Giants 2012 Training Camp Preview: Offensive Guard

Part 7 of our 2012 training camp preview examines the guards.  

The Players: Kevin Boothe, Chris Snee, Mitch Petrus, Stephan Goodin

The Storylines: With Diehl, last year’s starting left guard on opening day, headed to right tackle, a competition between Boothe, who finished at left guard last year, and Petrus, the third year man out of Arkansas, opens up.

Another guy to watch this summer is Chris Snee. Last season, Snee had a bit of an off-year for reasons unknown. Having had a full off-season to rest, it will be interesting to see if Snee comes roaring back into his dominating self from recent seasons.

Keep an Eye On: If Petrus shows that he’s made enough improvement to be trusted with the starting left guard spot, that would allow Boothe to be the utility swingman at guard and center, which would free up another roster spot to add a bubble guy to the roster. It will be interesting to see if Petrus gets any work at backup center this year – usually the Giants look to groom their guards to work at center as well. If Boothe wins the starting job, and Petrus can show he’s reliable as both a backup guard and center, he will have increased his value to the team.

Predictions: Barring the unexpected, Boothe and Snee should be the starting guards, with Petrus the reserve.