Loading ...
It's no secret that the New York Giants offensive line has been a question mark this offseason and will continue to be as the team prepares for training camp in Albany. Last season, the Giants ranked last in the league in rushing and the lack of run blocking was the major contributing factor to that statistic. Prior to last season, the Giants had one of the most dependable offensive lines in the league. Veterans Shaun O'Hara, Rich Seubert, Kareem Mckenzie, David Diehl and Chris Snee, all started 59 of 69 games from the 2006 playoffs through the end of the 2010 season. The group continually ranked among the best offensive lines in the NFL and were a major factor in helping Big Blue win the Super Bowl in 2007.
However, all good things must come to an end, and the Giants dependable offensive line was no exception. Prior to last season, O'Hara and Seubert were both released due to age and injury concerns. This offseason, Kareem Mckenzie is still unsigned on the open market. General Manager Jerry Reese has brought in a cast of young, yet unproven players to help fill the voids left by the three veterans. Below, we will examine who the Giants will turn to in order to improve their rushing attack and more importantly, protect Eli Manning for the 2012 season.
Chris Snee (RG) - The 6'3/ 305lb veteran out of Boston College has been the most dependable member of the Giants offensive line for the last several years. In 19 games last season (playoffs included), he only allowed two sacks and committed only 4 penalties. Furthermore, Snee has been very successful in avoiding the injury bug throughout his career. Since the 2005 season, Snee has only missed one game. Look for the veteran guard to continue being the leader of the Giants offensive line this season.
David Diehl (RT) – Although Pro Football Focus ranked Diehl last in the league in pass blocking, the statistics say that 2011 was actually an improved year for the 6'5/304lb veteran out of Illinois. Diehl actually gave up half a sack less (6.5) than the prior season (7) and two sacks less (8.5) than the 2009 season. However, those statistics are nothing to brag about. If Diehl has a bad training camp, the Giants could look to younger players such as James Brewer to take over the right tackle position.
Will Beatty (LT) – The fourth year 2nd round pick out of UConn played relatively well protecting Eli Manning's blind side through the first ten games last season; however, he suffered a detached retina in his right eye and missed the remainder of the year. Beatty should be back by training camp to reclaim his position, and hopefully he can improve after getting considerable experience at the position last season.
Davis Baas (C) – Being the teams biggest free agent signing heading into last season, there were high expectations for the center out of Michigan. However, he battled through an injury plagued season and was criticized for questionable play for almost the entire year. Baas improved during the playoffs; but he still has a ways to go if he wants live up to his 5 year/ $27.5 million deal he signed last offseason. That being said, there is really nobody capable of taking the starting center position from him. As long as Baas is healthy, look for him to be in the lineup for the 2012 season.
Kevin Boothe (LG) – The seventh year veteran out of Cornell started 13 games (including playoffs) last year; however, he has been a backup his entire career. Mitch Petrus will be giving Boothe a run for his money at the position; however, Offensive Line Coach Pat Flaherty recently commended Boothe for his play last season:
“Kevin is going to go in there and give you a good day’s work. It’s a reflection on Kevin. He prepares himself to be able to do that. He takes his job seriously. He was a guy who played his first year in the league, then all of a sudden he wasn’t in the league for a few days until we picked him up after he was released. When you talk about some of these veteran NFL players that know what it’s like not to have a job, well he experienced that. He doesn’t want to experience it again. So, that’s a lot of motivation for him. He’s done a tremendous job.”
Look for Boothe to start the season at left guard, but don't be surprised if Mitch Petrus snatches the position from him during the season. It is never good to have a career backup starting, especially at a position that helps protect your franchise player from injury; however, Boothe did a serviceable job last season and should be able to continue that into this season.
Mitch Petrus (G) – The third year player out of Arkansas only played in four games last season; however, he will be relied upon this year to backup both guard positions. Although Chris Snee most likely will not need much backing up, Kevin Boothe is a question mark. Petrus is actually one of the strongest offensive linemen out there; however, brute strength does not always translate into NFL production. Pat Flaherty had this to say when speaking of Petrus:
“Petrus is a competitor. He still needs to continue to get better at a lot of his techniques. He’ll play right guard and left guard, be able to go back and forth"
If Petrus actually does improve his techniques (run blocking in particular), he could become a contributor to the 2012 New York Giants.
James Brewer (T) – The second year player out of Indiana is a massive human being. Brewer stands 6'6/330lbs ; however, he did not play a down for the Giants last season. While speaking about Brewer, Pat Flaherty stated:
“This is Brewer’s first offseason and he really still doesn’t know what an offseason is. Every day is a new day for him, because he has never been through it. He’s still going through the growing pains, as we say."
