For a few years, the Giants offensive line was considered one of the worst in the NFL, but in 2007, finally took over there. There may not have been a better offensive line in the league. This led them to a Super Bowl.
This group spent several years getting to know each other, getting used to playing with each other, building chemistry. When training would start in March, Rich Seubert, Shaun O’Hara, David Diehl, Kareem McKenzie and Chris Snee would show up together and lift weights. They went out with each other’s families. Their children became friends.
Sign up for Giants Extra: Receive exclusive news, behind-the-scenes remarks and the ability to send text messages directly to reporters
“Offensive line, you need five guys working together,” Seubert told NJ Advance Media recently. “We had the same group of guys who did everything together a long, long time ago … that’s how you build that chemistry. It’s not just: ‘Press a button and you play alongside a guy.’ “
It took patience. In 2007, all five were teammates for two full seasons, and four of them – in addition to McKenzie – for another year.
Dave Gettleman was in the Giants office at that time as a team player director. He probably helped build that offensive line, just as he tried again as general manager of the Giants for the past three seasons. When he was hired, he blatantly spoke of an affinity for “pig mollies” and a desire to make the Giants’ offensive line back to what it was at the height of this franchise.
Entering year 4, no one would say that Gettleman was successful in this quest. There were failed hires of free agents and draft choices, from Patrick Omameh and Nate Solder to Will Hernandez.
Wednesday, the Giants launched right guard Kevin Zeitler. The 31-year-old has been the best offensive striker for the past two years, although that doesn’t say much. After all, the Giants were rated the worst NFL pass blocking team last season by Pro Football Focus. Zeitler was solid, though nothing spectacular, but the Giants needed the economy of the roof. They could not pay $ 14.5 million this year.
So now, they have a hole in the right guard. They have question marks on the left guard (Shane Lemieux? Will Hernandez?) And on the right (Matt Peart?), Too, with a left (Andrew Thomas) who has yet to prove that he is continuing on an upward trajectory.
Things heated up with Gettleman on Tuesday, when a reporter asked him what is taking so long to fix an offensive line that has been a problem since, practically, the last time the Giants won the Super Bowl in 2012.
“We all want things to happen quickly,” said Gettleman. “For what it’s worth, in terms of where our offensive line is, they are young and talented. Things take time. I said before, things take time. We believe in these guys. “
Even though the offensive line played better at the end of last year – it couldn’t have been much worse than the group’s performance earlier in the year – the Giants still allowed defender Daniel Jones to be pressured in more strokes than any starting defender. in the NFL outside of Sam Darnold. It has been like this for two consecutive years.
Since 2018, Gettleman has used a choice of first (Thomas), second (Hernandez), third (Peart) and fifth round (Lemieux) in line forward. He spent $ 62 million to sign Solder in 2018, and they will cut him anytime. He traded edge rusher Olivier Vernon with the Browns for Zeitler in 2019, and now Zeitler has been cut and the Giants’ biggest defense hole is … at the edge rusher.
This does not seem to be a group closer to becoming what it needs to be, as protectors of Jones, but in this off-season the Giants seem to be betting on development.
Thomas, Peart and Lemieux were all newbies last year. Nick Gates was playing pivot for the first time in his career. It is a group that needs much development, and it is no coincidence that Joe Judge renewed his technical team in order to correct the offensive line.
Marc Colombo was fired as an offensive lineman in the middle of last season due to insubordination, irritated when Judge tried to hire Dave DeGuglielmo as a consultant. DeGuglielmo replaced him, but left in the off-season. He is now a coach in college.
Judge replaced him with Rob Sale, a career college coach who most recently was the offensive coordinator at the University of Louisiana, where he produced two NFL attackers (Kevin Dotson, Robert Hunt).
“What I saw with Rob,” said Judge, “are some of the guys he developed in the programs he was on, where he really had to shape and bring them along with his physical development, as well as his mental and emotional understanding. their performance in the field. “
He will be assisted by offensive line assistant coach Ben Wilkerson, a former offensive NFL tackle, and Pat Flaherty, Tom Coughlin’s former teammate who has coached the offensive line in the last two Super Bowl races.
Freddie Kitchens, now a senior offensive assistant, will also assist in training the offensive line.
There are many cooks in the kitchen. Judge and Gettleman need them to prepare something that is much better than it looked last year.
The Giants chose Thomas in fourth overall in Georgia, ahead of Mekhi Becton (Jets) and Tristan Wirfs (Buccaneers), who already look like stars. No rookie allowed as much pressure (57) or bags (10) as Thomas did last season for PFF. Only one offensive striker in the entire NFL allowed more pressure and sacks.
Peart qualified well in PFF as a race blocker (81.7), but poorly in passing protection (48.4), which was 93rd (out of 97) among tackles to play at least 150 snaps. Of 42 offensive line-up novice players ranked, Lemieux came in at 42nd place. One week, he had a pass block of 0.0.
There is plenty of room for improvement for all three.
The Giants still have about $ 3.3 million in capitalization space (before they inevitably cut off relations with the Solder), so there should be no expectation that they will go out and sign a star to replace Zeitler, or take the place of Lemieux or Peart. At this point, Hernandez is probably on his way out, having been eliminated last season.
Gettleman expressed total confidence in entering the next season with Thomas and Peart as tackle beginners. The coaching staff also seems to be satisfied with Lemieux.
“I am very pleased with the development that our young people have achieved in the past year,” said Judge. “I am satisfied with the continuity they have built, not really just five guys working together, but there were actually seven or eight guys working together at different times of the season and really feeling for each other.”
That last part is the key.
Perhaps Gettleman does not deserve all the time he has been given, considering that the Giants were 15-33 in the past three years and the offensive line can be blamed for a significant part of their struggles.
But both he and Judge, it seems, are betting on themselves, on the ability of this technical team to develop their young attackers. To make them work together.
As if we were in 2007 again.
“I think these guys are going to get there,” said Seubert. “If they have time, do it.”
Receive text messages from Giants: Eliminate clutter from social media and text directly with traditional copywriters. In addition, exclusive news and analysis. Sign up now for a free trial.
Please sign up now and support the local journalism you trust.
Zack Rosenblatt can be contacted at [email protected]. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip on here.