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NFL launches new award that former Wisconsin Badgers would have dominated in years past

If the newest award from the NFL had been around for the last 50 years, former Wisconsin Badgers would have been frequent winners and only further cemented the program's legacy.
Lorin Cox|
Oct 14, 2023; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; NFL Hall of Fame member and former Wisconsin Badgers offensive tackle Joe Thomas waves to the crowd as he s honored during a game between Wisconsin Badgers and Iowa Hawkeyes at Camp Randall Stadium.
Oct 14, 2023; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; NFL Hall of Fame member and former Wisconsin Badgers offensive tackle Joe Thomas waves to the crowd as he s honored during a game between Wisconsin Badgers and Iowa Hawkeyes at Camp Randall Stadium. | Tork Mason-Imagn Images

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Offensive linemen never get enough credit for the dirty work they do up front to ensure their team's success.

The NFL is finally looking to change that.

The league announced Wednesday that it is creating a new award called Protector of the Year that will be handed out to the top offensive lineman each season.

If that award had existed over the last 50 years, Wisconsin Badgers would have dominated it.

Hall of Fame center Mike Webster would have won it plenty in the 1970s and 80s with the Pittsburgh Steelers as he started establishing UW as an offensive line factory.

In the 90s and 2000s, offensive tackles Paul Gruber and Mark Tauscher would have had an argument for it, though their lack of Pro Bowl honors indicated a further lack of proper recognition for their talent.

But it's unquestionable that Joe Thomas would have brought the trophy home multiple times in his illustrious 11 year career as arguably the best linemen in the league year-in and year-out for the Cleveland Browns.

Wisconsin doesn't have any current linemen in the league that quite rise to that level, though New Orleans Saints tackle Ryan Ramczyk would have been a candidate after his All-Pro 2019 season.

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Lorin Cox
LORIN COX

Lorin Cox is the managing editor of Wisconsin Badgers on SI. He has been covering Badgers sports since 2014, when he was an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin. He previously wrote for the Wisconsin State Journal, NBC Sports Chicago and USA Today Sports Media Group, and he is a former analyst for Pro Football Focus.

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