October 15, 2009
As an athlete and a competitor there is nothing better than a challenge. This week, the Saints are going to be an excellent challenge. They’re 4-0 and coming off a bye week and out playing us at home so I know they’re going to be fired up and excited. We’ll be on the road so we have to get off to a fast start and match their intensity.
As always, we’re ready for a 60-minute fist fight, and it’s going to take good, smart football to go in there and come away with a win.
Everybody is talking about the Saints offense putting up a league-best 36 points per game and controlling time of possession. Nobody is really talking about their defense, which has given up only 16 points per game and an average of only 83 on the ground. It’s going to be a great test for our offense. We have to play our game, do what we need to do to become successful and come away from New Orleans with a win.
Obviously we’re going to focus on getting the running game going, making sure to keep momentum on our side, which is especially important on the road, convert third downs and control the clock so we keep our defense fresh and their offense off the field. That’s how you have success on the road. The Super Dome will be a loud, hostile environment. The city of New Orleans is going to be alive and fired up come Sunday so we’ve been working in practice with crowd noise. We do all that so when we get there, we can focus on our job, which is to win a football game.
I think it’s been awesome to see the development of our offense. But even though we’re 5-0, nobody is satisfied. Nobody is content with where we’re at, they continue to raise the bar and push each other to become better players and a better unit. It’s great to see Brandon and Ahmad push each other, to see Eli working with the receivers, constantly talking it out to make the routes crisper. That’s the true sign of a good team. That’s when you see the character of a team, when things are going well but they keep working to improve and do better.
This team continues to push the buttons, to do whatever needs to be done to be a better team. It starts with preparation and crisp practices, where guys are flying around. Everyone spends extra time with their playbooks. I always see guys at the facility all the time.
The schedule gets tougher as the season progresses, we’re going to keep playing better and better teams. But we don’t care about that because we’re not looking ahead. The only important game right now is against the Saints, because that’s the next game.
Dave Diehl is an offensive lineman for the New York Giants. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.davediehl66.com. Find him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/davediehl66.
October 8, 2009
We’ve got Oakland this week at home. Though they don’t have a great record, from the standpoint of an offensive lineman this will be a tough game. They have a very good front four with Richard Seymour, Greg Ellis, Tommy Kelly and Gerard Warren, they’re all veterans with a ton of experience.
Those guys all line up and play hard and they have a good linebacking crew behind them. They’re fast, downhill running linebackers who aren’t afraid to fill a hole and aren’t afraid to hit. So as an offensive line it’s going to be an awesome game and an awesome challenge.
The Raiders have good players but they also play well together. Their schemes are designed well for them and it will be exciting for us to match up with such a good front seven.
I believe that in every NFL game, the battle is won or lost between the offensive and defensive lines.
Some of the guys are nicked up a bit, but you just have to fight through it. There’s nothing you can do about it, this is the NFL and everyone has bumps and bruises and whatever. But being an NFL player, you are a Sunday Warrior, you do whatever it is that you have to do to be out there on the field and fight through it. When you win the football game, it makes it all worth it.
It was great to win three games on the road. It’s a great accomplishment but that’s in the past. We’re moving forward with our season and we’re excited to be back at home playing at Giants Stadium. No planes, no trains, no busses this week. To be able to play in our own environment with our home crowd, to have that intensity, will be a great boost for us.
When we play at home we always talk about getting off to a fast start to get the crowd into it. That really makes it a tough place for our opponent to play. We’re just fired up to have the home crowd rally behind us, and we’re ready to do whatever we need to do to come out with another win.
Dave Diehl is an offensive lineman for the New York Giants. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.davediehl66.com. Find him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/davediehl66.
October 1, 2009
When fans look at the weekend’s NFL matchups, they use records as one of their main aspects in determining who is going to win. But it’s not that easy. Winning games in the NFL is tough. Everybody on the outside looking in is saying that Kansas City should be an easy game for us, but that doesn’t matter. As a player you can’t allow yourself to think that way.
If you don’t come to play, you’re gonna get your butt kicked. It’s part of the job of being a professional athlete, you have to be prepared to play, no matter what else is happening, no matter what people are saying. You constantly strive to become a better player and a better team.
