New York Giants' Bedrock Offensive Line Starting to Crumble

This time last year, New York's five offensive line starters felt like true Giants. They had broken the post-1970 merger record for most consecutive games played by a line. Throughout the 2007 Super Bowl season and the 2008 NFC-best regular season and into October 2009, New York's line was always left tackle David Diehl, left guard Rich Seubert, center Shaun O'Hara, right guard Chris Snee and right tackle Kareem McKenzie.

The streak snapped at 38 games when McKenzie sat out the Arizona game last Oct. 25 with a groin injury. After six games back together, McKenzie and then Seubert were felled by ailing knees last December. The Giants, 7-5 in the games in which the line was intact, were 1-3 when at least one of the quintet was missing

Seubert, O'Hara and Snee all missed time with injuries this summer. O'Hara missed so much time that Seubert started a preseason game at center with Diehl moving into his spot and youngster Will Beatty taking over at left tackle. O'Hara's ankle and Achilles have never truly healed. He was inactive the past two games. Adam Koets replaced him with New York going 1-1. But Koets sprained an MCL in last week's 17-3 victory over Chicago.

So when the Giants practiced on Wednesday, Seubert was at center, Diehl at left guard and Shawn Andrews, whose Pro Bowl career in Philadelphia was ruined by injuries, at left tackle, Crank up, "They're Breaking Up That Old Gang Of Mine" on the jukebox.

"Today they asked me to play there, get Shawn reps at tackle," said Diehl, who has started every game during his eight seasons. "Tomorrow I'll be back at tackle. Later on in the season if injuries do happen or whatever ... I just went out there and practiced. I haven't pulled or done any of that stuff at guard in seven, eight weeks."

Koets, whose sprain is apparently mild, could well be back Thursday with a brace on his knee and Seubert said that it was too early in the week to fret about who would start Sunday against Houston.

"What am I supposed to do, worry?" Seubert said. "This is football. People get injured. If we've got five guys left, those five guys are going to go out there and give it all we got. Everybody's got to be ready to go at every position. Dave knows what he's doing anywhere. I know what I'm doing anywhere. Those other guys that aren't practicing right now, they'll be back."

That might not be the case with the 33-year-old O'Hara, who hasn't been 100 percent in months. McKenzie and Seubert are both 31. Diehl is 30, Snee, the "baby" of the line is 28. In other words, this group is aging. Koets, 26, and Beatty, 25, are the future. Andrews is just 27, but after missing all but two games in 2008 and 2009 with injuries in 2008, his body is probably older than its chronology says.

"I've been at left tackle, left guard, right guard, right tackle for the last few weeks," said Andrews, who started as a blocking tight end against the Bears. "It's a challenge, and I knew it wasn't going to be easy. Going to play tight end was actually a shocker, but I've just been ... coming in on my off days and before practice, after practice. I get home at night (and) ... go over scenarios in my mind and just get the mental reps, because those are just as important as the physical reps."

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