The Madden Most Valuable Protectors Award is the trophy

Trophy

A trophy is a reward for a specific achievement, and serves as recognition or evidence of merit. Trophies are most often awarded for sporting events, from youth sports to professional level athletics...

 awarded annually to the best offensive line of the National Football League

National Football League

The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

. The trophy, sponsored by Prilosec OTC, is named in honor of former NFL coach and commentator, John Madden

John Madden (American football)

John Earl Madden is a former American professional football player in the National Football League, a former Super Bowl-winning head coach with the Oakland Raiders in the American Football League and later the NFL, and a former color commentator for NFL telecasts. In 2006, he was inducted into...

. Designed and sculpted by artist Tom Tsuchiya, the award's shape is meant to evoke a castle wall with the figures of the five offensive line players representing crenellation. The bronze

Bronze

Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...

 trophy, finished with a silver nitrate

Silver nitrate

Silver nitrate is an inorganic compound with chemical formula . This compound is a versatile precursor to many other silver compounds, such as those used in photography. It is far less sensitive to light than the halides...

 patina

Patina

Patina is a tarnish that forms on the surface of bronze and similar metals ; a sheen on wooden furniture produced by age, wear, and polishing; or any such acquired change of a surface through age and exposure...

, weighs 102 lbs (42.3 kg) and stands 16 1/2" (42cm) tall.

Five offensive lines are selected as finalists by John Madden and a team of four from the NFL Network

NFL Network

NFL Network is an American television specialty channel owned and operated by the National Football League . It was launched November 4, 2003, only eight months after the league's 32 team owners voted unanimously to approve its formation...

: Jamie Dukes

Jamie Dukes

Jamie Donnell Dukes is a former offensive lineman who played 10 seasons for the Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers, and Arizona Cardinals, of the National Football League. He played college football at Florida State...

, Marshall Faulk

Marshall Faulk

Marshall William Faulk is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League. He is currently an analyst for NFL Total Access, Thursday Night Football, and NFL GameDay Morning on the NFL Network...

, Rich Eisen and Steve Mariucci

Steve Mariucci

Stephen Ray "Steve" Mariucci is a former National Football League coach. He coached for the San Francisco 49ers and most recently for the Detroit Lions.-Early career:...

. And those five lines are then voted by fans online at NFL.com. The line of the New Orleans Saints

New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....

 became the inaugural winner of the trophy (for the 2009 season) on February 2, 2010 during the week leading up to Super Bowl XLIV

Super Bowl XLIV

Super Bowl XLIV was an American football game between the American Football Conference champion Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference champion New Orleans Saints to decide the National Football League champion for the 2009 season. The Saints defeated the Colts by a score of...

. The Saints' offensive line included Jermon Bushrod

Jermon Bushrod

Jermon Bushrod is an American football offensive lineman for the New Orleans Saints in the National Football League . He was the Saints' starting left tackle in the team's successful run to the Super Bowl XLIV Championship...

, Carl Nicks

Carl Nicks (American football)

Carl Nicks, Jr. is an offensive guard for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was drafted in the 5th round of the 2008 NFL Draft...

, Jahri Evans

Jahri Evans

-New Orleans Saints:Evans was signed to a three-year contract by the Saints on July 25, 2006. He emerged as a consistent performer in training camp and preseason, and won the starting job after the projected starter, Jermane Mayberry, was injured in training camp and ultimately retired. In his...

, Jonathan Goodwin

Jonathan Goodwin (American football)

Jonathan Scott Goodwin is an American football center for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the New York Jets in the fifth round of the 2002 NFL Draft...

 and Jon Stinchcomb

Jon Stinchcomb

Jon Stinchcomb is a former American football offensive tackle who played eight seasons in the National Football League. He was drafted in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints...

. Each name of the members of the winning line will be engraved on the back of the trophy. Because the trophy is one of a kind, it will travel from one winning line's city to the next.

The New England Patriots

New England Patriots

The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...

 were selected as the NFL's best offensive line during the 2010 regular season. The Madden Protectors Award trophy will be formally delivered to the New England Patriots Training facility in Foxborough on Tuesday, August 16. The 2010 New England Patriots offensive line consisted of:

60 Rich Ohrnberger

Rich Ohrnberger

Richard Paul Ohrnberger is an American football offensive guard for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Patriots in the fourth round of the 2009 NFL Draft...

 G/C

61 Stephen Neal

Stephen Neal

Stephen Matthew Neal is a former American football guard who played his entire career for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He is a former national champion amateur and collegiate wrestler at Cal State-Bakersfield...

 G (Starter)

62 Ted Larsen

Ted Larsen

-New England Patriots:Larsen was drafted by the New England Patriots in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. On May 18, he signed a four-year contract with the Patriots. He was waived by the team during final cuts on September 4, 2010....

 C/G (Rookie)

63 Dan Connolly

Dan Connolly

Dan Connolly received a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Texas at Austin in 1990. His research interests include investigating the value of formal descriptions of chaotic systems like the Web, particularly in the consensus-building process, and the Semantic Web.He became involved...

 G/C

64 Mark LeVoir

Mark LeVoir

Mark Jacob LeVoir is an American football offensive tackle for the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League. He was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2006...

 T

66 George Bussey

George Bussey

George Bussey is an American football offensive lineman who is currently a member of the Tampa Bay Storm. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL Draft...

 T/G

67 Dan Koppen

Dan Koppen

Daniel Koppen is an American football center for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted in the fifth round of the 2003 NFL Draft...

 C (Starter)

69 Ryan Wendell

Ryan Wendell

Ryan Wendell is an American football center for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Fresno State.-Early years:...

 C/G

70 Logan Mankins

Logan Mankins

-2005–06 seasons:Mankins was drafted with the final pick of the first round, 32nd overall, in the 2005 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. Despite playing his entire collegiate career as a tackle, Mankins was moved to left guard by the Patriots, where he immediately stepped into the starting...

 T (All Pro)

71 John Wise

John Wise

John Wise may refer to:* John Wise , Massachusetts divine who protested taxation* John Wise , American ballooning pioneer* John Ayshford Wise , British MP for Stafford...

 G (Rookie

72 Matt Light

Matt Light

Matthew Charles Light is an American football offensive tackle for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue.-Early years:Light was born in Greenville, Ohio...

 T (Pro Bowl)

74 Thomas Welch

Thomas Welch

Thomas Welch or Walsh was a surveyor and judge in Upper Canada.He was born in the Province of Maryland in 1742, the son of Irish immigrants with roots in Wales. He studied in Philadelphia and served with the British Army during the Seven Years' War. He was appointed surveyor in Berks County,...

 T (Rookie)

76 Sebastian Vollmer

Sebastian Vollmer

Sebastian Georg Vollmer is an American football offensive tackle for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Houston.-Early years:Born in Düsseldorf, Germany, Vollmer did not...

 T (All Pro)

77 Nick Kaczur

Nick Kaczur

Nicholas Jesse Kaczur is an American football offensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft...

T/G