Our biggest offensive line need is...

by bigblue777 on Mar 10, 2010 3:26 PM EST

Center. I know, I know a giant "What?" just went across the Giant fandom, but I've been thinking a lot about this so stick with me for a minute. I've been giving a lot of thought to what the Giants could/should do in the first round of this years draft (I'm a big believer that we need to get Weatherspoon, but that is a different post). One possibility that floats around is what would happen if a high caliber tackle is available. This has forced me to give a lot of thought to our current offensive line. Two years ago it appeared to be one of the best lines in the league. Last year we saw some drop off. What does the future hold?

As I look to the future, an obvious question mark is the left tackle position. Diehl was slid into that position more out of necessity than desire. He has done a respectable job, but I don't believe he is the future at that spot. From what I saw out of Will Beatty I think he will be the left tackle of the future. If we insert Beatty at left tackle, we have a few options. Diehl could kick back in to guard or move over to right tackle. We know that Diehl can play guard, but I think his size and skill set is ideally suited to man the right tackle position. Diehl is still young enough and has enough years left on his contract that this scenario would put us in a very good place moving forward at the tackle position. McKenzie can become a reserve tackle(because his injury problems have hurt his ability to be counted on as a starter), and we don't have to worry about addressing the tackle position in the draft this year.

Now that our tackle position is solid, what is the status of our interior line. Chris Snee is hands down a stud at the guard position. Shaun O'Hara is a great center and a true leader of the offensive line. Rich Seubert is a promoted backup and the only remaining "question mark", so why am I not saying that guard is our biggest need? As much as I love O'Hara, he is 32 and his contract is up in 2012. We have no other centers on the team. Last year when they were having players practice snapping in case O'Hara couldn't go we didn't have anyone that could snap a ball to save their life. O'Hara has been an ironman, but how much do you depend on a 32 year old man never getting nicked. I know that O'Hara desires to get into coaching in some form after he retires. This leads me to believe it is very likely that in 2012 at the age of 34 O'Hara will be retiring. We need a player who can give us protection now and a starter in the future.

I need to further evaluate this year's center prospects. I've identified the need, but not the player. Ideally we'd get a player who could come in and compete with Seubert for the guard position now. He could then soak up all of the knowledge possible from O'Hara and be ready to slide over into that spot come 2012. Sound off about your thoughts on our offensive line needs, and if you've got any potential center prospects worth looking at, I'd love to know more about them

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Comments

interesting...

and you make some good points…i just don’t see JR paying McKenzie 5Mill a year to be a backup.

and quite honestly, the best part of moving Diehl outta the T position is that he can play G and make Richie the backup.

we do need a C b/c Koetz…puulease. but this year i go w/ OT.

"If you don't know what you're doing... just rush the quarterback" - LT

by andiamo708 on Mar 10, 2010 3:53 PM EST reply actions

financially speaking...

yes it might make more sense to move Diehl to guard rather than RT. Not only because of the money McKenzie makes, but also because I know Diehl has accelerater clauses built into his contract based on him playing tackle. If he moves to guard his contract costs less over the long term. I’m looking at this from the angle of putting the best team on the field, which is the fan perspective. I think Diehl has huge potential at the RT spot. You make a very valid point that a GM has to weigh the economics of it all. I still feel very worried about the center position regardles of where we move Diehl. If Diehl is at guard then there isn’t a place to start the kid we draft as our future center, but he can play a reserve roll still while we get him ready.

by bigblue777 on Mar 10, 2010 7:21 PM EST up reply actions

we should be worried...

our backups couldn’t even get the ball to the QB last year in camp…Koetz has been here for a while now and still seems like he’s a “project”.

but remember we got O’hara for that C spot so maybe when the time comes we can just go out and grab another vet…or at least a guy who’s got some NFL experience.

"If you don't know what you're doing... just rush the quarterback" - LT

by andiamo708 on Mar 11, 2010 12:34 PM EST up reply actions

Maybe its a vet

I personally think O’Hara has a vast amount of knowledge about the game that I’d love to see tapped and taught to a young prospect. Because center is the quarteback of the offensive line it to me takes the most time to learn. That’s why I’d like to see a guy drafted with some time to learn from O’Hara how to do it right.

by bigblue777 on Mar 11, 2010 12:42 PM EST up reply actions

well, that's great in theory....

but we do have Koets..he was drafted and is “home grown”…

i guess he could still pan out…if i recall he was a T or G in college…not a pure C (i think ?)

"If you don't know what you're doing... just rush the quarterback" - LT

by andiamo708 on Mar 11, 2010 1:02 PM EST up reply actions

I haven’t seen anything out of Koets that leads me to believe he can play anywhere along the line at the NFL level.

by bigblue777 on Mar 11, 2010 1:38 PM EST up reply actions

You're probably right

about McKenzie staying the starter at RT, but it’s unlikely that he will make it through 16 games without a couple of injuries. So at one point or another, he will not be in the starting lineup, and it’ll be interesting to see what happens. If the O-line plays well sans McKenzie, he’ll probably warm the bench a bit longer than his injury requires so it’ll work out for everyone…hopefully. YES I’m a psychic now.

