Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports

Although the Patriots lost a key backup in Donald Thomas (he’ll be a good starter for the Indianapolis Colts) in free agency, the Patriots actually look better on the offensive line. They were able to keep arguably the best right tackle in the game in Sebastian Vollmer, and left tackle Nate Solder will continue to develop. I expect the hyper-athletic LT to entrench himself as one of the game’s elite tackles next season, and he showed plenty last season. No longer a liability in pass protection, Solder is solid in that regard and continues to make strides. You won’t find many left tackles who are better run blockers than Solder, and his athleticism is crucial in the Patriots zone blocking scheme. His ability to screen block is also a huge plus, and it’s going to be a big boon for third-year back Shane Vereen going into his pending breakout season in 2013.

Mankins is no longer one of the top 100 players in the NFL (I absolutely hate that list and put more weight in the Pro Football Focus’s rankings, the rankings done by Pete Prisco are also better), but that’s not to say Mankins isn’t still really good. (And yes, I thought Vollmer should have been his replacement on the list.) Anyway, Mankins is a beast and a leader, and he’ll be healthy in 2013 which means he could very well put himself in the top 100 again.

It’s going to be interesting to see what happens at right guard, but I still expect Dan Connolly to keep his starting job. He’s at least an average starter and is versatile, but Marcus Cannon is an up-and-comer and somebody the organization is high on. He was a steal in the draft and continues to develop under Dante Scarnecchia, so he’s somebody to keep an eye on. At the very least, he will be a key and versatile backup at both guard and right tackle (in case Vollmer goes down again). The Patriots should use Cannon at guard more often, because I feel like he has the skill-set to be a very effective guard. Now if Donald Thomas were still on the team, that right guard gig would be captured by him.

I don’t think I need to get into how good Vollmer and Wendell are, because Vollmer is an elite RT and Wendell is arguably one of the top five centers in the NFL. The Patriots have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, and I agree with Silva that they are at the top. The addition of Will Svitek to fortify depth at tackle also helps out, and I like the versatility (Nick McDonald is in there as well) and potential development of undrafted free agents on the practice squad (Elvis Fisher and Matt Stankiewitch stand out from this seat). The Patriots offensive line is a beast to reckon with, and they are at least the second-best line in the NFL.

The star of this group? Coach Scar.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.

Oct 7, 2012; Foxboro, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots center Ryan Wendell (62) at the line of scrimmage during the fourth quarter against the Denver Broncos at Gillette Stadium. The New England Patriots won 31-21. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

(This is another entry into the ‘Positional Breakdown’ feature on Musket Fire)

Offensive Line:

Under Contract for 2013: Logan Mankins, Dan Connolly, Ryan Wendell, Nate Solder, Marcus Cannon, Nick McDonald

Logan Mankins:

Mankins had an injury riddled year, so his play was not up to his normal high standards, though he still managed to turn in a pretty good year. Mankins is the “mean guy” on the Pats O line; he is maybe the toughest guy in the NFL and one of the most talented lineman. He is extremely strong off the line of scrimmage and is very good in the running game, but at the same time he is a great pass protector on Tom Brady’s blind side. Look for Mankins to have an even better year in 2013, once he gets fully healthy again.
Dan Connolly:

Connolly was bothered by injuries for much of the year as well, as a back injury lingered throughout the season. He did play very well considering he switched back to guard from the center position he played all of last year. At times he can get beat off the line and allow penetration into the backfield, but he did play very solid for the Pats, although not up to the high standards of the rest of his line.

Ryan Wendell:

In my opinion Wendell had the best year of the entire Patriot offensive line. He was called into duty when Brian Waters did not report to camp, and forced Connolly to play right guard, and so Wendell had to step in at center. Wendell is a little undersized to be playing on the line, but he has great technique and an endless motor to help make up for it. If throughout the game your name is not called on the offensive line, then that means you are having a great game, and I hardly remember Wendell’s name getting called this season. Dan Koppen had been the rock in the offensive line for Tom Brady’s whole career, but I think the Pats have found a new rock for Brady in Ryan Wendell.

