The Football Outsiders site has a link to this article which ranks all the offensive lines in the NFL, with their projected Giants starters as Diehl, Seubert, O'Hara, Snee and McKenzie (I did a quick search and didn't see it poster or linked; I'll delete if it has):
The 2011 version of Giants’ offensive line looks eerily similar to that of the Cowboys’ OL last season. At just under 32 years of age on average, the Giants don’t just have the oldest offensive line in the NFL – They have the oldest offensive OL in the NFL by a wide margin, with the Lions behind them by almost 2 years, on average.
Moreover, this isn’t a situation in which the Giants have “a guy here or a guy there” that’s something like 38 or 39 and skews the numbers – They have a similar conundrum to the Cowboys’ OL of a year ago, where four of their five OL starters will be over 31 years old by mid-season, and the fifth knocking on the door of 30.
The article also points out that 3 of the 5 starters lost significant playing time to injury last year.
Too bad we missed all the OTA and minicamps as the younger guys could have used more work. It would be really great to have one or more of the younger recent draft picks shine and grab a starting spot.
Bloggingthebeast.com Article Link - (
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I wouldn't be surprised to see us add another OL in FA, especially if Boothe leaves.
Age doesn't necessarily mean old or ineffective.
And McKenzie is coming off what may have been his best professional season. The concern is Center.
Diehl (rd 5), Seubert(streets), O'Hara(trade), Snee(rd2) and KMac (FA)...
And, we may have something big in Beatty, Petrus and our guy this draft.
Didn't even mention Andrews (FA), because of back issues
Unless Tyron Smith kicks ass immediately as a rookie OT in the NFC East (which is tough) it's going to look a lot like last year in Big D. I'd wager on Will Beatty having more of an impact in 2011 than T. Smith right now.
The Cowboys haven't taken an "enormous step in the right direction" on the OL. They've still got real issues going into 2011, especially on pass pro.
As far as never drafting OL in Round 1 unless they're dominant OTs, like Thomas and Long, I vehemently disagree. Everything starts and ends in the trenches. Look at the two best Centers in football now: Nick Mangold and Maurkice Pouncey. They were first rounders (chosen 29th and 18th overall respectively). Who wouldn't want either of those two guys as your starting Center?
How about Guard? Nowadays Guards aren't as drafted as they used to be, but that's an advantage if you think about it: A dominant Guard can be had in the last third of the first round, or early second round. Case in point: Chris Snee. The guy is an absolute mauler who we're blessed to root for. GY had it right about the Planet Theory. Too bad EA never shared that same opinion, otherwise we may have seen an extra SB title.
I think teams are placing more value (at the draft) on skills positions players than ever.
I think the Jints backups are better now and and have the potential to be much better.
Jints have drafted Will Beatty a second rounder, two years ago
Mitch Petrus a fifth rounder last year and
James Brewer a fourth rounder this year while
adding FA Andrews.
Lots of questions there no doubt about it and it is reasonable to say that the Jints bring their OL along fairly slowly.
But this is the year for Beatty to step up if he is ever going to do so. I am comfortable with getting Petrus more in the mix this year and pointing to next year for him to step up.
Brewer needs to learn pro technique and get in the weight room for a year or two.
One key question is whether Andrews remains with the team this year and at what level of compensation. If he is healthy and reasonably priced then I think the Jint backup OL is clearly superior to the Cows as well as most of the rest of the league.
"Power wins football games." --- Bill Parcells - ( New Window )
Pittsbugh fits in the mold of the Giants and they put premium stock in their OL..
GMANinDC : 2:36 pm
That has nothing to do with it..Most of the teams that won the SB the last 5 years are quick passing teams, (Saints and Packers). They utilize 3 step drops and quick slants. Not a lot of pressure on the OL..
The Saints in particular come to mind with their quick releases and 3 step drops in 2009. A good O-Line allows you to any and everything though, which is why it's wise to invest in that unit, especially via the early portion of the draft.
Once the CBA is signed Dallas will definately resign Doug Free, most likely release Leonard Davis, and choose not to resign Kyle Kosier.
To create cap space Dallas is said to also be releasing Barber, Colombo, and possibly Newman. We'll see about Newman.
It has been said that Dallas will also restructure the contracts of Romo, Ware, Austin, and possibly Williams to create further cap space.
With this cap space Dallas intends to sign a guard, DE, FS, and SS.
Since he was born in Dallas and went to Texas, Justin Blalock has been rumored to be the guard that Dallas is most interested in signing.
If this were to happen the Dallas OL would be Free, Blalock, Gurode, Holland or Arkin, and Smith. If Arkin should win the starting job the average age for the Dallas OL would be 25.8 years, or one of the youngest in the NFL.
Under this scenario, the transformation of the Dallas OL would be very dramatic.
Jason Garrett doesnt want OLmen that are plodders. He wants OLmen that have good feet and can block in space. Dallas drafted three OLmen this year and all have good lateral movement.
The Giants are in a much better shape this year than the Cowboys were last year. The Giants have quality AND depth, should the starters go down. Yes it is a concern but Betty and Booth played well when they started last year.
Giants OL play demands more coordination between each player (zone blocking) while Dallas is more physical.
above is very poor description, but based on what I have read, it may take a more experienced player to be a fit for Giants while other teams can get away with a more physical younger player.
This line is still a good one...it will be tweaked next year certainly.
But it's good enough to still win.
Plus, OL play well into their thirties.
In fact, the oldest guy, McKenzie, was very good last year.
"lot of techniques. It takes many repetitions to get the feel of working together as a unit"
It takes time for each player and the unit to come together, rookies and players with a little time may not be ready for the responsibility or have the techniques down to be starters.
Link - ( New Window )
"don't need the big, tough guys found from the most elite colleges high in the draft to build a good group. "
"It makes RBs easier to get. You don't need the most expensive, high round picks. You just need a "one cut" runner"
Link - ( New Window )
I wonder how much O'Hara has left in the tank, though? He's in the last year of his contract, and I doubt the Giants are going to offer him a new one (I figure he'll retire and go into broadcasting). I wonder if his replacement is already on the roster?
After Beatty, IMO Koets is the biggest ? The Giants have developed him very patiently over several years to be the heir apparent behind O'Hara. He played OK last year, but again "OK" isn't a very good return for the years the Giants have held onto and developed Adam.
Boothe was a nice surprise for me last year, and I'd love to keep him around as a quality backup at all the interior OL positions. IMO he's overmatched by quick DEs on the outside.
I don't the depth on the OL is as good as people think it is in the minds of the Coaches.
joking
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