1) Diehl was second in the NFL with 13.5 sacks allowed in 2007.
2) In the Super Bowl, Diehl was beat by Adalius Thomas repeatedly. Remember the sack, strip and fumble of Manning that is later batted by Bradshaw? That was Thomas beating Diehl.
3) The Super Bowl's winning drive...
1st and 10 (2:09) Thomas bull rushes Diehl into Manning, forcing a back foot throw to Burress incomplete.
3rd and 10 (1:59) Thomas bull rushes Diehl into Manning, forcing a back foot throw, Toomer complete 1 yd from first down. (Jacobs converts next play on handoff for 2 yds.)
1st and 10 (1:28) Thomas goes around Diehl. Manning runs right across line of scrimmage. Thomas tackles Manning after a 5 yard gain. Eli was almost stripped of the ball from behind on the tackle by Thomas.
3rd and 5 (1:15) Thomas again goes right around Diehl. The Great Escape by Manning. The Miracle in the Desert, The Catch in the Hat, David and Eliath.
1st and 10 (0:59) Thomas throws Diehl aside for a 1 yard sack of Manning. (His second sack of game, Patriots had three total on night.)
2nd and 11 (0:51) Thomas pushes Diehl into Manning as the ball is let go. Almost an INT by Meriweather.
(3rd and 11 to Smith, and then TD to Burress)
Diehl is a great part of this team. He plays every game, he can play every position, but he is NOT a full-time tackle. This draft is heavy on Offensive Tackles. Get one, slide Diehl back to Guard, add depth everywhere on the line. The only reason not to do this is to believe that Guy Whimper is the answer at LT.. so far we have not seen enough evidence of that.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Why Diehl needs to move back to Guard
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3 comments:
I understand that this is generally a 'good problem to have' but if you're moving Diehl back to guard, who are you taking out of the starting lineup? Diehl? Snee? Seubert? These guys are all top-notch guards, as well as emotional leaders and the glue of the offensive line.
I get that keeping a guy in the starting lineup when he hurts your chances to win is stupid, even if he's an emotional leader, but I'm just worried that the whole Oline will break down if you screw with it.
Obviously, I'd make a terrible General Manager, and I don't envy Mr. Jerry Reese in the least.
You have to get better all the time, and Diehl was the biggest liability on the OL. It was not even close. You move Diehl to Left Guard and Seubert is your first sub. It was a miracle that we did not lose anyone to injury this year (excepting O'Hara for Tampa Bay). Snee is pound for pound, adjusted for position, the best player on the line and many believe he is quietly playing at a Pro Bowl level w/o the recognition.
Also of note is that McKenzie at RT has played through injuries and could have easily been missed. With Diehl at LG, he can move to RT to fill on for McKenzie and then Seubert slides in at LG. These guys have played at all of these positions, so they know each other very well.
As for Reese having a tough job, amen. He could pick a Corner in Round 1 (/Hall trade), take a Safety in Round 2, neglect Left Tackle, and we would not have a word to say. Heck, if another guy of super value showed up at 31 that he took which was not 'need,' you respect that as well. His record so far is excellent.
Diehl did very well and will improve. But I say go for one of the tackles in the draft in the first round only if we get value. But take a tackle please and start developing one. Whimper is better on the right side as McKenzie is slipping.
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