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According to Tom Coughlin, Chris Snee is “starting to build up” (NY Daily News).

Snee is recovering from off season hip surgery.  As of August 6th, Chris is off the PUP list and participating in team activities.  Since 2005, Chris has only missed one game which points to him being our starter week one.

While he is only taking half of the snaps with the first team, it is hard not to feel optimistic about his recovery.

The most recent O Line depth chart features LT Will Beatty, LG Kevin Boothe, C David Baas, RG Chris Snee, and RT David Diehl.   In 2012, Snee seemed to be surrounded by inconsistency.  To his left was newly acquired David Baas, who sometimes struggled in the Giants scheme.  To his right was David Diehl, who missed 3 games and his backup, Sean Locklear, seemed to out-perform him whenever he had the chance and was injury free.

However, the aging Giants O-line surprised many by giving up the fewest sacks in the NFL.

Snee performed well enough to earn his 4th pro bowl.  There is no reason to think they won’t continue to improve.  The aforementioned inconsistencies surrounding Snee should settle down and help the Giants run the ball.  Baas has another year under his belt and thanks to a new focus on conditioning, Diehl seems ready to return to form.

If Diehl under performs, rookie Justin Pugh will have to step up and anchor the right side.  Diehl’s production against the Colts projects Pugh as the starter much sooner than expected.

As long as Snee can hit the field, he should have another great year.   He has already shown he can perform even when he’s not 100%.  All indications seem to say that Snee’s injury should not be a hindrance this year.  However, it will be interesting to see how it affects him in future seasons.  Hips are very important to a lineman’s technique, so this can be a red flag for problems in the near future.

If the Giants return to a top ten for rushing team in the NFL, with a healthy Snee…a playoff run should follow and shot at a home town Superbowl.

Just more football game predictions…but that’s what we do.  You can view NFL lines here. 

Frank Deeg | Giants Rush Contributor

 

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