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 17, 2009
What do you have to do to get pumped up for this? Sunday Night Football, once again against a division rival, at Dallas, opening a new stadium. It doesn’t get any bigger or better than this. It’s going to be a tough game, a physical game, the crowd is going to be fired up and into it and we’re going to have to match the intensity of the Cowboys.
To be successful we have to get them out of their game and do our job on offense, which means controlling the ball. I hate to use a cliché, but we really do have to take it one play at a time. On the road, it’s crucial to think about it that way. Things won’t always go your way on the road, there will be adjustments to be made, but you can’t let anything throw you off of your game plan or make you fail to execute.
I like to say I play with no conscience. If you make a mistake you learn from it right away, learn why that play didn’t go your way and then move forward. If you let it trickle down, especially on the road, it will lead to disaster.
I’m excited to be going to Dallas, it’s always a battle, always a challenge. They’re going to be fired up. Our coaches have done a great job of putting us into the right game plan, using our strengths to make us successful. It’s got to be a group effort, the whole team has to rally around each other and go out and play a great football game.
Dallas has a great defense. They not only have great players but the 3-4 scheme they run puts players in the right position to use their talents to the best of their ability. In the 3-4 they use one defensive end on my side and one standup linebacker. The main guys I’ll be blocking are Igor Olshansky as the end and either DeMarcus Ware or Anthony Spencer on the outside. Usually it’s DeMarcus.
As a football player you always want to challenge yourself against the best in the NFL, and DeMarcus is one of them. He’s athletically gifted, he’s 6-5, 265 and runs like a linebacker, he’s smart and instinctive and fits into their 3-4 system perfectly. You have to account for him at all times.
DeMarcus also plays the game real hard and real fast, you really have to play him to the whistle and make sure you finish him or he’ll make plays downfield and on the back side.
It’s awesome, I’m excited to go up against him again, so I’m making sure to study all the film I can to see if he’s done anything different from last season during the preseason or their first game against Tampa Bay.
I’m preparing for a 60-minute battle, because that’s what it’s going to take to be successful out there.
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.
August 5, 2009
I spent the last 5 weeks before training camp going back and forth between Chicago and New Jersey. In NJ, I worked out at Joe DeFranco’s gym, working on strength, power and explosion, using weights and rubber bands. In Chicago I worked out at Attack Athletics with Tim Grover, the guy who trained Michael Jordan, working on quickness, agility and balance, side-to-side, lateral movement. In both places I did conditioning.
I feel like I’m in the best shape of my life right now.
I’m excited that we’re back in training camp. There are always some little butterflies heading in, though. I got here a day early so I could check in, get my keys, get settled in my dorm room and get in the locker room so I didn’t have to rush the first day of camp. That day I woke up, had breakfast and relaxed before camp officially started.
By 1 p.m. the first day of camp you had to have a weight/body fat test right away. There are certain goals everyone has to make after having 5 weeks away from the team. Then we have the conditioning test, which is 10 half-gassers, up and down each sideline and back, under a certain time.
I did the test before camp last Tuesday to make sure I could, just to ease my mind, and I felt great afterwards.
I know I’ve done everything I can to make myself a better football player and help the offense.
It’s just one of those things, every year you have to come back to training camp and reestablish yourself, who you are, reestablish your identity, regardless of how many years you’ve been in the league. This is my 7th training camp and I still feel that way. I want to show how hard I’ve worked in the last 5 weeks away from the coaches, that I’ve done everything in my power to come in in the best shape I can be in and show that I’m willing to work again to earn my position. Even though I’ve been a starter for 6 years, nothing is ever given to you in this league.
Don’t get me wrong, I took some breaks, too. I love Chicago-style pizza and I made sure I got some. You have to splurge sometimes, even though you’re working hard, because before you know it summer is over and look, it’s time for training camp.
