New York Giants: Pro Football Focus Ranks The Offensive Line

Where did the New York Giants offensive line get ranked by Pro Football Focus?

The New York Giants season ended prematurely last week against the Green Bay Packers. The Packers eliminated the Giants from the postseason in their Wild Card matchup rather easily, winning 38-13.

While the ending was disappointing, it was a good first season under rookie head coach Ben McAdoo. The Giants were able to snap their four-year playoff drought and have put together a dominant defense. The defense, surprisingly, was the strength of the team; heading into the regular season it was the offense that was expected to carry the load.

With Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. already in the fold, many people believed the Giants offense would take the next step with some added talent. Rookie wide receiver Sterling Shepard was looked at as a strong complement to Beckham Jr., and Victor Cruz was returning to the lineup. Add in Paul Perkins to the backfield and the Giants had the makings of an explosive unit.

But for an offense to reach its true potential they need to win in the trenches. The offensive line was a huge question mark all offseason as the Giants attempted to upgrade with veterans. None would sign because the Giants were intent on Ereck Flowers remaining at left tackle. No veteran tackles were willing to move over to right tackle, so the Giants left their line; it would prove to be a poor decision.

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The Giants offense was unable to get going all season in large part because of the offensive line’s shortcomings. They could not provide consistent protection in the pocket for Manning or open up holes in the running game. As a result, the Giants offense underachieved and really held back the team as a whole.

Not all of the blame can be placed on the offensive line, but they were a major part of the struggles. Just how bad was it? Pro Football Focus ranked the Giants offensive line 20th in the NFL.

It should come as no surprise that the two best performers for the Giants were Justin Pugh and Weston Richburg. Pugh received the highest overall grade at 85.1 and the highest run blocking grade at 84.9. Richburg was the highest rated pass blocker at 89.3. Other than those two, it was not a pretty sight along the line for the Giants.

Here is what Pro Football Focus had to say about the Giants offensive line:

"The Giants may have fielded the worst pair of tackles in the game this season, but the interior trio was solid, particularly when LG Justin Pugh was in the lineup. Ereck Flowers began the season with three solid games, surrendering just five total QB pressures and no hits or sacks over that time, suggesting that he had turned a corner from his ugly rookie season—but then he went in the tank, and was horrendous down the stretch. After the aforementioned three games, he allowed 54 total QB pressures in his final 13 games, with 10 penalties adding to his woes. On the right side, Bobby Hart surrendered 46 total QB pressures himself, and if anything, those numbers flattered his performance; when he was beaten, it tended to be immediately and result in severe pressure."

Flowers struggles have been well documented. He has allowed more pressures than any other left tackle in the NFL since he entered the NFL, and by a healthy margin. With that sort of pressure constantly coming from the edges it is no wonder Manning was skittish at times in the pocket; he had no trust that the line would hold up.

If the Giants want to make real improvements along the offensive line it starts with left tackle. Flowers has had two seasons to make improvements and it has not happened. If the Giants would have added a player such as Russell Okung or Donald Penn this past offseason the performance of the offense would have been much better.

This is a unit that can take a major leap with things shifted around. If the Giants are willing to move Flowers back to right tackle, where he was originally slated to play when he was drafted, things could improve.

If Flowers is moved to right tackle, Hart can be kicked inside to right guard. That would once again put the Giants in the market for left tackle help; a market they were in this past offseason but not whole-heartedly.

Next: Giants Need To Move Ereck Flowers From Left Tackle

The team was unwilling to move Flowers heading into his sophomore year. If they change their tune for 2017, the Giants offensive line will see improvements with better fits across the whole unit.

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