Offensive line suggestion

[BleedinBlue]

I have no ability to coach an offensive line in the NFL, but some things seem obvious to me. Most notably, that we only kept 8 offensive linemen - 5 starters, 3 backups that include a designated center and a rookie. A little scary.

 

Our weakness now seems to be at RT where the alternating tandem of Schwartz and Newhouse represent a below NFL average tackle.

 

We have a guy who has played RT for 2 years who happens to have the right footwork for the job and his name is Justin Pugh!

 

I love Pugh, but he's not an inside bulldozer, but rather an agile, fleet of foot, very strong lineman (with short arms..yada, yada). He has proven himself even though he had some setbacks as opponents figured out a few things to get him to stumble. But those are growing pains. Pugh was a superb LT all through college and the number of sacks he allowed can be counted on 3 fingers. In the NFL, he showed his footwork, but had a slight decline last season highlited by a bad game against the Eagles.

 

Still.......Pugh is a better RT than Schwartz, who is a quintessential bull guard and Newhouse who has heavy feet.

 

If Pugh was put back at RT, they could start using any one of the other guards on the left...and my suggestion would be Hart or any one of a handful of decent guards off the waiver wire. The plan was for Hart to play guard anyway because of his size and strength, but didn't have the footwork of a great tackle. Yet they have played him at tackle in practice and in preseason. I don't get it.

 

Anyway......that's my 2 cents for the day on the offensive line. I think we already had the pieces to build a solid line because we have a solid RT already, but for some reason we are forcing players to play out of the position they've been trained for and are built for.

 

Pisses me off. I hope they prove me wrong.

[Tempest]

I still don't understand why they didn't move Pugh back to RT once Beatty got hurt and it was understood he would miss significant time. Going to be an interesting October when Beatty is scheduled to return.

 

I believe the Giants had Schwartz playing at RT was more about getting him extended playing time than testing him out as a possible starter for RT. Playing him at the RT position I think helped him significantly.

 

Hart is just not ready yet, maybe at some point during the regular season.

[Sephiroth]

I've heard that the plan was to move Pugh to LG to help with Flowers' development.

 

Pugh isn't big enough to be an elite guard, and he's not agile enough to be an elite tackle, but he's competent enough to play either.

[Mr. P]

and whoever ends up at RT is probably a better option at RT than whoever would replace Pugh at LG.

[BleedinBlue]

Here's something to ponder.

 

If Ereck Flowers plays a stellar LT, both in protecting Eli and in pushing open running paths....what happens when Beatty returns? Do we put Beatty back in at LT and move Flowers to a new position? Flowers and Pugh are developing a continuity together, that it would be crazy to muck it up in mid-season. So...do we put Beatty in at RT that he is inexperienced in?

 

I think if Flowers proves himself at LT - you simply have to leave him there and use Beatty at RT.

 

But I don't know what is going through the coaches' minds in that scenario.

 

I think that if Hart improves and the combo of Newhouse, Schwartz, and Hart do a good job rotating at RT, that Beatty would have to be worried about getting cut next year as he makes 3 times more than all the rest of the offensive line combined (except Schwartz, who will make a little more than half what Beatty makes).

 

I would think that when you sign a 37.5 million dollar contract (with nearly 20 mill guaranteed) like Beatty, you better be one of the best players at your position in the NFL.