By those famous unwritten football rules, offensive lineman are not to get very much publicity.
They are to be quiet, unassuming and simply out there doing their job. In other words, “seen and not heard”.
They are usually the last one's to receive credit for whatever happens on offense. The celebrations and usually saved for the glamorous, high profile position players.
Which then bring us to the Giants.
While quarterback Eli Manning may attract the eyes of the camera and the running backs and wide receivers decide on what their next touchdown dance is going to be, it's the offensive line that doing the grunt work.
These men get down and dirty on every play and play to the scientific formula of force equals mass times acceleration against the defense. Well, they are simply relegated to simply hugs and an occasional head butt with the helmet.
When you watch the Denver Broncos starting lineup being introduced, the offensive line isn’t even mentioned, as if they don’t even exist on the roster.
It is the true “no name” position.
What many miss is that it's this group, those five men in a down stance on each play at the line of scrimmage, which ultimately decides games and team's overall success. It is the foundation for any successful team over a sustainable period.
This brings us back to the Giants.
When you look at their formula for winning this season and in last season's Super Bowl run and in many ways you can look to the five men up front who protect quarterback Eli Manning and allow the running backs to run through what most times appear to be huge seams in the defense.
Football in many ways is a very simple game. Like the saying goes:
“It all starts up front.”
Have a good offensive line? Your chances of having a good season are very high if you have other quality skilled players.
Have a bad offensive line? Then you may want to take out insurance policies on your quarterback because he'll have nowhere to run or hide. There won’t be any holes for your running back unless he is Walter Payton, Jim Brown, OJ Simpson or Barry Sanders.
For the last 26 games, the “The Law Firm” (my nickname for them) of (David) Diehl, (Rich) Seubert, (Shaun) O'Hara, (Chris) Snee and (Kareem) McKenzie have started on the line of the defending world champions and have molded themselves into the best offensive line in the game of football today.
Each possess their own individual talent, but together, no team in the league is as cohesive as they are. Not New England, not Dallas, not anyone.
What is amazing is that, besides Snee, who is regarded as one of the best guards in the NFL, none of the guys would rank among the top of their position in a ranking system. It is even more impressive when you think about where each of these guys have come from to make their way to the Giants and build the fortress that is dominating the rest of the league.
David Diehl - LT: Originally a very good left guard since originally drafted by the Giants, he was transitioned to left tackle after the team released chronic penalty maker Luke Petitgout after the team’s chaotic 2006 season.
It was unknown as to whether he would smoothly move into the new position of protecting Eli Manning's blindside while withstanding the oncoming rush of the leagues best pass rushing defensive ends on a weekly basis.
He would appear to look undersized for some tastes (he is no Flozell Adams or Chris Samuels), but makes up for it with tremendous intelligence and athleticism. When you watch him closely on tape, you can see how his able gain leverage on plays and be able to take defenders completely out. The new contract he received before the season was a confirmation the experiment was a success.
Rich Seubert - LG: Perhaps the most overlooked person on the line, yet one of its most effective.
A few years ago, he gained entry into my Giants heart when he would come in as a sixth offensive lineman on short yardage plays. He was a "jack of all trades" on the line, with the ability sub in at any spot if a man went down. Last year, as Diehl moved to left tackle, Seubert became a full time starter at left guard.
He has started every game since.
Shaun O'Hara - C: The story of the O'Hara did not begin with the Giants, but rather, the Cleveland where he spent three seasons after not being selected in the draft. In 2004, the Rutgers product who also went to high school in New Jersey, found his way back.
Since the start of the 2005 season, he has the leader of the group; starting in every regular season game (he missed the Wild Card game against Tampa Bay last season with an injury) and providing stability and toughness. As “lunch pail” players go, you will not find many more than him.
Chris Snee – LG: The most talented of the entire bunch and one the premier men at his position. It still seems a little odd that he is the son-in-law of Coach Coughlin, but it makes for great stories during the holiday season.
On the football field though, he is as nasty as they come. He bullies his man at the point of attack on most plays and uses his athleticism to string out running plays when the Giants run stretch and counter plays in addition to screen passes.
Need a tough yard on third down? Simply run it to Snee’s side of right guard and success usually comes with it.
Kareem McKenzie – RT: After the 2004 season, the Giants needed to beef up the line and went for the best right tackle on the market, signing him away from the rival Jets.
He brought instant credibility and intelligence to the position, along with a mean streak. His footwork allows him to seal off edges and give the running backs a chance to bounce plays outside. Also, he is able to overpower his man at the snap of the ball and pass protect among the best in the league.
As the team has had unbelievable success this season running ball (a large reason for the team’s 9-1 start), one had to look on and give praise to this unit. It was not too long ago in the Coughlin Era that the team was bitten and shooting themselves in the foot with penalties that would kill drives and even possible touchdowns.
No one has to look any further than in 2005 at Qwest Field in Seattle where the team committed 11 false start penalties in a Giants overtime loss to the Seahawks. One year later, in a playoff game in Philadelphia, numerous holds and false starts backed up drives and at one point, put them in a rare first-and-35.
They were the most penalized team in the league. With a team coached by a man who preached discipline, this flew in the face of everything he believed. Last year, everything changed.
New York went from the most penalized to the least. This reflected in its win total and during the magical playoff run, this group, in three road games, committed very few penalties.
No one will ever forget the line “solidarity pledge” during the NFC Championship in Green Bay last year. With wind chill temperatures reaching 25 below zero, the Law Firm decided to go there and play that game without sleeves, firming an already cohesive bond. In that game, it was perhaps their finest hour. They allowed Manning to slice the Packers defense and controlled the game on the ground, chewing up time of possession that lasted over 40 minutes.
Perhaps it was in that game when they had realized how far they had come together. Each of them had played together in the previous years where the discipline was between “lacking” and “non-existent”. Now, here they were, bracing these once in a quarter century elements and thriving.
Their beliefs were confirmed. In Glendale, Arizona two weeks later, they would become World Champions. This season, they have come out with an unbelievable confidence in their ability to control games at the line of scrimmage and they have done so in dominating fashion.
In the last three games, they have bullied opponents and paved the way to 200 plus yard rushing efforts. It has happened five times this year as the Giants are the number one rushing team in the sport.
Back when Tiki Barber was leading the offense, many thought it was due to his great individual talent. When he retired, it became a question as to what they offense would do without him. Were those same holes that Barber was running through exist for the running backs that would follow?
The answer was yes. Amazingly, the team rushing stats from 2007 were almost identical to 2006 when Barber was on the team.
As we cross the midway point of this season, the Giants are set to shatter those numbers and rush for numbers that would make it seem like they were playing in the 1960’s. The holes for Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw, the trio known as “Earth, Wind and Fire”, have been enormous.
Whether they are running left, running right or simply straight ahead, yards have come in big chunks no matter who is carrying the ball. Not bad for a group that likely does not have one potential Hall of Fame player among the five.
When the team went on the road to hostile environments in Pittsburgh (Heinz Field) and Philadelphia (Lincoln Financial Field), the line only committed one total penalty and Manning was only sacked one time against two of the best blitzing teams in the league.
They are not rattled and their confidence never wanes.
It is a true group of overachievers.
That’s why they are the best line in the show going today.
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