New York Giants' Positional Review -- OFFENSIVE LINEWill Justin Pugh capitalize on his sensational rookie season en route to extending Eli Manning' career?Today we reach the halfway point in our New York Giants positional review by taking a look at the last offensive group - the offensive line.
2013 OverviewTo state is simply - not good. The Giants Offensive Line was once the pride of the team in the mid-2000s, boasting a starting five of Diehl/Seubert/O'Hara/Snee/McKenzie that played together as starters for many years. In his 2012 campaign, tackle Will Beatty played his best football of his career and cashed in on a big contract worth over $38,000,000 for five (5) years. In 2013, he had the worst year of his career, getting pummeled by the likes of Charles Johnson, Demarcus Ware, and many others. Supposed to be the strong link of the line, Beatty wound up being the weakest link and a liability on many occasions - not good for your franchise left tackle. Center David Baas played poorly as well and has been one of the more disappointing free agent signings for the Giants in the past five years. Baas never missed a game in San Francisco, his former team, but that did not remain true when coming to New York, always out with nagging injuries. David Diehl, another once-great lineman, could just not play anymore. He was slated to be the starter until an injury in the preseason brought the uprising of Justin Pugh, who will be talked about shortly. Diehl was not an NFL-caliber player in 2013, and he knew it too, hanging up the cleats at the end of the year.
Additionally, if the poor play by many offensive lineman was not bad enough, then came injuries to guys on the line. Chris Snee, who was a top offensive guard in the league for half a decade, might be on the decline and has been dealing with injuries constantly for the past two seasons. David Baas, while putting forth poor play, was a guy Eli knew how to play with, and him being injured caused constant shifting on the line. So poor play and shifting of the line - sounds like a recipe for disaster, and a disaster it was.
There was only one lone bright spot on the offensive line in 2013 - rookie first round tackle Justin Pugh out of Syracuse. Deemed as a Day Two pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, draft expert Mike Mayock seemingly predicted that Justin Pugh would be the first round pick for the Giants the day of the draft. He was right and fans were confused. But those fans, myself included, could not be any happier with the pick after seeing 2013. He was arguably the best rookie offensive lineman in 2013 and will only get better. With the Giants and the rest of the offensive line in limbo, however, Pugh was barely talked about in the national media outlets.
Assessing each player at the position
Will Beatty -- Posts his best year in 2012, gets paid, and then has his worst year in 2013. To make matters worse, in week 17 in the 2013 season, Will Beatty suffered a broken leg, putting an end to his already miserable season. Eli Manning needs better protection as he gets up there in age, not less, and Beatty might not even be ready to play the beginning of the 2014 season, never mind playing better. If he wants to keep his starting job, he needs to play at a high level - a level that of a franchise left tackle.
Geoff Schwartz -- While Schwartz was not the Giants' biggest splash signing (that honor goes to CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie), he is possibly the best overall signing. Not only did Schwartz have the highest PFF grade for a free agent offensive lineman in 2013, but he was among the best for all offensive guards as a whole. The best part of Schwartz, however, is his versatility. He can play either guard spot as well as right tackle (and if needed that badly, left tackle and center). With the Giants always having problems on the line with injuries, Schwartz is a big get and will instantly improve the offensive line play.
JD Walton -- One of the better centers in the league since he was drafted in 2010, JD Walton has been stricken by injuries and has not played an NFL game since 2012. This was a risky play for the Giants since it appears Walton is in line to be the starter for the team in 2014 and who knows how he will play, but if it works out, then the Giants have found themselves a quality piece for a good price.
Chris Snee -- Snee will never be the guard he was in his prime years in the mid-2000s, but if he can stay healthy and be a quality guy up front, it would do wonders for Eli Manning. Snee took a pay-cut in the off-season, cutting his salary just about in half.
Justin Pugh -- The best Giants offensive lineman, Pugh is in line to make a name for himself to the general public in 2014. Criticized for his short arms and lack of strength, Pugh put both of those points to rest with a quality rookie season. It has recently been reported that Pugh has put on 15 pounds of muscle, which will only make him better. Lastly, the offense that Ben McAdoo is running is similar to what Pugh worked with at Syracuse with now-Buffalo coach Doug Marrone.
John Jerry -- While Schwartz was the best offensive line signing, John Jerry has a chance to garner the best value out of his contract and give the Giants their best bang for their buck. Jerry was a pretty good offensive guard (who can also play tackle) for Miami, starting 20+ games for the team over the course of his stint there. He was involved in the now infamous "Bully Gate" that involved Richie Incognito and Jonathan Martin, and the reason why he went for less than $1,000,000 on a one-year deal. He won't be a starter unless Snee or Beatty are not ready to go for the start of the season, so having a backup on the line with a lot of starting experience is a great thing for the Giants.
Charles Brown -- Brown has one thing in common with Jerry - starting experience. Brown was the starting left tackle for the Saints last year for 14 games until Robert Quinn (who, of which, was one of the best defensive ends in the game last year) made work out of him. Assuming he makes the roster, he too will be a backup and again, having a guy on the bench with a lot of starting experience is a great thing to have.
Brandon Mosley -- A fourth-round draft pick in 2012, Mosley has not been good enough to be a starter yet, and he is still adapting to NFL-caliber defensive lineman. This will be a big year for him and if there are multiple injuries on the line, Mosley might have to step in and be ready to take on the task at hand.
James Brewer -- If there is one word to describe Brewer, it would be potential. If there is one word to describe how he has played so far in his NFL career, it would be disappointment. Brewer has great size and can turn into a quality player, but he just does not look like he has "it". With the Giants having depth on the line now, Brewer might be fighting for a roster spot.
2014 NFL DraftThe Giants still need help. While they have Pugh and Schwartz as two quality starters, every other player has question marks, whether it is them declining or coming off injury. The main goal is to protect Eli Manning, because when he has time to make throws, he has shown to be a top flight signal caller in the league. There are guys in every round that the Giants can take a look on. Jake Matthews of Texas A&M seems to be dropping slightly and there is a chance the Giants take him in the first round. Other first round talents include Taylor Lewan of Michigan and Zack Martin of Notre Dame (possibly one of the safest prospects in the draft). Todd McShay slotted Morgan Moses of Virginia to the Giants at 12 in his latest mock draft. Eli is the priority and the Giants are expected to make the offensive line a priority in the draft.
ConclusionEli Manning struggled last year. The running game never got going. They both need to improve. However, there is one constant for both - the play of the offensive line. Only one lineman in 2013 held his own, and when only 20% of your guys up front are holding their assignments, you are not going to have a successful offense. The Giants made it a priority to improve the offensive line, picking up four guys in free agency (Schwartz, Walton, Jerry, Brown). Furthermore, they will be expected to have a similar mentality heading into the draft. Games are won in the trenches, and if the offensive line of the Giants can improve in 2014, there will be noticeable differences for the better.