Nate Solder:

Solder had one of the toughest jobs in the NFL coming into this season, as he had to fill in for longtime left tackle Matt Light. Solder struggled mightily in the preseason, and that had all of us Pats fans worried, but he showed up in the regular season and played absolutely phenomenal. Throughout the year he had to go up against some of the best pass rushers in the NFL and he more than held his own. Solder is an extremely tall guy (6’8) so at times he can get caught out of position, but for the most part he played very well this year and hopefully will for years to come.

Marcus Cannon and Nick McDonald:

Cannon and McDonald both played well in emergency situations for the Pats. Cannon most notably in the Thanksgiving night game against the Jets had to fill in for an injured Sebastian Vollmer and he played great. McDonald also had to play some emergency duty for the Pats when Connolly and Mankins were out with injuries, these two guys will always be nice to have in case of injuries at any time.

2013 Outlook:

One guy that is missing from this group is Sebastian Vollmer, the enormous right tackle. He is one of the most underrated tackles in the NFL and did a superb job protecting Tom Brady this year. His contract is up, and he figures to be one of the major priorities for the Pats this offseason. If the Pats are unable to resign him expect Marcus Cannon to fill his spot. I really think Vollmer will be resigned as protecting Tom Brady is the number one key to every Pats game. Overall the Patriots offensive line did a very solid job in the 2012 season, they finished tied for 4^th in least sacks allowed, and the Pats finished with the 7^th best rushing attack. I feel that assuming the Pats resign Vollmer; they will get even better production from this unit in the 2013 season.

Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

1. The special teams is allowed to have an off game, just not next week

The New England Patriots special team’s unit has been solid throughout the season, but they chose the AFC Divisional game to have an off day against the Houston Texans. And boy, was the kick coverage way off on Danieal Manning in this one. I hope the Pats got it out of their system, because they can’t afford to pull another poor performance on special teams against Jacoby Jones and the Baltimore Ravens.

2. Shane Vereen‘s value to the Pats

With Danny Woodhead out with a left thumb injury for basically the entire game, it was up to second-year back Shane Vereen to deliver after the loss of the valuable, clutch RB. Vereen stepped in and shattered expectations with three touchdowns in the game. He punched in a one-yard score to give the Patriots a 7-3 lead, and he also caught two excellent passes from Tom Brady. Vereen averaged nearly six yards per carry on seven carries, and he also caught five passes for 83 yards and two touchdowns in a truly Woodhead-like performance. This is Vereen’s value to the team with his explosiveness and pass-catching ability, and the Pats won’t miss a beat if Woodhead is out against the Ravens (let’s hope the injury wasn’t that serious).

3. Wes Welker as reliable as they come

Alright fine, we already knew this but Sunday’s performance helped remind us just how valuable Wes Welker is to this team. Easily the best slot receiver in the league, Welker finished as the AFC’s leader in receptions and the NFL’s leader in yards per catch and outplayed those numbers by pace with his performance against the Texans. It was clear that Houston could not contend with a dynamic slot receiver like Welker, and he finished with eight catches for 131 yards and even made a 47-yard catch way down field.

4. The good with the bad

Almost everything in this game for the New England Patriots was good, but there is one weakness that is troubling going into the game against the Ravens. Arian Foster is a solid pass-catching running back, but the Patriots linebackers have a knack for making him look elite as a receiver after allowing seven catches for 63 yards and a TD to Foster. They will have to clamp down on Ray Rice next week, because he is a far more dynamic receiver.

5. Patriots hold down J.J. Watt again

Even though J.J. Watt registered a half-a-sack, he was actually much worse this week than he was against the Patriots in Week 14 when he didn’t record a single sack. He actually played well in their first meeting, but Watt only managed to hit Tom Brady once and collected just four tackles against the Patriots. It was the only game of the season in which Watt looked below average, as the Pats kept him in check after he managed to get a little bit of pressure on Brady. The offensive line as a whole was terrific, and Nate Solder and Logan Mankins comprise arguably the best run blocking left side of the line in the NFL.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.