Light during the 2009 NFL season | |||||||
No. 72 | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Position: | Offensive tackle | ||||||
Personal information | |||||||
Born: | Greenville, Ohio, U.S. | June 23, 1978||||||
Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||
Weight: | 305 lb (138 kg) | ||||||
Career information | |||||||
High school: | Greenville (OH) | ||||||
College: | Purdue | ||||||
NFL draft: | 2001 / Round: 2 / Pick: 48 | ||||||
Career history | |||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||
| |||||||
Career NFL statistics | |||||||
| |||||||
Player stats at PFR |
Matthew Charles Light (born June 23, 1978) is an American former professional football player who spent his entire 11-year career as an offensive tackle for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Purdue Boilermakers. He was picked by the Patriots in the second round of the 2001 NFL draft.
Light was born in Greenville, Ohio. He attended Greenville High School, where he played football for the Green Wave as a three-year two-way starter. On defense, he played linebacker and was a second-team Division II all-state selection at the position, and as a senior earned all-county, all-conference, and all-district honors after making 69 tackles and forcing two fumbles. On offense, he played guard as a sophomore, tackle as a junior, and tight end as a senior, when he caught four passes for 75 yards and a touchdown. He also competed in the shot put in track and field, and was a district champion as well as an all-county and all-conference selection.
Light attended Purdue University, where he played for the Purdue Boilermakers football team from 1996 to 1999. He began his career as a true freshman tight end in 1996, appearing in seven games as a reserve and making one reception for 16 yards. He redshirted the 1997 season after undergoing left shoulder surgery in the spring. In 1998, he moved to left tackle, starting 13 games and earning an honorable mention All-Big Ten Conference selection as part of an offensive line that only allowed 16 sacks of future Super Bowl MVP quarterback Drew Brees. In 1999, Light started 12 games for an offensive line that allowed just 15 sacks, earning second-team All-Big Ten honors. In the 2000 season, Light earned first-team All-Big Ten recognition after starting 12 games at left tackle, helping an offensive line that gave up only seven sacks en route to a Big Ten title and Rose Bowl Game appearance. [1]
Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Bench press | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6 ft 4+3⁄4 in (1.95 m) | 311 lb (141 kg) | 33+1⁄2 in (0.85 m) | 9 in (0.23 m) | 5.24 s | 1.84 s | 3.05 s | 4.49 s | 7.84 s | 26 reps | |||
All values from Pro Day [2] |
Light was drafted in the second round (48th overall) of the 2001 NFL draft by the New England Patriots. [3] He started 12 of 14 games played during his rookie season in 2001, helping a Patriots running game which averaged 112.2 yards per game. He was the starting left tackle for an offensive line that led the way for 133 yards on 25 carries (5.3 yard average) in the Patriots 20–17 victory in Super Bowl XXXVI over the St. Louis Rams. He was named to the Football News 2001 NFL All-Rookie Team following the season. Light returned in 2002 to start all 16 games at left tackle for the Patriots, who missed the playoffs.
In 2003, Light again started 16 games, and earned his second Super Bowl ring after helping to not allow a sack against a Carolina Panthers defensive line in Super Bowl XXXVIII that featured Kris Jenkins, Mike Rucker, Brentson Buckner and Julius Peppers. Light was a part of an offensive line that enjoyed one of the most successful seasons in club history in 2004, starting 16 games at left tackle and helping the team to average more than four yards per carry for the first time in 19 seasons and helping Corey Dillon set a single season franchise record with 1,635 rushing yards. In October 2004, he signed a six-year contract extension with the team worth $27 million. [4] He earned his third Super Bowl ring in a win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX.
Light began the 2005 season just as he did the previous three, starting at left tackle before a broken leg suffered against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 3 kept him inactive for the next 11 games and eventually led to his placement on injured reserve on December 22. He returned in 2006 to start 16 games. His play earned him an appearance in the 2007 Pro Bowl, the first Pro Bowl appearance of his career, where he replaced the injured Jonathan Ogden.
In 2007, Light started all 16 games and all three playoff games for the Patriots, including their loss to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII, when the Patriots offensive line allowed five sacks of quarterback Tom Brady. He was one of eight Patriots players, and one of three Patriots offensive linemen (joining Dan Koppen and Logan Mankins) elected in December 2007 to the 2008 Pro Bowl.
In the 2008 season, started 16 games for the sixth time in his career. After being named to the Patriots 50th anniversary team in August 2009, Light started the first five games of 2009 before missing five games due to an injury. He returned in Week 12 and started the remainder of the season at left tackle. In 2010, Light started all 16 games at left tackle and was named as an injury replacement to the 2010 Pro Bowl.
