Pats Hall of Famer Light: Not panic time
Matt Light saw it all throughout his time in New England.
As the Patriots left tackle for over a decade, Light was a central figure in the first act of the team’s dynasty. He has three Super Bowl rings and was there for the 2007 undefeated regular season and shocking Super Bowl loss to the Giants.
Light was pro- tecting Tom Brady for too many big games and clutch throws, and tomorrow he’ll be inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame in recognition of his outstanding career.
Light is also no stranger to early-season adversity like the 2018 Patriots are facing.
He remembers 2001. The Pats started 0-2 and lost franchise quarterback Drew Bledsoe to a life threatening injury in a Game 2 loss to the Jets. He was there in 2003 when defensive captain Lawyer Milloy was cut days before the season, signed with the Bills and helped Buffalo demolish the Pats 31-0 on opening day. He was also present in 2008 when Brady tore his ACL and was lost for the season in the first quarter of the opener.
In each of those seasons, the Pats rebounded in impressive fashion, winning Super Bowls in the 2001 and 2003 seasons and defying expectations by posting an 11-5 record without Brady in 2008.
So when Light says it’s not time for the Patriots to panic, he might be onto something.
“I think what’s happening with the team right now is kind of what happens early in the season. We talked about it a lot through my career, that you’re never going to truly know what you have until you get enough time to put it out there,” Light said at his jacket-fitting ceremony at the Patriots Hall. “Don’t panic, don’t ever hit the button, always have faith in the system, because that’s what’s gotten this organization to where it is today. Keep the faith, one game at a time. We’ll be onto the next opponent pretty soon.”
Bill Belichick frequently stated it takes until mid-October to really find out what a team is for that season, and Light agreed on when it’s safe to fully evaluate a team’s overall quality.
“I would say four weeks, at a minimum, before you really start to understand how you can develop some of the younger guys, how you can work other guys into the mix, what are they going to do rotationally when some of these guys go down and we get some of these guys back,” Light said. “Those are all things that take time.”
One thing that should help the Patriots get back on their game is the return of suspended wideout Julian Edelman, who will be eligible to rejoin the team on Monday.
Light, who was here for the first three years of Edelman’s career, spoke highly of the receiver and thinks his impact will be evident.
“I’ve always had a great deal of respect for him, how he approaches the game, everything that is his system when it comes to the game of football,” Light said. “I think by having him back in the mix, it does one very important thing: it gives everybody a lot more confidence. When you have a guy like that, who’s pretty good at coming up with clutch plays, it’s going to instill a lot more confidence. Hopefully, it’ll open some things up in that offense.”
As for his Hall of Fame induction, Light was honored to be joining the company of some of his Super Bowlwinning teammates.
“Just to be recognized along with Richard Seymour and Mike Vrabel (the two other Hall nominees this year), all the other guys that I played with that have been inducted into the Hall, that I spent so many hours game planning with, practicing with, getting to know, and then just to have the ability to be mentioned alongside those guys, that was literally an incredible moment for me and my family,” Light said. “To get the call from (owner) Mr. (Robert) Kraft, and him welcoming me into what is a very elite group of individuals who’ve done amazing things. It’s an incredible group to share space with, I’ll put it to you that way.”