Working for CBS — which carries primarily AFC games — Phil Simms does not get to call too many Giants games. He watches his former team “as a fan” but when he put on his analyst’s cap for Sunday’s game against the Bills it did not take long for the quarterback to spot the weakness.
“It’s the first note I wrote: The offensive line is not the dominating force I usually see with the Giants ever since Tom Coughlin’s been there,” Simms said. “Ever since he’s been there that offensive line’s body of work has been tremendous.”
The Giants offseason and preseason were dominated by noteworthy injuries to starters, but it’s the two healthy players they chose to cut that may be slowing them up front. One of the first things the Giants did after the lockout ended was cut guard Rich Seubert and center Shaun O’Hara.
“The dynamic of the offensive line, being together, the bond they have, the pride they have as a group, who’s the leader. Those are all big deals,” Simms said of the line that likely will be without guard Chris Snee on Sunday because of a concussion but will get center David Baas back.
“There’s been some really good offensive lines in the NFL where there is truly not one star. . . . If that unit really gets clicking the running back and wide receiver positions are definitely top-shelf caliber where they aren’t going to be a detriment to the team, that’s for sure.”
Not having any stars has worked well for the Bills, and not only on their offensive line. Buffalo is off to a stunning 4-1 start thanks to upsets over the Patriots and Eagles at home.
“There are no big draft picks that are playing significant roles: Steve Johnson was a seventh-rounder, Ryan Fitzpatrick was a free agent they picked up off the street, Fred Jackson was undrafted, and he’s the most valuable player on the club right now,” former Bills special-teamer and CBS analyst Steve Tasker said. “And the defense is playing much, much better than they did a year ago, at least against the run. They are not knocking it dead, but they are light years ahead of where they were a year ago.”
Though the Giants seem stuck in neutral. After the rash of injuries and an opening loss to the Redskins, expectations sunk. Then the Giants won three straight games — including what appeared to be a season-changing victory in Philadelphia. But that was followed up with a depressing home loss to the Seahawks this past Sunday. The schedule turns difficult for the Giants following home games with the Bills and, after a bye, the Dolphins, making this Super Bowl XXV rematch critical for Big Blue.
“The Giants have to be happy to be 3-2,” Simms said. “There’s no consistent body of work, yet. They are trying to hang in there and keep fighting until they hit a groove, until they play really well for four, five, six weeks in a row. Or it’s going to be a struggle all year, and hope you get hot at the very end.”
justin.terranova@nypost.com