On Monday, New England Patriots left tackle Matt Light plans to officially announce his retirement.

This isn’t surprising. Light’s retirement has been a source of speculation since the end of the 2011 season, and last week, the Patriots placed him on the reserved/retired list.

Light’s retirement means one more connection to the glory days of the early part of the last decade is gone. Now, quarterback Tom Brady and running back Kevin Faulk are the only players with the Patriots that were on the team that came out of football purgatory in 2001 to win Super Bowl 36.

That’s the way of the NFL. Troy Brown gave way to Wes Welker. Tedy Bruschi gave way to Jerod Mayo. Now, Matt Light retires to make room for a younger player, most likely 2011 first-round pick Nate Solder.

New England’s second-round pick in the 2001 draft, Light retires as one of the best offensive linemen in Patriots history, and you can debate whether Light or Bruce Armstrong is the best left tackle in team history.

Light was selected to three Pro Bowls, most recently in 2010. He was named first-team All Pro just once, in 2007, when the Patriots’ offense set an NFL record for points in a season.

The question comes up, did Matt Light have a Hall of Fame caliber career?

With the passing game’s growing importance to the NFL, the left tackle position became one of the most important in football, even spawning Michael Lewis’ book “The Blind Side,” and the movie of the same name. Light played in an era of fantastic left tackles, and may get lost in history’s shuffle as a result.

Willie Roaf, who played for the New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs, was named to the Hall of Fame Class of 2012. Seattle’s Walter Jones, Baltimore’s Jonathan Ogden and Orlando Pace, who played with St. Louis and Chicago, joined Roaf on the NFL’s all decade team of the 2000s.

Championship rings count for something among the Hall of Fame voters. Light has three of them, and played in five Super Bowls. That, and his consistent play for one of his era’s great teams, will get Light discussed when he’s eligible for the Hall of Fame. It’s my guess that if he gets in, it will be at least a few years after his initial eligibility. He may have a long wait, much like former Patriot linebacker Andre Tippett, who retired after the 1993 season but wasn’t inducted into Canton until 2008.

Light was never dominant. As a run blocker, he never built a library of highlight reel pancake knockdowns of defenders. But the Patriots did run the ball well in his 11 seasons anchoring the left side of the offensive line. The Patriots of the last decade will never be confused with some of the great smashmouth teams, but they ran the ball well enough so opponents couldn’t just load up to defend the pass.

The best thing you can say about Light’s role in New England’s passing game is you rarely thought of him. Left tackles only draw attention to themselves when they’re beaten by an opponent and the quarterback gets drilled. Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney was a tough matchup for Light, and Buffalo’s Aaron Schobel always seemed to give him fits, but by and large, Light did his part in keeping Brady upright.

In Light’s 11 seasons, the Patriots ranked in the top 10 in the NFL in scoring 10 times. In Light’s 11 seasons, the Patriots ranked in the top 10 in total offense seven times. If Brady is under constant pressure, that doesn’t happen. A vast majority of the time, Brady has all the time he needs to find an open receiver, and Light, the constant on the offensive line, deserves a large portion of the credit for that.

On Monday, Light’s retirement will be announced at the Hall at Patriots Place, adjacent to Gillette Stadium. There’s no doubt he’ll be honored at half-time of one of the Patriots’ home games this season. It won’t be long before he’s back at the Hall at Patriot Place, this time as a member.

Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242

tlazarczyk@centralmaine.com

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