Hopefully having a full offseason of OTA's and Mini-Camp can help bring out the potential that many see in Brewer. He clearly has the size to play in the NFL; however, he needs to vastly improve his technique over the offseason if he is going to push for playing time in 2012.
Rookies Brandon Mosely, Matt McCants, and Stephen Goodin will all add depth to the offensive line. However, all three are unproven and should not have to be relied upon in big situations. The idea is to use this season to develop them and watch them improve; but not to throw them to the wolves by putting them in meaningful games.
The New York Giants offensive line has gone through a thorough transformation over the past two offseason. Many veterans who were cornerstones of past success are gone, and players such as David Diehl have changed positions several times. However, every member that is being expected to contribute has a least a year of experience under their belt, so hopefully we see the unit improve as a whole this season.
At the end of last season the Giants rushing game improved greatly; however, it was not enough to move them out of last place in the league . Although the team proved it was possible to win the Super Bowl without a formidable rushing attack, if the Giants can become even and average team on the ground they will possess one of the most dynamic offenses in the NFL. It will be interesting to see how the offensive line situation plays out while the team is in training camp.
Also…
- Be sure to "like" Giants 101 on Facebook and to follow Giants 101 on Twitter
- Text "oneteam" to 20222 to donate $10 to the One Team for the Lights charity initiative.
Related Videos
Returning Soon!!!!No related posts.
Short URL: http://sport-ne.ws/fts
Nice write up Paul.
While I’ve been a huge DD supporter, I think his job is the only one truly up for grabs this year. I think Kevin Boothe is a near lock for at least this year.
I THINK DD will be fine at RT, especially with a full camp able to focus entirely on that without question marks about where he’ll be asked to lineup. That being said, he’s never been a great a talent, so it’s entirely possible he could fall of a cliff at any moment as he gets up there in age.
Any chance Locklear pushes for the starting job at either LG or RT? He’s not part of the youth movement, but if Brewer isn’t ready and Diehl struggles as badly in camp as he did during last season, I could see this becoming a possibility.
Yeah, David Diehl is really a magician who through sheer illusion has convinced one of the best-coached teams in any sport that he has enough talent to have started for them at various offensive line positions for just about every game since 2003. Boy, those Giants’ coaches must be kicking themselves for having been so blind.
He may be nearing the end, but lack of talent has never been the issue with him. And as for those statistics, if all he allowed in 2011 was 6.5 sacks while playing against Ware, Spencer, Babin, Cole, Arapko and Kerrigan twice each and plenty of other quality pass rushers once, I’d say that’s pretty remarkable. Those stats are total trash. They don’t adjust for the quality of those across the line from him.
I’m going to make a wild guess that unless James Brewer has made a pact with Lucifer there is no way he’s beating out Diehl at RT this season.
Diehl is one of our ‘mythology victims’ … a category of player that I am officially introducing. In a nutshell it’s one whose reputation is damaged by persistent rumors and charges that are difficult to quantify … and often at odds with measureable statistics.
That is quite a slippery slope your going down with that one. I think that Diehl is much better then the worst pass blocker in the NFL. However, it wasn’t like the people at Pro Football Focus just made it up out of thin air. They had a formula for calculating his pass blocking efficiency:
1– ((Sacks + (0.75*(Hits + Hurries))/ Pass Blocking Snaps))*100 = PBE Rating
Again, I’ll repeat that I do not actually think he is the absolute worst pass blocker in the NFl. However, its probably not a good thing to be in that conversation.
Beatty and Brewer are the wildcards. If they play well then there’s progress and depth. If not then I’ll join kujo in beating the drum for an OLman or two next year.
This is a big year for Will Beatty. It’s time for him to either step up and take ownership at left tackle or have the Giants start thinking he may not be their man. He is obviously bright enough to play well over there. His footwork appears to be excellent, and he’s a “student” so is undoubtedly studying his opponents carefully. There are, though, two big questions floating around about him. Can he gain enough lower body strength to be effective as a run-blocker? And more important, is he going to have a chronic back problem? The Giants suffered through that problem for years with a not-so-long-departed left tackle who was very good when he was feeling well. But Luke Pettigout caused them a lot of trouble and they won’t want a repeat of that situation anytime soon.
I’m betting Petrus is the LG
Boothe will be the able-bodied utility reserve lineman
I think the two drafted rookies are going to be pretty good. I saw Mosley play a few times and actually noticed him, which is rare for a lineman. He’s a major brawler and has that same kind of toughness that Diehl has. I’m betting Diehl takes him under his wing. And the athleticism of McCants sounds pretty promising. I find it pretty hard to believe that Pat Flaherty won’t be able to harness that and make him at worst a great depth guy but quite possibly the left tackle of the future if Beatty cannot really tie down the position.
