O'Callaghan - how did he do?

[JR4]

It seemed he did pretty well against Strahan. Yes he did get some
help from Watson but I saw him really holding his own.
Brady had pretty good protection against one of the better pass rushes.
That has to say something for the kid.
I think he has improved a lot form last year.

Was there any drop off from Kaczur? I didn't see it.

 

[cstjohn17]

It seemed he did pretty well against Strahan. Yes he did get some
help from Watson but I saw him really holding his own.
Brady had pretty good protection against one of the better pass rushes.
That has to say something for the kid.
I think he has improved a lot form last year.

Was there any drop off from Kaczur? I didn't see it.

The whole O line had a rough night, O'Call was a little better than Hoch & Light who flat out stunk but I think we all yearn for the Kaczur era.

 

[p8ryts]

The whole O line had a rough night, O'Call was a little better than Hoch & Light who flat out stunk but I think we all yearn for the Kaczur era.

I think people are overreacting to the performance of the offensive line. We always seem to forget the other guys are players too and the Giants defensive line is acknowledged as one of the top pass rush lines. Yes, a couple blitzers got away on mistakes and yes, Tom faced some pressure but I think the line did a really good job in an intense game against top flight competitors. O'Callaghan particularly faced one of the best all around defensive ends against the pass and run and he did his job.

I think they did a good job!!!!!!!!!!

 

[patsox23]

I think O'Callaghan was not good, and that - even WITH Kaczur's up and down performance this season - there was a noticeable drop-off. The Giants DL is elite, so it's important to consider that, but you can't just judge this on sacks allowed. Brady got knocked around quite a bit.

 

[BrianPat]

Let remember, Kyle Brady has been out the last 2 games and he's a beast in Pass Protection. Tom even made mention of him when asked about a win " Ya, but we lost a tightend in the game " I think Tom realizes what this beast of a man brings to the offense.

 

[WhiZa]

I still would rather see O'C starting. I think he would do better in the long run.

 

[Halifax_Pats_Fan]

I still would rather see O'C starting. I think he would do better in the long run.

I disagree, a lot of people on this board crap on Kaczur. He does get beat but not on a regular basis. He is a solid tackle and should unquestionalbly be the starter. O'C is a proven backup however.

 

[Seacoast Fan]

I thought the line played pretty well, given the injuries and the competition. The Giants led the league in sacks. That is probably the best ruching unit we will face from here on out.

By the way, for how long is Kyle Brady out for? I have to admit, when we picked him up, I wasn't all that enthused, but he did do a great job blocking, and seemed to hold on to the ball when it was thrown to him.

 

[BrianPat]

I thought the line played pretty well, given the injuries and the competition. The Giants led the league in sacks. That is probably the best ruching unit we will face from here on out.

By the way, for how long is Kyle Brady out for? I have to admit, when we picked him up, I wasn't all that enthused, but he did do a great job blocking, and seemed to hold on to the ball when it was thrown to him.

Kyle has been out for at least 2 games

 

[5 Rings for Brady!!]

My solution remains the same. Bring in a stud left tackle to compete with Light, and hopefully move Light to right tackle.

 

[Deus Irae]

Given that it was yet another different lineup on the OL and that it was the first time all season with that group playing together in a game, they did the best they could against the best pass rush in the NFL. Yes, they could have done better, but they also could have done a lot worse.


Having said that, I wonder if O'Callaghan could move inside to guard. Neal is a quality player, but he gets injured frequently. I'm publicly for something similar to what 5 Rings has said: Draft a tackle (Oher if he comes out, for example) and bring him along slowly. When he's ready to start, either play him at LT and switch Light to the right side or let play him at RT to get some experience at the NFL level.


Edit: corrected for wording

 

[wdkantro2]

Given that it was yet another different lineup on the OL and that it was the first time all season with that group playing together in a game, they did the best they could against the best pass rush in the NFL. Yes, they could have done better, but they also could have done a lot worse.


Having said that, I wonder if O'Callaghan could move inside to tackle. Neal is a quality player, but he gets injured frequently. I'm publicly for something similar to what 5 Rings has said: Draft a tackle (Oher if he comes out, for example) and bring him along slowly. When he's ready to start, either play him at LT and switch Light to the right side or let play him at RT to get some experience at the NFL level.

I believe you mean if OC could move to guard, and the answer would probably be no. I'd be surprised if he has the speed to do all the pulling that the Pats guards do, and I've never seen a 6 foot 7 guard before.

As for the question at hand, I don't see what anyone is talking about in saying that OC was a noticable drop from Kaczur. Usually at LEAST once a game, Kaczur gets beat basically without even touching the man he's supposed to block. Even on the plays where he doesn't get beat, he still lets the rusher get depth which, if Brady takes too long to throw, results in an easy coverage sack when Brady tries to move around. I saw a bunch of plays where Strahan (or Osi, whoever OC was on most of the night) got absolutely ZERO penetration and were just eaten up completely by OC.
The one area where I am unsure about is run blocking. Considering how the Giants were selling out with a linebacker to stop the run, it's hard to pin the blame on a single O-lineman, but I did notice very few good runs off right tackle.

