Greg C.
Cheesehead
Here's an excerpt from a Sports Illustrated article by Ross Tucker about the offensive lines of the four remaining playoff teams. They ranked the Patriots first, followed by the Chargers, Giants, and Packers. I think they could've ranked the last three in any order, but whatever. The comments on the players are all interesting:
3. New York Giants
Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride deserves credit for his offensive game plans in recent weeks. Gilbride's fondness for the passing game has been tabled in favor of a ball-control, move-the-chains type of attack that does not put too much onus on Eli Manning. Gilbride feels comfortable calling plays in this fashion because of the stellar performance of his offensive line, a unit that practically willed the Giants into the playoffs with their devastation of the Bills defense during the second half of the Week 16 game in Buffalo.
The best player at his respective position for the Giants is right guard Chris Snee, but the most impressive performer to date has been new left tackle David Diehl. He has started at every position except center along the offensive line for the Giants and has been more than adequate going against the opponent's premier pass rusher. Lacking both the long arms and flashy feet of a typical left tackle, Diehl has been more than serviceable yet still represents an area the Packers may try to exploit.
Snee is a powerful sparkplug who is considered to be among the top guards in the NFL. Left guard Rich Seubert is an average player who continues to impress with his hustle and effort after overcoming a potentially career-ending broken leg earlier in his career. Right tackle Kareem McKenzie will have his hands full Sunday against the high-motor and picture-perfect technique of the Packers' Aaron Kampman.
Steady and heady center Shaun O'Hara validated the Giants' decision to give him a new contract in the off-season when he returned from a knee injury suffered against the Patriots in Week 17 to neutralize the Cowboys' nose guards last Sunday.
4. Green Bay Packers
This is a Ted Thompson-drafted interior trio led by former seventh-round pick center Scott Wells. His sideboards are left guard Daryn Colledge and right guard Jason Spitz, both 2006 picks. The young triumvirate is flanked by veteran stalwarts Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher.
This unit went from being roundly criticized earlier in the season for an inability to open holes in the running game to a well-respected zone-blocking squad that created big openings for running back Ryan Grant in the second half of the season.
Clifton, the left tackle, is the most accomplished of the bunch, and for good reason. Never mentioned in the same breath as Jonathan Ogden, Orlando Pace or Chris Samuels, Clifton is an elite player with an outstanding combination of size, athleticism and technique. He is not nearly as well respected by the mainstream media as he is among players and coaches throughout the league.
His fellow bookend, Tauscher, is perhaps best known for his doughy physique and poor technique. Tauscher somehow finds a way to utilize his body positioning and good feet into a productive performance. In a result-oriented business, Tauscher gets the job done. He will have a very difficult match-up with Michael Strahan on Sunday.
Wells is similar to Koppen of the Patriots and uses his initial quickness off the snap to be effective. Colledge and Spitz are improving but still represent a problem for the Packers. Spitz has been more consistent on the right side than Colledge has been on the left side. The Packers had high hopes for Colledge when they drafted him, yet the second-rounder was benched at one point this season in favor of Junius Coston. Look for the Giants to have Justin Tuck line up inside over Colledge in certain pass-rush situations.
3. New York Giants
Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride deserves credit for his offensive game plans in recent weeks. Gilbride's fondness for the passing game has been tabled in favor of a ball-control, move-the-chains type of attack that does not put too much onus on Eli Manning. Gilbride feels comfortable calling plays in this fashion because of the stellar performance of his offensive line, a unit that practically willed the Giants into the playoffs with their devastation of the Bills defense during the second half of the Week 16 game in Buffalo.
The best player at his respective position for the Giants is right guard Chris Snee, but the most impressive performer to date has been new left tackle David Diehl. He has started at every position except center along the offensive line for the Giants and has been more than adequate going against the opponent's premier pass rusher. Lacking both the long arms and flashy feet of a typical left tackle, Diehl has been more than serviceable yet still represents an area the Packers may try to exploit.
Snee is a powerful sparkplug who is considered to be among the top guards in the NFL. Left guard Rich Seubert is an average player who continues to impress with his hustle and effort after overcoming a potentially career-ending broken leg earlier in his career. Right tackle Kareem McKenzie will have his hands full Sunday against the high-motor and picture-perfect technique of the Packers' Aaron Kampman.
Steady and heady center Shaun O'Hara validated the Giants' decision to give him a new contract in the off-season when he returned from a knee injury suffered against the Patriots in Week 17 to neutralize the Cowboys' nose guards last Sunday.
4. Green Bay Packers
This is a Ted Thompson-drafted interior trio led by former seventh-round pick center Scott Wells. His sideboards are left guard Daryn Colledge and right guard Jason Spitz, both 2006 picks. The young triumvirate is flanked by veteran stalwarts Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher.
This unit went from being roundly criticized earlier in the season for an inability to open holes in the running game to a well-respected zone-blocking squad that created big openings for running back Ryan Grant in the second half of the season.
Clifton, the left tackle, is the most accomplished of the bunch, and for good reason. Never mentioned in the same breath as Jonathan Ogden, Orlando Pace or Chris Samuels, Clifton is an elite player with an outstanding combination of size, athleticism and technique. He is not nearly as well respected by the mainstream media as he is among players and coaches throughout the league.
His fellow bookend, Tauscher, is perhaps best known for his doughy physique and poor technique. Tauscher somehow finds a way to utilize his body positioning and good feet into a productive performance. In a result-oriented business, Tauscher gets the job done. He will have a very difficult match-up with Michael Strahan on Sunday.
Wells is similar to Koppen of the Patriots and uses his initial quickness off the snap to be effective. Colledge and Spitz are improving but still represent a problem for the Packers. Spitz has been more consistent on the right side than Colledge has been on the left side. The Packers had high hopes for Colledge when they drafted him, yet the second-rounder was benched at one point this season in favor of Junius Coston. Look for the Giants to have Justin Tuck line up inside over Colledge in certain pass-rush situations.