Looking at this group you have to remember that it is VERY young in “offensive line years”. These guys are generally the ones who have the longest NFL careers because losing speed is less critical than it is elsewhere on the team. So even Snee is not “old” in these terms. Same goes for Baas. Diehl may have only this year, or 1-2 more left in him, but he’s really the only “old lineman” of the group (I’m not including Locklear since he isn’t really part of what I think of as the “group”). So having Beatty, Petrus, Boothe, Brewer, McCants, and Mosley (and Goodin for that matter) means the Giants have a lot of young guys to develop. I am sure they will draft a few more over the next two years.
I think they will develop another great O-line over the next two years. My only concern is this year and next. That’s the transition time where there is risk. But as I’ve been saying, they will only have to be average over the next few years for the Giants to win games. With Eli and his receivers, a quality #1 running back, and the defense this team is building, the O-line just has to avoid being bad. I think they have the pieces to reach that level right away. They will be better down the road, but I think they’ll be “good enough” this year. As always, I am firm in my belief that in this salary cap era you must be willing to live with some parts of a team that is “good enough”. That has been the linebackers for the past 6-7 years. This year it looks like the O-line and the tight ends. I can live with that when everything else looks so good to me.
Add Cordle to that young group.
Interesting to me is that while Beatty is out with a bad back, Diehl remains at right tackle and Brewer is inserted at left tackle. Brewer is unlikely to ever be a left tackle in this league, yet he’s taking snaps there anyway. I guess they’re really vested in starting Diehl at RT and want to give all the reps there they can.
One would think that as the season unfolds, that in the event Beatty gets hurt, Diehl would move back to LT and Brewer or Locklear would be inserted at RT. I suppose at this early stage, a one body substitution is less disruptive than two.
Brewer needs to be feed hot pepper & ghost chilly with every meal.
In other words, he aint mean enough yet. Getting your a$$ slapped around in practice will generally help toward that goal 100%. “Swim or sink big dude.”
Chris Snee who I liked seems to have slowed down. I remember him spearheading the Giant rushing attack his first few years. He was one of the only guys who could pull and had to quickness/timing to trap as well.
However, very few of Giant O-line mates have more TD/first down/big yardage plays called back due to holding. He has to be Eli’s best friend and a good husband to avoid the evil eye for some of his massive (ill timed) miscues. He needs to turn it around.
I think he still has all pro ability. It would be nice if he started showing it again.
Boothe may not be the “sexy” pick. However, if you want someone blocked, he’s your guy. He may not take the center job from Baas. However, no one can take the backup center job away from Boothe. The team moves the ball better on ground when he is in the game. Tru dat.
I love Petrus and want to see him get more play. But he’ll not move Boothe unless Kevin gets hurt. Petrus could be eyeing Snees job why ya BS-ing
Baas just needs to show what he has that made Reese so crazy about him.
I understand him being hurt and sub par last year. It’s Showtime baby.
Beatty from what I saw of him was well on his way to being either all pro, or honorable mention. He’s quick, long and has gained strength and some bulk in his upper and lower body. Just ask Trent Cole. Beatty should be better physically this time around.
David Diehl is my hero, because everyone (including me) has wanted him on the right side of the O-line since Beatty was drafted. Well after DD once again performed “admirably” on Eli’s blind side we finally have our wish. I guess we’ll be trying to find a reason for Brewer or someone else to move DD to the bench.
Baring injury, its not gonna happen folks. David is crazy like a fox.
The thick of it is this line should perform well after a chance to learn each other.
The offensive line coach has an obligation to “btch and moan” about any and every thing. In fact every coach has that right.
With the addition of Bennett and the youngster at tight end, I have a feeling Pat Flaherty is holding back a “Kool-Aid” grin. He’s quite a bit to work with this time around. (IMHO) Without major injury, this line could well be loaded for bear.
I have seen the future and its name is Joel Reinders.
That is all.
He’s a monster. And he’s not at all over weight at 6′ 7″ 320.
My question is can he put one foot ahead of the other and maintain his balance?
If so he’s an instant Giant HOF’er, and I too will be assimilated :)
I understand they put a Santa Clause in his contract. Had to get it approved by the NFLPA and by the league’s capologists. Says something to the effect that if he delivers enough pancakes before Christmas he gets a bonus in the form of a vegetarian feast.
****, Ho, ****……..And thats not my girl friends job description……………………
55, I’ve no idea why they blocked the other two “H” words and left a single iteration that is clearly much more offensive than Santa’s legendary utterance. :)
At any rate, I was not calling you the “H” word. LMAO