Atlanta Falcons OL Justin Blalock Says New York Giants Front Four One of Best in League

As the Atlanta Falcons face off against the New York Giants in an NFC wild-card matchup Sunday afternoon, one of the key things to watch is whether the Falcons can stop the talented and tenacious front four of the Giants.

The matchup between the Falcons offensive line and Giants defensive line became tabloid fodder this week when Giants defensive end Justin Tuck said of Falcons tackles Will Svitek and Tyson Clabo "most people call them dirtbags."

Those comments, which were followed by Svitek's defensive of Atlanta's aggressive to-the-whistle approach and legal but denigrated cut-blocking techniques, will bring even more attention to one of the key matchups of the game.

Without addressing the controversy, Blalock acknowledges that the Giants' front four is a challenge to counteract.

"Obviously they're a talented group up front. They've done a good job of developing players up there," Blalock said.

Defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul is an example of that development. The second-year player led the Giants with 16.5 sacks this season.

Pierre-Paul and his compatriots regularly get to opposing quarterbacks. Blalock pointed out that the Giants had 48 sacks this season and plenty more pressures as well.

"They do a phenomenal job of getting you in situations that pressure you," Blalock said.

One of the biggest ways the Giants do that is by playing Tuck inside on pass-rushing downs. That allows Tuck to be on the field along with Osi Umenyiora and Pierre-Paul.

"They're able to mix and match players and get three or four guys that would traditionally be ends on the field at the same time," Blalock said.

So what's the remedy for facing Big Blue's talented front four? Blalock said the Falcons have to mix things up, both in terms of play calling and by changing up protections on similar kinds of plays.

"We have to mix it up... to keep them off balance," Blalock said. "We cannot just sit back and let them tee off."

If the Falcons can stop the Giants' front four, quarterback Matt Ryan and the offense will have their chances to pick apart a secondary that has struggled. If not, the Giants will blow up plays before they start and keep Atlanta from gaining an offensive rhythm.

That's a reason to watch the line play--even more than the controversial comments that swirled this week.


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