For the first time in Tom Brady's career, he will not have Matt Light (72) on the left side of the offensive line.
Matt Light has been a stabilizing force on the offensive line for the New England Patriots for the past decade.
On May 7th, that reality came to an end when Light officially announced his retirement from the NFL and the Patriots. Light was drafted in the second round (48th overall) of the 2001 NFL Draft. He was not supposed to play much in the 2001 season and Bill Belichick had him projected to become a right tackle even though Light performed on the left side at Purdue University. He would make 12 starts and help the Patriots win Super Bowl XXXVI against the heavily favored St. Louis Rams.
Tom Brady is now the only active player from the Super Bowl XXXVI on the Patriots’ roster.
Light appeared on the field for 155 of 176 games in his career while being the starter for 153 of those contests. He was a three-time Pro Bowler (2006, ’07, and ’10). After the 2007 season, Light was named to the All-Pro team. There were five Super Bowl appearances in Light’s 11-year career and he was a member of three Super Bowl champions.
Light had his share of battles with speed rushers such as former Miami Dolphins and New York Jets defensive end Jason Taylor and Indianapolis Colts ends, Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis.
In the locker room, Light was known for his light personality where he liked to have fun with his teammates and coaches. Light pulled pranks on teammates and coaches, including Belichick. One time Light took out Belichick’s mouse attached to his computer in his office and replaced the mouse with 400-jolts of electricity.
There were several memorable moments in Light’s time as a Patriot, including watching ex-long snapper Lonie Paxton perform a snow angel after the Patriots’ comeback 16-13 overtime win over the Oakland Raiders in the 2001 AFC Divsional Playoff game.
As Belichick said in the retirement press conference, “He had a great sense of when to lighten up and when to tighten up.”
After the conference, Light admitted while he was fending pass rushers away from Brady’s back, he battled from Crohn’s disease. Crohn’s disease affects the intestines and the sickness can be very painful. In the summer of 2004, Light missed the Super Bowl ring ceremony at Robert Kraft’s house because he was suffering from complications of surgery. He did not eat for months and his weight dropped from 315 pounds to 260 and Light was in the hospital for 30 days. In June, Light had to have 13 inches of his intestine removed.Yet, Light was still able to make it to training camp in the third week of August after seeking the advice of one of the Patriots’ team doctors, David Berger, at Massachusetts General Hospital. He made all 16 starts, including the run to the Patriots’ Super Bowl XXXIX victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.
In 2011, Light had one of his best seasons as a Patriot. According to Belichick, Light committed two mental errors.
Despite the loss in Super Bowl XLVI to the New York Giants, Light still went out on top and he was able to leave the game of football on his own terms.