"I'm not a scratch golfer. I don't know how to bowl. I can't read the stock market. Hell, I have a hard time rememberingmy wife's cell phone number. But I can call 'Flip right double X jet 36 counter naked waggle at 7 X quarter' in my sleep" - Gruden

by I_Formation27 on Mar 11, 2010 11:03 AM EST up reply actions

Agreed

I have little faith that McKenzie can stay healthy all year. That’s a big part of why I was trying to think out a solution for our offensive line.

by bigblue777 on Mar 11, 2010 12:10 PM EST up reply actions

call me crazy...

but i for one would not be shocked to see JR go OT in the first round…and cut McKenzie….

"If you don't know what you're doing... just rush the quarterback" - LT

by andiamo708 on Mar 11, 2010 1:03 PM EST up reply actions

I wouldn't be surprised it that happened

by I_Formation27 on Mar 11, 2010 4:06 PM EST up reply actions

I'd like to get a OC with versatility for OG

I think Dave Diehl is more likely to be a RT instead of LG (and hopefully above LT too…).

Master of the squeegee

by FreeBradshaw on Mar 10, 2010 3:56 PM EST reply actions

I kinda hope your wrong...

don’t want to see Beatty and Seubert next to one another….

something scares me about that….at least right now….

"If you don't know what you're doing... just rush the quarterback" - LT

by andiamo708 on Mar 10, 2010 3:58 PM EST up reply actions

scarier then Diehl and Seubert?

Master of the squeegee

by FreeBradshaw on Mar 10, 2010 4:03 PM EST up reply actions

maybe...initially....

at least those two have some continuity and familiarity with one another….

you take a guy like Beatty who’s a bit green and you put him next to a Guard who has clearly seen better days, has a shoulder that’s shot, and lost a step and yeah….Eli gonna have to watch his back.

plus, like i said above, i think the whole benefit of moving Diehl is to move him to G.

but that’s just me….

"If you don't know what you're doing... just rush the quarterback" - LT

by andiamo708 on Mar 10, 2010 4:10 PM EST up reply actions

What bout Snee at LG

Snee is arguably the best guard in the league. Would you feel more comfortable if Beatty and Snee manned the left side? Beatty is already used to working with Snee from filling in for McKenzie last year. The newly drafted C\G slides into the RG sport while learning to take over the center position. Is that just too much moving around on the line? Is changing Snee to left brilliant or fixing something that isn’t broken?

by bigblue777 on Mar 10, 2010 7:29 PM EST up reply actions

It makes sense to move Diehl in to RG if Beatty shows he's ready for starting LT

Who better to have next to the rookie than the guy who manned the position for a while and has the techniques down. He can’t help that he’s not a perfect fit, physically, but he proved that he is incredibly versatile and has the mental side down.

Bleeding Blue since 1962

by sunlion333 on Mar 10, 2010 4:04 PM EST reply actions

I think that you mean have Diehl at LG

I’m pretty sure its Seubert and Diehl on the left and Snee and McKenzie on the right

By moving Diehl back to his old LG position, you get to improve 2 positions with only one new guy.

I have no problem with getting a Center, but I think that McKenzie plays a more demanding position that can be filled with a late round guy (4th or later). But you need a year to get those guys up to speed.

Center in 2011 draft.

by giantblue63 on Mar 10, 2010 5:16 PM EST up reply actions

It may wait until next year

If we don’t go center until next year let’s all just pray that nothing happens to O’Hara or we are in serious trouble.

by bigblue777 on Mar 10, 2010 7:25 PM EST up reply actions

Dude, your right. I don't know my left from my right anymore. Football withdrawals.

Bleeding Blue since 1962

by sunlion333 on Mar 10, 2010 7:17 PM EST reply actions

Imo Diehl should go to LG and we draft a Tackle in the first few rounds

and have McKenzie start the year in RT.

Center is important but we still have a little while to figure it out. McKenzie’s contract is up at the end of this year as well, so a RT is important

by mclaren_is_the_best on Mar 11, 2010 5:21 PM EST reply actions

If you move Diehl to guard

then yes RT becomes the priority in the draft. That’s why I was saying there is the possibility to move Diehl to RT and find a center prospect that cna play guard while he learns. Two birds, one stone. I understand that may be expecting too much out of young players or be too much shuffling. Let’s just hope O’Hara continues to be the ironman stud.

by bigblue777 on Mar 12, 2010 8:05 AM EST up reply actions

you're right

I guess what matters is if JR thinks Dielh is good enough to play RT or is he better suited for LG. I think we can all agree though that both Seubert and McKenzie are getting up there in age and are unlikely to both be starters in 2011.

by mclaren_is_the_best on Mar 12, 2010 4:39 PM EST up reply actions

Need RT big time,guys!

However Matt Tenant,one of FB’s mock picks sounds good if he can play LG and C.A 3rd rounder for someone like that seems smart.We also need RB really bad and although usually we pick those up later,I wouldn’t bat an eye if we grab a good one early although I doubt we will.Those are alot of offensive needs but to me OL is much more in need of higher end youth.Expect a balanced draft boys!

by Shaunthegiant on Mar 13, 2010 6:21 PM EST reply actions