The way I look at it, each year is more important than the year before. Each season is completely different. As a team, you come to training camp and set the standard for how you’re going to compete, how you’re going to prepare. What we do now reflects on what we’re going to do the rest of the year.
Heading into last season we were Super Bowl champs, now we have a chip on our shoulder. We didn’t play a good enough game our last game of the season to move forward, and that still lingers in my mind. That’s the type of thing you use as motivation to push yourself in the right direction.
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 as davediehl66.
August 3, 2009
I know I haven’t been blogging a lot recently, but for me it’s never about what you say, it’s all about what you do, and all I was doing the last 5 weeks was training and keeping myself physically and mentally prepared for training camp. It was my time to take care of business and I used that time to the best of my ability to get ready for the weeks that lie ahead.
We start training camp today in Albany. We know it will be tough, that pretty soon every day will start to feel like Groundhog Day and we’ll be going through the heat and tough two-a-day practices.
In New Jersey and Chicago we’ve had plenty of rain this summer, but when we get to training camp it never seems to rain. We joke that Coach Coughlin made a deal with The Man upstairs that it will only rain when we’re done practicing for the day. In the six years I’ve gone to training camp I think we’ve had maybe two rainouts. And it just seems to get hotter and hotter every day after we show up for camp.
Every once in a while a guy will do a rain dance, but that never works out. Even when it does rain it seems to stop the minute we start practicing, then we have to practice in the muggy heat, which is even worse.
But the truth is this is a fun time for everyone, too, as hard as it is. It’s great being around your teammates all the time. Don’t get me wrong, it’s tough being away from your family, but it allows you to focus on football. As hard as training camp is it’s also some of the most fun you have all season because of the camaraderie. Everybody comes back and shares stories about how their summer was, the funny things that happened.
That’s what football is all about.
When people step away from the game that’s what they miss most. The sweat, the blood you all share, these are the guys you do it with day after day. Guys miss that common thread when they retire.
Also, there’s always the rookie hazing at camp. Every rookie has to stand on a chair in the lunchroom, say their name, school and signing bonus, and sing a song other than their school fight song. It’s always a lot of comedy that breaks up the monotony of being in training camp. It’s a ritual, I had to do it, that’s the way it is and it’s a lot of fun. I sang Eazy-E, “Eazy-Duz-It.” If a guy’s not good, they make him sing another one. I only had to sing once, though.
One thing I don’t look forward to about training camp, though, is dorm life, and waking up at 6:30 every morning. You’re only there to sleep, really, but after a while the room starts to get a musty smell to it, with a bunch of nasty football players living in the dorm. You’re living out of your suitcase so your clothes choice is limited, and after a while you have to wear some of the same clothes if you don’t get a chance to do laundry. And the cafeteria food starts out good but gets old real fast. It starts to get repetitive, especially for the guys who really like food.
Training camp is a great time and a bad time. It’s bittersweet. It’s the toughest three weeks physically, and regardless of how you feel, how sore you are, you have to block out the temperature, block out injuries, block out everything that’s happened and go out there and perform. When everyone does that together it can make the difference between winning and losing during the season, pushing through everything and getting the job done.
This is where a team’s identity is formed. Here, we all go through it together.
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 as davediehl66.
May 28, 2009
Up until Wednesday, the rookies had just been lifting and meeting on their own. Now, because of the OTA’s, they have started to lift, practice, and are in the meeting rooms with the vets. It’s and exciting time for them. I remember what it was like to be a rookie just stepping in. Every NFL player had that experience and has been through that situation, as rookies or free agents.
It’s nice to have guys coming in hungry. As a Giants player, we have a lot of faith in Jerry Reese and what he’s doing upstairs to help us win games and go back to the Super Bowl.
The fans and media worry a lot about our wide receivers, and it is tough to lose a player like Plaxico Burress, of course. But we’ve got guys who are hungry and are excited about getting the opportunity to play.