Our team has a great attitude and I love the direction that we are headed in. We had a great day of practice today, guys are fired up. You can never take for granted your current state. It’s always about where you want to be, not where you are now, and it’s all about how you’re going to get to where you want to go.
The Chiefs defense has some great players even though their record doesn’t show it. They have four first-round picks on defense, they play hard, they’re fast, they run around and attack to the football. I’ve never played in Kansas City before but everyone talks about how loud Arrowhead gets. It’s a tough environment. The season isn’t going the way they want it to at this point, but I know that as competitors and athletes, they’re going to go out there and lay it on the line on Sunday. They are going to do whatever they can to get their home crowd to get behind them and come away with the win.
We’re preparing for another fight, a solid, 60-minute fight. We’ve been working all week to get better, because if you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse.
Someone mentioned to me that I’ll be starting my 100th straight game since I was drafted in 2003. Obviously, it’s a great feeling, but I still have a long way to go. I’m not looking to end my career anytime soon. Knock on wood, the whole point is just to keep going out there and starting every game.
It’s an accomplishment and something to be proud of. I definitely take pride in always being there for my teammates and playing no matter what the circumstance, fighting to do whatever it takes to win the football game.
But I’m far from done, and I’m far from being where I want to be as a player. I will keep doing whatever it takes to be out there for every down of every game for as many years as I can play.
Dave Diehl is an offensive lineman for the New York Giants. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.davediehl66.com. Find him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/davediehl66.
September 9, 2009
There’s no better way to start the season than with a home game against the Redskins. This is what we play the game for. This is what football is all about.
Don’t get me wrong, you have OTAs, mini-camp and the preseason, but all of that is to get you prepared for the regular season. You have to put yourself in the best position possible both physically and mentally heading into the season.
When it’s over, no one describes your season by how you did in training camp or preseason, it’s all about what you did in the regular season. It is what gives you an opportunity to get to the playoffs and to win the Super Bowl. It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon. You have to go out there each and every week for a 16-game stretch and do whatever you can to be in the best position to make a run at the Super Bowl.
That’s what we’re all playing for and it starts now.
It was awesome to go in yesterday on our day off and see so many guys in there, preparing themselves to play, breaking down Redskins film. It just goes to show how excited everybody is and how willing they are to put in the time, to make sure Sunday at 4 we’re ready to take on the Washington Redskins.
You always want to start fast and on a high note. What better way to start than a home game against the Redskins, not only our long-time rival but a division rival. All games in our division are important.
This is why everybody watches preseason games and follows the draft. It’s all in preparation for this weekend. THE NFL SEASON.
On any team, you have younger guys and the veteran leadership. For the rookies, nothing matches the speed and intensity of a regular season NFL game. They’ve gone through preseason and practices, but none of that accounts for what they are going to experience this weekend in a real game, so the older guys are going to do their best to make sure the younger guys are fully prepared. When the ball is snapped, it’s a 60 minute fist fight and you need to be the aggressor.
I’m excited and looking forward to seeing how this team handles itself and how it responds. It all starts this week with practice and preparation. I know the energy is going to be there, the team is fired up, we’re excited. Now you have to have crisp, clean practices and everybody has to be on the ball. Have our game plan down so when adjustments need to be made you are all over it. We have to spend extra time watching film so when we go out there on Sunday we’re able to adapt to anything the Redskins are going to do. They’re going to do something different with their defense that we haven’t seen. Whether its alignment, blitz, etc., and when they do we have to be able to adjust and move forward.
I’m not one for predictions, I’m not going to guarantee a certain number of wins or a Super Bowl or anything, I just know this team is going to play hard, play fast, play with a lot of energy, and play with confidence. We will sell out and do whatever it takes to win the football game.
Dave Diehl is an offensive lineman for the New York Giants. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.davediehl66.com. Find him on Twitter @davediehl66.
One of the hardest working lineman I have ever seen, I waited for Daivd to finish working out after practice was over! Lond after the field was empty this man was still running and working his routine to get in shape. Even though he was exhausted, he saw me there still watching his workout, and rewarded me with this photo of he and I at the field. He stood there and autographed my Super Bowl Cap as well! Thanks David!