On July 31, 2011, Matt Light signed a two-year contract with the New England Patriots. [5]
At the end of the 2011 season, Light and the Patriots appeared in Super Bowl XLVI. He started in the game, but the Patriots lost to the New York Giants by a score of 21–17. [6]
On May 7, 2012, he officially announced his retirement in a press conference at Gillette Stadium. [7]
On July 19, 2012, it was announced that Light would join ESPN as an NFL analyst. He will contribute to SportsCenter , Sunday NFL Countdown , NFL Live , First Take , and NFL32.
On May 2, 2022, Light lost his bid for a seat on the Foxborough, MA, School Committee. [8]
Light has Crohn's disease. [9]
Sam Adams is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle for 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies, earning consensus All-American honors, and was selected eighth overall by the Seattle Seahawks in the 1994 NFL draft. Following six seasons as a member of the Seahawks, he earned consecutive Pro Bowl selections and All-Pro honors during his two seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. Adams was also part of the team that won a Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XXXV and made another championship appearance in his one season for the Oakland Raiders in 2002. As a member of the Buffalo Bills from 2003 to 2004, Adams was named to a third Pro Bowl. He spent his last two seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals and the Denver Broncos.
Richard Vershaun Seymour is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the New England Patriots. He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs, and was drafted by the Patriots sixth overall in the 2001 NFL draft.
Larry Christopher Allen Jr. is an American former football guard who played in the National Football League (NFL) for fourteen seasons, primarily with the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football for the Butte Roadrunners and the Sonoma State Cossacks, and was selected by the Cowboys in the second round of the 1994 NFL draft. Allen is regarded as one of the NFL's physically strongest players ever, while also capable of using his speed against defenders.
Orlando Lamar Pace is an American former football offensive tackle who played for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the St. Louis Rams. Pace played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, where he twice received unanimous All-American honors, and was selected by the Rams first overall in the 1997 NFL draft. He spent all but one season of his professional career in St. Louis, concluding his NFL tenure as a member of the Chicago Bears.
Brandon Michael Gorin is a former American football offensive tackle. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the seventh round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue.
Logan Lee Mankins is an American former professional football player who was a guard for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the New England Patriots. After playing college football for the Fresno State Bulldogs, he was selected by the Patriots in the first round of the 2005 NFL draft. He spent his final two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Selected to seven Pro Bowls and named a first-team All-Pro twice, Mankins was considered a premier guard in his 11 seasons in NFL, and was also named to the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team.
Christopher Snee is an American former professional football player who spent his entire ten-year career as a guard for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Boston College and was chosen by the Giants in the second round of the 2004 NFL draft. Snee earned two Super Bowl rings with the Giants in Super Bowl XLII and Super Bowl XLVI, both over the New England Patriots.
Gene Vincent Mruczkowski is a former American football guard. He was signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2003. He played college football at Purdue.
Andrew James Whitworth is an American former football tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons. He spent 11 seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals and five with the Los Angeles Rams. Noted for the longevity of his career, he retired as the oldest tackle in NFL history and was the oldest offensive lineman to win a Super Bowl.
Bradley D. Hopkins is an American former professional football player who was a left tackle for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), all of them with the Houston Oilers / Tennessee Titans organization. He played college football for the Illinois Fighting Illini.
Robert Michael Ninkovich is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker and defensive end for eleven seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Purdue Boilermakers as a defensive end and was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL draft. He also played in the NFL for the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots, winning two Super Bowls with the latter. After eight seasons with the Patriots, Ninkovich announced his retirement from the NFL following the 2016 season.
Leon Gray was an American professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for the New England Patriots, Houston Oilers, and the New Orleans Saints. Gray played college football for the Jackson State Tigers.
Greg Wayne Randall is an American former football player who was an offensive tackle. He was selected by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan State.
Joseph Andrew Staley is an American former football offensive tackle who played his entire career for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Central Michigan and was selected by the 49ers in the first round of the 2007 NFL draft.
Clifford Samuel Avril is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Purdue Boilermakers and was selected in the third round of the 2008 NFL draft by the Detroit Lions. He also played for the Seattle Seahawks, with whom he won Super Bowl XLVIII and made a Pro Bowl.
Lance Nimmo is a former American football offensive tackle of the National Football League (NFL).
Sebastian Georg Vollmer is a German former American football player who was an offensive tackle for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Houston Cougars and was selected by the Patriots in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft and played his entire eight-year career with the team. He was named a second-team All-Pro in 2010.
Nathaniel Perry Solder is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Colorado Buffaloes, and was recognized as a consensus All-American. He was selected by the New England Patriots in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft and won two Super Bowls as a member of the team.
Marcus Darell Cannon is an American football offensive tackle who is a free agent. Prior to the 2011 NFL draft, Cannon was considered one of the top offensive tackle prospects and was selected by the New England Patriots in the fifth round with the 138th pick of the draft. He played college football at TCU.
Ja'Whaun Louis Bentley is an American football linebacker for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Purdue. He was drafted by the Patriots in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft.