Pressure will be on Light, offensive line

FOXBOROUGH -- When a game is lost, 21-0, it's hard to find things a team did right. Offense, defense, special teams. None of the members of those units were satisfied with their performance against Miami Dec. 10. But when the star quarterback hits the Dolphin Stadium turf four times, the offensive line gets the first look. And, sometimes, the second.

Not that they're not looking at themselves.

With an enormous amount of pride in their often unappreciated work, the big, silent -- much of the line has spent the season in self-imposed reticence -- players on the offensive line have dug in since that embarrassment against Miami, coming back strong in a 40-7 victory over the Texans and playing well in the final two regular-season games. All in preparation for now. The playoffs.

"I think the biggest part of what we do up front comes down to how well we execute our game plan," said left tackle Matt Light, the leader of a line that also includes left guard Logan Mankins, center Dan Koppen, right guard Stephen Neal, and right tackle Nick Kaczur. "There have been times when we obviously didn't meet the expectations of our coaches and we didn't help the team. I think in the last few weeks we've come together. As far as just doing all the core things that an offensive line has to do as far as not committing penalties, being prepared, playing a physical game, I think we do those things well."

Though Light acknowledged that the offensive line hasn't always been as good as its members would expect, one teammate is fully in their corner.

"They have played well all year," said Tom Brady, as his protection, with the exception of rookie tackle Ryan O'Callaghan, has managed to avoid injuries that have ravaged other units. "They've played great. They've been healthy. Great leadership. It's a tough group. I think we run the ball really well at times. The pass protection has been very good."

Except against Miami. And against the Jets.

With New York's defense expected to bring a tremendous amount of pressure, the offensive line will be on display, demonstrating both its strengths and weaknesses in today's AFC wild-card playoff game. If FieldTurf hadn't been installed after the last game against the Jets, the dirt on Brady's uniform would likely be a good gauge of the effectiveness of the line.

"They give you the same look and maybe do a couple of different things off of it," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said of the Jets defense. "That's not uncommon. A lot of defenses do that. But they do a good job of that. They do a good job of just playing what they play and making you try to defeat them. That's a problem, too. I think that's the biggest problem. Blocking them. Getting open. They have good players. They have a really good front seven. Their secondary has been a very productive group.

"They're physical. They tackle well. That's why they're not giving up very many points."

So the pressure, so to speak, will be on. But Light said the offensive line is ready. Working together all season, with few interruptions, has improved a communication already fostered by a season together in 2005. As a group, they believe they have corrected the mistakes from Miami, and they're prepared to prove themselves in a third chance against the Jets.

"They're obviously a big pressure team," Light said. "They force you into playing a very physical and a very mental game. You have to be ready for the unexpected and for them to throw a lot of guys in the box. They make you think a lot on every play. They have a system and a style that's very physical and very aggressive.

"There's not going to be a lack of knowledge. They're going to know us as well as anybody can possibly know us. It's just going to come down to who executes better. One play, one mistake, one bad block here and there is going to make a difference."

Amalie Benjamin can be reached at abenjamin@globe.com.