Empire Writes Back
Fansided

New York Giants: Weston Richburg Sidelined Again

By Kenneth Teape

facebooktwitterreddit

The New York Giants secondary has been the talk of training camp because of all the injuries that the unit has suffered. But, do not forget that the Giants also have a lot of question marks along the offensive line, as anchor Will Beatty will be out for about half the season after tearing his pectoral in the spring. Ereck Flowers has also missed time, while Geoff Schwartz is still battling to get over injuries he suffered last season.

More From Empire Writes Back: Who Was The Top Giants From 2014?

But, the Giants could have a real concern at center, where Weston Richburg is struggling to get healthy. While Beatty is responsible for protecting the blindside of Eli Manning, Richburg is arguably the most important player along the offensive line. After playing guard exclusively as a rookie, Richburg is transitioning back to his natural position of center, giving Manning the third different starter that he will be taking the ball from under center from in as many seasons.

Getting reps with Manning is supremely important as the two need to build a chemistry together not only in the exchange under center, but with shotgun snaps as well. But, he is losing out on those important reps because of a troublesome left knee.

Richburg was removed from Saturday’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars before the rest of the first team offensive line because of the knee injury. This is not the first time Richburg was forced to miss practice time because of the knee, as he also missed time two weeks ago. As a result, he received a cortisone shot but it does not seem to be having the effect that they were hoping as he is yet to return to anywhere near full strength.

More from New York Giants

While there are some people that believe this is an injury that he would be able to play through in the regular season, it is still troubling. Injuries to the lower body are tough for anyone to get through, let alone giants of men such as offensive lineman. If he is unable to make it through practices and preseason games, there is no guarantee that he will be able to make it through a regular season game that counts when opposing teams will really ramp up the effort against him.

Young players missing practice time is never a good thing, but when you are being counted on as Richburg is, it is even worse. He is playing a crucial spot as the start center, and missing time will only hurt him. The Giants are already ravaged by injuries, and Richburg missing any significant time will be a huge problem that the Giants will find it tough to overcome.

Next: Giants' Studs and Duds From Preseason Week 2

More from Empire Writes Back

Home/New York Giants