Jason O. Watson-US PRESSWIRE
New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin made it clear there would be no changes made to the offensive line this week heading into their Week 2 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That doesn’t mean things will not change afterwards, especially if David Diehl has another terrible start at right tackle.
For the first time in a long time, left tackle Will Beatty is not listed on the injury report, but Sean Locklear is expected to get the start on the left side. It’s possible the Giants want to keep Beatty fresh just to give him another week before throwing him back into the mix as the starter they’ve hoped he could be. If that is the case, it would be a wise move by the Giants.
The Giants best bet with what they have right now, is to have Beatty holding down Eli Manning’s blindside while returning Locklear to his natural position at right tackle. Diehl has been atrocious over the past two seasons and it may be time for the Giants to remove him from the starting lineup altogether. Diehl was unable to beat out Locklear, a player who has spent most of his career at right tackle, for the starting left tackle job and has become nothing more than a subway turnstile for opposing defenders on the pass rush and against the run.
The Giants need to have Beatty on the field, if not for his clearly superior abilities at left tackle over the other Giants, then for an indication of what Big Blue must address in the offseason. Beatty started 10 games in 2011, but has battled all sorts of injuries since suffering a detached retina against the Philadelphia Eagles last November. Since then he has struggled with back issues and an aggravated sciatic nerve this summer.
Once tabbed as the Giants’ left tackle of the future, the defending Super Bowl champions would love to see if the oft-injured Beatty can still be that guy. At the very least, they would love to field their best possible group along the offensive line with the hope of opening up some more opportunities for their dynamic offensive attack.
Louis Musto is a New York Giants Featured Columnist for www.RantSports.com. You can follow him on Twitter @LouisMusto.
