Loading ...There's no way to sugarcoat it: the New York Giants' offensive line was not very good in 2011. And although they got a bit better for the stretch run, they're going to need to improve significantly in 2012 if the team has any realistic chance at repeating as Super Bowl champions. That improvement will need to start in the middle with center David Baas, a converted guard who was signed during free agency last offseason.
From the get-go, Baas struggled mightily and that was only compacted by numerous injuries that resulted in some shuffling along the offensive line. Looking back at the film, the eight-year veteran is far from pleased with what he sees, and fully intends to use his 2011 performance as motivation to drastically improve in 2012.
“Oh, I hate looking at film from last year. I did some good things, but you see some of that stuff and you’re like, ‘God!’ You know you can be so much better," Baas said. “It’s good. It motivates me because I know I’m so much better than that.”
Baas doesn't just want to be better, he wants to be the best. He wants to be the man Pat Flaherty and Matt Rhule point out in meetings and during film sessions. He wants to be a leader by example, and more importantly than anything else, he wants to dominate.
“I just want us to be a good unit that dominates,” Baas said. “And personally, I need to make sure I’m that guy on film where they say, ‘Watch Baas here. Watch how he does it.’ ”
Teammates have seen drastic changes so far this year, with guard Chris Snee saying "he was very physical, he practiced well the whole camp." Kevin Boothe also referred to him as a great player, and believes "everyone is going to see that this season."
“I put a lot on my shoulders, and there’s everybody [involved in blocking], but you see little things that could’ve sprung a big run,” Baas said. “I have to be accountable to everybody and, more so to the end of the season, I started to get that going. I just kind of self-motivated.”
Big Blue will certainly need that improvement … and not just from Baas, but the rest of the unit as well. They managed to survive with the last ranked run offense in the league a year ago, while also allowing a ton of pressure on quarterback Eli Manning from his blind side. That's not something that will fly two seasons in a row.
Photo Credit: Mike Gannon
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I think Baas is definitely being underrated by fans. He was basically learning on the fly and had those injuries. Now that he’s comfortable with the system and support cast I think he’ll not only be good…I think he’ll be a top 5 center in the league this year.
A few seasons ago, Demo and I spent weeks and months heatedly-debating our center position. My stance was twofold:
1) The center position was crucial and undervalued in the current era of football
2) A significant upgrade needed to be made either through free agency or a fairly high draft pick (somewhere in the 2nd or 3rd round, though I had my eye on whichever of the Pounceys was coming out in the draft that year).
While Señor Fathead likes to bring this episode up as an example of me being “wrong” about our OL, I believe my position was ultimately vindicated when we paid top dollar to David Baas, himself a former 2nd round pick. He came in last year, and as Billy points out, was forced to learn an entire offensive system–where not only is h expected to know what he’s supposed to do, but also be able to orchestrate the assignments of his fellow linemen, as well as keep up with Eli’s audibles at the line of scrimmage–in a manner of weeks. People speak of the need for “chemistry” on great olS. Well you can’t begin to build chemistry if you have to learn the playbook on the fly. The difficulty was further compounded by his neck injuries that kept him out of action and off the field, where chemistry is built.
Nevertheless, as the year progressed, his play improved, as can be expected. And coming into 2012, he is one of the guys who needs to “build the bridge” between what he was able to accomplish in the playoffs and this current season. He’s shown he’s more than capable of being a very fine center.
I basically agree 100% with this, except for the part about the Pouncey’s. I wouldn’t have taken the 2nd Pouncey because I just didn’t view him as nearly the prospect that his brother was coming out of school.
I was right with you regarding a center, a position that, along with safety, I have insisted is undervalued by fans and even many GMs. But I also said that the Giants could find a good one without having to use a first draft pick and would therefore pass on Pouncey. I still think that was the right move, and I think Baas will be a key player here for at least another 5-6 years.
Five guys I intend to watch VERY carefully tonight are Locklear, Brewer, Mosley, Petrus and Capers. We need two of them to play well and show progress. I’m not really that concerned about Locklear. He just needs to get into a rhythm and get the offense down pat. But the other four need to show big progress from the game against the Jags.
Is this game on channel 9 again? I hope not. Their coverage is beyond awful.
CBS, I believe.
Thank goodness. Thanks for the info.
Yeah, it’s on CBS. I couldn’t stand that fuzzy camera on My9, plus the commentators…bleh.
Is Thomas playing tonight?
Bradshaw went to the locker room… hope he’s ok! He walked off on his own….