NEW YORK — The offensive line of the New York Giants took the brunt of the criticism following last week’s 19-3 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. But one former Giants offensive lineman and a three-time Pro Bowl selection thinks the unit can bounce back.
The line conceded three sacks in Week 1, not a staggering number, but quarterback Eli Manning was constantly under duress during the game while taking several big hits.
In fact, the play of the offensive line was a major reason why the Giants had just one scoring drive and 10 first downs. Only two of those first downs came via the ground game as the line struggled to open holes.
But for former Giants center Shaun O’Hara, they weren’t the only culprits in the loss. While he won’t pin all the blame on the line for the Week 1 showing, he did say that the unit didn’t help the offense.
“Well look, everybody has got to wear that loss. Especially in Week 1, there were plenty of mistakes to go around. Certainly, for the offensive line, you don’t want to be the one holding anybody back. I know there’s a lot of pride in that room,” O’Hara told Metro New York. “I think they’ll bounce back.”
O’Hara spoke to Metro on Friday evening prior to the gala event for the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund. The charity, started by the two-time Super Bowl-winning former head coach of the Giants, supports families struggling with the many necessities surrounding childhood cancer.
The fund was started by Coughlin to honor the memory of Jay McGillis, a former player he coached at Boston College. McGillis was diagnosed with leukemia while playing college football and succumbed eight months after learning he had cancer.
O’Hara and a number of current, as well as past Giants players, continue to support the Jay Fund.
“I think it’s great to let them know that they don’t have to attack cancer alone,” O’Hara said.