Bringing in Hakeem Nicks as a first-round pick is exciting, he’s a tremendous guy and tremendous athlete. We have the same agent so I know that he’s already found a place to live so he can stay here all summer and catch passes and run routes with Eli. It’s awesome to see a guy with the intensity and dedication. He can make a splash right away.
Steve Smith is a player who has made big plays for us and we just got a glimpse of what Domenik Hixon can do last year, he’s just coming into his own and should get a lot more playing time. Sinorice Moss and Mario Manningham are also players look to get into the mix. And even though he is a tight end, I see Kevin Boss playing a big role in our offense this year. Best thing about all of these guys is that they are still young and have tons of potential.
I have a lot of confidence in the wide receivers we have, it is definitely not a problem spot for us. I know we’ve got the pieces in place to have a successful offense.
Off the field this year I’ve gotten very involved with Project Sunshine. Project Sunshine is a nonprofit organization that provides free educational, recreational, and social programs to children facing medical challenges and their families. Project Sunshine serves 60,000 children each year in 150 medical facilities. It’s an unbelievable organization. To learn more about this terrific organization visit www.projectsunshine.org. Comix, the comedy club in New York, got in touch with me with the 12 Angry Mascots through my management firm, PR PR, and said if I did some comedy with them, they would donate profits from the night to Project Sunshine.
So I did it. Every once in a while I think you have to try something new, challenge yourself by going outside the box. But more importantly, I was doing it to raise money for charity. Click on "videos" here on my site to check it out or click HERE.
I was more nervous than I have been with most things in my life, because there’s nothing worse than watching a comedian bomb. A lot of the sketch was improv, and I had a great time doing it. I’m not looking to become a standup comedian or an actor, I’m a professional football player. But it was fun, people laughed and thought it was funny, and it was for charity.
So all in all it was a win-win. What I couldn’t believe was how fast the buzz spread on the web. I did it last Wednesday, and by Thursday night and Friday morning people were calling me, it was on NFL Live, it was just crazy.
Sure, I poked a little fun at Brett Favre, but let me get it straight that I love Brett. I doubt there will ever be another quarterback like Brett Favre, a guy who sold out each and every game for his love of the sport. I mean, who didn’t love watching Brett Favre play football?
I hope everyone knows that the joking about him was done in the spirit of an NFL locker room, where we joke about everybody and play pranks on everybody.
Dave Diehl is the starting left tackle for the New York Giants. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.davediehl66.com. Find him on Twitter as davediehl66.
It has been an interesting off-season for fans this year considering the losses to the team and we all know what they are so enough said. What i'm excited about is the new guys.I live in California and have seen Ramses Barden play alot and he will surprize alot of people during the season. He always seems to get better as the season goes along and plays up to and ahead of the competition.Plays better than he practises, and seems to be a good guy when I met him. I had a chance to chat at camp with Pat Hanlon last year(see my picture with David)for a minute and told him about Barden. I hope it prompted the office to take a look at him. Lets have a great season!!!
May 26, 2009
I just want to say I know I haven’t been on the site in a while but I’m back now and I’ll be updating a lot, so I hope Giants fans will keep checking in on the website.
We officially start OTAs tomorrow and it’s always exciting when you have new teammates, preferably guys who can come in and help us win football games.
It was real tough losing to Philadelphia. We play the game for one reason, to go to the Super Bowl and be champions. When you don’t make it there, all the hard work and dedication from the season feels like it didn’t count for anything and then it’s all over.
It’s very sudden, one minute you’re playing the Eagles and the next day you have an exit meeting, exit physical and then that’s it. Everyone goes their separate ways until off-season training starts on March 16.
In the off-season you have a lot of time to think about things. I went to the Bahamas with my family and friends. It was great to spend vacation time with them. You are so busy during the season its nice to be able to give them the attention they deserve. I went swimming with my daughter in the pool, walked the sand and went in the ocean. You play, you relax but the loss was always in the back of my mind and left a bad taste in my mouth. Same when I went back to Chicago to spend time with my family.
