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Hit them hard Giants offensive line getting tougher, better
Updated: Thursday January 04, 2001 10:21 AM
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- While the players and coaches have changed since Bill Parcells took the New York Giants to the Super Bowl more than a decade ago, the approach on offense is basically the same. It's still smashmouth, run-orientated football and the Giants have done it exceptionally well against the Philadelphia Eagles this season. "I think from a certain standpoint, it's like beating on a rock," Giants left tackle Lomas Brown said of the prehistoric approach to offense. "That's what [coordinator] Sean Payton likes to say. It's like beating on a rock for so long, it's going to give. "That's our attitude," Brown added. "We're just trying to pound it and eventually if we pound it enough and pound it right, something will give. That's been our attitude the first two games with them, make them give." The Giants did that in posting a 33-18 victory against the Eagles Sept. 10 and a 24-7 decision Oct. 29. New York controlled the ball for 39 minutes in the first game and 44 minutes in the second. A year ago, the Giants would not have been able to take that approach against any opponent. New York's offensive line just wasn't good enough. That changed in the offseason when the Giants signed Brown, left guard Glenn Parker and center Dusty Zeigler as free agents and combined them with Pro Bowl guard Ron Stone and second-year tackle Luke Petitgout.
Suddenly, the line not only had size and strength, it developed an attitude. "The one thing we noticed in training camp was that those guys weren't going to take nothing from nobody," Giants linebacker Jessie Armstead said. "Those guys are not backing down from anybody." Not only has the line played well, the unit has been called for only 13 penalties this season, including five holding calls. "I'll tell you that offensive line is tremendous," Eagles coach Andy Reid said. "They got after us pretty good, but I know our guys will be ready for the challenge." Parker expects as much in the third meeting between the teams. "The last seven or eight weeks they have been almost a complete opposite of themselves," Parker said. "They were always a tough team, but now they are playing very smart and aggressive. They're not overplaying. They're a much better team than they were even a couple of weeks ago." The Giants made few mistakes in the previous games against the Eagles. They didn't turn the ball over and converted 14-of-31 third-down chances. That allowed the Giants to choose when they wanted to throw. Kerry Collins responded, hitting 43 of 66 passes for 473 yards and three touchdowns. He was only sacked once. "It wasn't about overpowering them," Parker said. "It was about being cautious, not getting into trouble with our schemes and not trying to do too much. The second game was pretty much the same. We said let's not beat ourselves."
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