 

[Remix 6]

O'C was bad. he couldnt reach the LBs at times..let Strahan get by many times on run plays. at least he didnt stand out negatively like Justice did for the Ealges against Giants allowing 6 sacks

 

[cstjohn17]

Having said that, I wonder if O'Callaghan could move inside to guard. Neal is a quality player, but he gets injured frequently. I'm publicly for something similar to what 5 Rings has said: Draft a tackle (Oher if he comes out, for example) and bring him along slowly. When he's ready to start, either play him at LT and switch Light to the right side or let play him at RT to get some experience at the NFL level.


Edit: corrected for wording

Why all the love for O'Callaghan? Kaczur is a better player, I don't mind drafting a stud LT (who would) but it is hard to bring someone along slowly when they are being paid $6-8 million per year (any pick in the top 7 will get at least $6M per year). If the draft a Tackle with pick 7 the player would be expected to be a very good RT right from the start, Kaczur would be depth a either tackle and possibly at Guard. O'Call seems to be too tall to ever play guard.

Guard play - I really never paid any attention to it until this year, watching Mankins I am amazed at the difference a high quality guard can make. Neal is pretty solid but is getting old and misses 2-4 starts per year, I could also see a guard being drafted or perhaps a tacle who converts to a guard like Mankins.

 

[Deus Irae]

Why all the love for O'Callaghan? Kaczur is a better player, I don't mind drafting a stud LT (who would) but it is hard to bring someone along slowly when they are being paid $6-8 million per year (any pick in the top 7 will get at least $6M per year). If the draft a Tackle with pick 7 the player would be expected to be a very good RT right from the start, Kaczur would be depth a either tackle and possibly at Guard. O'Call seems to be too tall to ever play guard.

Guard play - I really never paid any attention to it until this year, watching Mankins I am amazed at the difference a high quality guard can make. Neal is pretty solid but is getting old and misses 2-4 starts per year, I could also see a guard being drafted or perhaps a tacle who converts to a guard like Mankins.

1.) O'Callaghan beat out Kaczur for the job last season, and lost his job to concussion.

2.) With Light, Kazcur and O'Callaghan, any tackle drafted could be brought along slowly and developed by Dante. That would allow the team to draft a raw prospect with a high ceiling (Oher, if he declares). It's not as if Belioli really worries about people crying over picks.

3.) Yes, O'Callaghan seems tall for a guard. Height, on its own, is not the only criteria, though. With a zone blocking scheme, the possibility just has me curious, that's all. It's only a thought due to the injury problems Neal has.

 

[captain stone]

I thought that the overall pass protection was OK; the run blocking, however, was a disappointment. I had hoped that the OL could exploit the NJG DL's tendency to rush upfield, knowing that Brady-to-Moss would be featured heavily, which it was. There were too many runs for little or no gain, and that won't cut it in January in Foxborough.

Perhaps now that the pursuit of records is over, maybe BB, Skippy and Dante will place a greater emphasis on run-blocking attitude and technique. A healthy Kyle Brady will also help.

 

[DaBruinz]

1.) O'Callaghan beat out Kaczur for the job last season, and lost his job to concussion.

Sorry, but this is false. Kaczur was injured to start last season. That is why O'Callaghan "beat" Kaczur.

2.) With Light, Kazcur and O'Callaghan, any tackle drafted could be brought along slowly and developed by Dante. That would allow the team to draft a raw prospect with a high ceiling (Oher, if he declares). It's not as if Belioli really worries about people crying over picks.

Very true.

3.) Yes, O'Callaghan seems tall for a guard. Height, on its own, is not the only criteria, though. With a zone blocking scheme, the possibility just has me curious, that's all. It's only a thought due to the injury problems Neal has.

Neal is someone more likely to be replaced sooner than later, IMHO.

 

[Spiral]

I rewatched the game last night and focused on O'C on every offensive snap. I thought he did well on pass protection, as Strahan wasn't a factor on passing downs, with the exception of one or two plays when he might have hit Brady or gotten close. On some plays in the first half, Britt was lined up alongside him to give him help with Strahan, but I think that was due to the game plan, and not an in-game adjustment. On running plays, he didn't appear to do nearly as well, although it's a little harder for me to figure out his assignment on these plays. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised. I didn't focus on Hochstein as much, but I don't think he played well at all. Moving forward, I think Neal's status is more of a concern than Kaczur's, IMO.

 

[ClevTrev]

Moving forward, I think Neal's status is more of a concern than Kaczur's, IMO.

Very good point. I want to see Neal healthy for every playoff game. That's far more of a potential issue with the OL than anything else.