As a Christmas gift, Eli Manning flew me out to the Pro Bowl in Hawaii. I’m not going to lie, I always said that the Super Bowl and the Pro Bowl were two games I would never go to unless I was playing in them. Being a Pro Bowl alternate last year was a great accomplishment but it’s not the same thing.
But Eli really wanted me to be there, he said he wouldn’t be going if the offensive line didn’t do their job.
Honestly, I left Hawaii angry with an even bigger hunger in my stomach to be a better football player. I saw how much the guys there were enjoying themselves and what it meant to them to be there.
It was probably one of the best things I could have done to give myself extra motivation to push myself even harder this season. I left Hawaii at 5:30 p.m., was in Chicago at 5:30 a.m., and by 7:30 a.m. I was in the gym working out.
I’m excited about the direction this team is headed and where I am. I feel like I came into the off season program in the best shape I’ve ever been in to start the program on the 16th. This whole game is about accountability, each guy on the field selling out for one another. You always know that all the guys in the huddle are depending on you. I know that I’m doing everything I can to make this a better football team.
I’m doing everything in my power right now to be in the best shape possible and to become the best left tackle in the NFC. That’s my goal.
It also helps to have someone call you out. The Redskins said they drafted defensive end Brian Orakpo from Texas because the tackles in the NFC can’t handle speed rushers.
That will stay with me during the season. There’s nothing better than being personally challenged.
Dave Diehl is the starting left tackle for the New York Giants. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.davediehl66.com. Find him on Twitter as 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!
Written By Dave Diehl
January 9, 2008
This is why we work out so hard in the off-season. This is why we run, lift weights, have training camp, go through everything we go through. Everything we do as an NFL player is to get to this point, to get the opportunity to get back to the Super Bowl.
To hold that Super Bowl trophy was a feeling like no other, and the only way to get to hold it again is to take care of business and that starts Sunday against the Eagles.
The Eagles are a good team, they know us, we know them. The team that goes out there and plays more physical for 60-plus minutes, and lays everything they have got on the line is the team that’s going to come away with a win and continue their season. I don’t want the season to be over. We want to keep playing.
It’s win or go home at this point, and I have a lot of confidence in what we’re doing right now.
The Eagles beat us last game but that doesn’t matter now. It’s all about the now. The present. It’s all about this game, and the postseason is completely different than the regular season because everyone has to play up to the best of their ability on every play.
You leave it all on the field because that’s what it takes to win these games, and if you don’t you won’t be on the field again until next season.
Playing at home is a huge factor for us, we’ve been good at home. We want to get off to a fast start, get a big play to get the crowd into it and use that as an advantage.
I know I said the last game against the Eagles doesn’t matter, but losing that game still left a bad taste in our mouths. When that happens you just hope to have a chance to redeem yourselves, and we’ve got that opportunity this weekend. Never let history repeat itself.
We’re expecting a slugfest, a real heavyweight bout. That’s what playing in the NFL is all about. You have to go in with everything you’ve got. There’s nothing better than challenging yourself against good players who bring it every week, and I’ll be facing one of those guys in Trent Cole. He’s been to the Pro Bowl, he’s one of the leaders of that defense and plays hard to the whistle. I am going to sell out each and every play because my teammates are depending on me and I know they are going to do the same for me.
In the playoffs the key is to sell out and hold all your blocks just a little longer, and finish every play because everything you do counts. You have to go as hard as you can every play, whether it’s holding a block, getting to the next level and making a block, whatever. If you don’t and something bad happens, you don’t want to look back with your season over and have any regrets.
I know our guys are going to lay it on the line. We want to get back to the Super Bowl. This team still feels like it has something to prove.
Dave Diehl is the starting left tackle for the Super Bowl champion New York Giants. His blog for playerpress.com runs at www.davediehl66.com.