a total of 398 yards and two touchdowns.

Six-year veteran free safety James Sanders has been the most consistent defensive back for the Patriots this year. His leadership and experience have been vital in the development of the newer cornerbacks and safeties for New England.

“It’s good to have someone like James around because he’s played in the system for six years now,” first-year Patriot safety Jarrad Page told Shalise Manza Young of the Boston Globe. “So any questions you may have about the defense, you don’t have to grab a coach. He’s a good guy to go to and ask about a certain defense, how you do this, how you do that, you can always ask James.”

Sanders recorded career-highs with six pass deflections and three interceptions. He returned one of his interceptions for a touchdown to seal a victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers and another interception thrown by Peyton Manning stopped a game tying or even winning drive by the Indianapolis Colts. Sanders finished the season with 58 tackles, 42 of which were solo.

The Patriots enjoyed their first-round bye last week and are preparing to play the New York Jets at home Sunday, January 16 at 1:30 p.m. PST.

Another former Bulldog who will be participating in the postseason but not playing is Chicago Bears’ offensive coordinator Mike Martz. Martz, the architect of “The Greatest Show on Turf” while he was with the St. Louis Rams from 1999-2005, transferred to Fresno State as a tight end where he graduated Summa Cum Laude in 1972 and returned to the Bulldogs as an assistant coach in 1979.

After finishing 7-9 last year, the Bears hired Martz in February to revamp their offense. His development of quarterback Jay Cutler and retooling of the offensive game plan helped the Bears finish 11-5 and win the NFC North division championship. The Bears, with the second-best record in the NFC, also enjoyed a first-round bye and will face the Seattle Seahawks at home Sunday, January 16 at 10 a.m. PST.

“We are Your Team!” The Bulldog football team opens the 2011 season against the Cal Bears at Candlestick Park on Sept. 3. Follow gobulldogs.com for information about the upcoming season.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — New England Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker and tackle Matt Light have been selected to the Pro Bowl.

They will replace Houston wide receiver Andre Johnson, who was to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right ankle, and Miami tackle Jake Long, who was bothered by shoulder and knee problems for much of the season.

Welker had 86 catches for 848 yards in 16 games after returning from a serious knee injury suffered in the regular-season finale a year ago. Light, a 10-year veteran, was chosen to the AFC team for the third time.

An NFL-high eight Patriots have been chosen for the game, including quarterback Tom Brady, guard Logan Mankins, nose tackle Vince Wilfork, linebacker Jerod Mayo, rookie cornerback Devin McCourty and safety Brandon Meriweather.

New England Patriots receiver Wes Welker and tackle Matt Light have been selected to the Pro Bowl.

They will replace Houston Texans receiver Andre Johnson, who was to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right ankle, and Miami Dolphins tackle Jake Long, who was bothered by shoulder and knee problems for much of the season.

Welker had 86 catches for 848 yards in 16 games after returning from a serious knee injury suffered in the regular-season finale a year ago. Light, a 10-year veteran, was chosen to the AFC team for the third time.

An NFL-high eight Patriots have been chosen for the game, including quarterback Tom Brady, guard Logan Mankins, nose tackle Vince Wilfork, linebacker Jerod Mayo, rookie cornerback Devin McCourty and safety Brandon Meriweather.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) – New England Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker and tackle Matt Light have been selected to the Pro Bowl.

They will replace Houston wide receiver Andre Johnson, who was to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right ankle, and Miami tackle Jake Long, who was bothered by shoulder and knee problems for much of the season.

Welker had 86 catches for 848 yards in 16 games after returning from a serious knee injury suffered in the regular-season finale a year ago. Light, a 10-year veteran, was chosen to the AFC team for the third time.

An NFL-high eight Patriots have been chosen for the game, including quarterback Tom Brady, guard Logan Mankins, nose tackle Vince Wilfork, linebacker Jerod Mayo, rookie cornerback Devin McCourty and safety Brandon Meriweather.

Perfect sense: Nobody can argue with New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady starting for the AFC. He’s setting efficiency records and is the frontrunner for league MVP. Miami Dolphins outside linebacker Cameron Wake was named a starter. He broke out in his second NFL season and leads the league with 14 sacks. Dolphins left tackle Jake Long will start at left tackle, making it three Pro Bowls in three seasons for him.

New York Jets center Nick Mangold, an All-Pro last year, will start. It is also good to see Jets left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson chosen. I feared Ferguson would get overshadowed at such a loaded position. The AFC East placed four offensive linemen — three starters — on the squad.

Made it on rep: The biggest surprise for me was Patriots safety Brandon Meriweather. He regressed from last year’s Pro Bowl season. He actually lost his job as the starter for a couple weeks in September and might not have started in Week 14 because coaches were unhappy with him. Patriots left guard Logan Mankins didn’t play until last month because of a contract squabble, but he was named a starter anyway because he has been phenomenal from the moment he took the field. He deserves to be in the Pro Bowl, but I didn’t expect him to be voted a starter. Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis is another player who slipped significantly since last year’s All-Pro season, but he was named a starter anyway.

Got robbed: While “robbed” might be too harsh of a word, the Buffalo Bills’ defensive tackle Kyle Williams did have a campaign that was worthy of the Pro Bowl in a vacuum. But there was no way he was going to make the AFC roster ahead of Patriots star Vince Wilfork or Baltimore Ravens behemoth Haloti Ngata. Oakland Raiders defensive tackle Richard Seymour got the third spot. Williams has been dominant when it comes to getting into the backfield, but stopping the run is the primary responsibility for a nose tackle, and the Bills have the NFL’s worst run defense. Williams still has the chance to go as an alternate. Jets guard Brandon Moore is another player who deserved recognition but couldn’t crack a talented group.

Jets kickoff returner Brad Smith has a 28.6-yard average and two touchdowns, but he couldn’t beat out Tennessee Titans return ace Marc Mariani, who has scored kickoff and punt return touchdowns. He’s the only player to do that so far this season.

Click here for the complete Pro Bowl list.