GLENDALE, Ariz. - Tom Brady's ankle has gotten more than its fair share of the media spotlight the last 10 days.

Getting detailed information on that part of Brady's anatomy, however, has been akin to getting CIA Cold War secrets during the Reagan administration.

But there is another part of Brady's body we can discuss, a part that has been as protected as much the diagnosis about his ankle - his back.

Among the people to thank for that, Patriots left tackle Matt Light tops the list.

Light was drafted in the second round (48th overall) in 2001 and by his third game that fall he was the starter. Other than missing 13 games in 2005 with torn tendons in his ankle, he hasn't missed a game.

Mind you, left tackle isn't just another position on the NFL offensive line; it is the cornerstone. He has Brady's blind side.

The fact that Brady hasn't missed one start over his entire career and, well, you can figure out the correlation.

"I don't know about that," said Light. "Tommy is a great player. I don't think I have anything do with that."

Modesty will get Light nowhere here.

Light, who will start for the AFC in the Pro Bowl a week from this Sunday in Hawaii, is among many unsung Patriots. He's tough. He makes less to play here ... although he won't be on public assistance any time soon. In October of 2004, he signed a six-year, $27 million contract extension with a $9 million bonus.

And he wouldn't dare say a flattering word about himself publicly, like a few Giants have done the past few days.

Light remarked, "I try not to say anything. You just open yourself up to criticism. For some, they can say whatever they want as long as they go out there and play well and prove what they're saying is true, (and) they look great. I don't want to say something and not go out and deliver and look like a fool."

When you regularly face the best defensive player on the other team - that includes Colts end Dwight Freeney, Dolphins end Jason Taylor and Giants end Osi Umenyiora - one or, God forbid, two Brady sacks and you'll be eating so much crow that there would be no room for Bill Belichick's humble pie.

Speaking of Umenyiora - one of the Giants who can't seem to stop talking - the defensive end has gone out of his way recently declaring that Light is a dirty player. It wasn't so much Light going after his knees, just the fact he felt the Patriots lineman did a lot of "stuff" after the whistle.

"I've heard the comment on that," said Light. "I finally watched that. I don't think anybody that's watched the film with me would say that."

...

Left tackle is not the position it used to be. Three yards and a cloud of dust has been traded in for slot receivers and 60 percent completion ratings (50 percent was considered passable through the 1970s and part of the 1980s). Fake grass and the emphasis on speed have made passing the first option for most teams.

The left tackle protects the "blind" side of the right-handed quarterback. In New England, that means protecting an icon.

"I don't look at it that way," said Light. "I have a job to do each game. I know what I'm up against each game. I just try to do my job. That's all I can do."

Light is a big man at 6-foot-4 and 300 pounds. But as a left tackle, a position which may be the most important in the game other than quarterback, he's actually smallish. His peer on the Giants is 6-foot-5, 319-pound David Diehl and the Ravens' Jonathan Ogden is 6-9, 345 pounds.

Size, though, wasn't what caught the attention of Patriots general manager Scott Pioli, who recalled being at a Purdue practice when Light was a junior.

"I saw this guy getting in people's faces," recalled Pioli. "It was a practice, but he was treating it like it was very important. It caught my eye."

Some have argued that Light is not among the best left tackles in the game. But after seven years of winning 78.1 percent of their games (100-28 including 14-2 in the playoffs), the recognition has arrived. He, left guard Logan Mankins and center Dan Koppen will make up three of the five starting Pro Bowl linemen for the AFC.

It's a far cry from some of the duct-tape offensive lines coach Dante Scarnecchia has had to use to keep this offense chugging along during the "dynasty."

"(The chemistry has) been huge," said Light. "If you look at it over the last few years, we've been very fortunate and we've really had the same cast of characters in there. ... We've got a lot of guys in our O-line room who really understand what to do."

...

Light's role fits his name. He keeps everything light.

"Everything out of his mouth is a one-liner," said Koppen. "He's always got something funny to say. That's who he is. ... He's also good. He's very good. He's tough. He fights. He's got great hands. He moves his feet well."

Sounds like a great athlete.

"No, I didn't say that," said Koppen. "You'd realize that if you saw him play basketball. He's awful."

But that's for the Patriots Charitable Foundation basketball team to worry about. Brady and several million fans don't care if he can chew bubble gum and dribble a basketball at the same time.

They want Brady's back covered. And they wouldn't mind a few first downs on third-and-2 over the left tackle either.

"Matt Light is awesome," says Brady, offering the ultimate compliment. "It's amazing what he does considering the guys he's up against every week. Amazing. I'm glad he's on my side."

Brady, of course, means his back side.

E-mail Bill Burt at bburt@eagletribune.com. Also check out his blog, "Burt Talks Sports," at www.eagletribune.com.

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Protecting Brady

Since 2001, Matt Light has had Tom Brady's back

Games missed: 0 in 128

Sacks this season: 21 vs. 578 passes thrown

Sacks since 2001: 203 vs. 3,639 passes thrown

Protecting Drew Brees, too: At Purdue, he started 37 games at left tackle and the line allowed only 38 sacks in 1,690 pass attempts