A lot of tumult. Let’s dive in with both the pessimistic and optimistic case for how the offensive line is shaping up.
BEARISH
- Evan Neal. Schoen said he’d be ready for camp. He is still on the PUP. He is losing his 1st string RT spot on the depth chart. And rightly so. The “B” word is front and center.
- JMS. Shoulder injury? Same as last year? Helllllppp. He needs camp to get communication with the Guards and this does not help him.
- Runyan moving from RG to LG. Groan. Moan. C’mon. Can we let these guys do what they do best?
- Lack of continuity. In April it was Thomas Eluemunor JMS Runyan Neal. In Week 1 it was Thomas Stinnie JMS Runyan Eluemunor. In Week 2 it is Thomas Runyan JMS Van Roten Eluemunor. That is a lot to overcome.
BULLISH
- Greg Van Roten. This is a quality signing. Yes, he is 34 years old, but he believes he has “a few years ahead of (him).” He finished as the 7th highest rated Guard by PFF in 2023. It was his best season as a pro. Where have we heard this before?… from the connection with…
- Carmine Bricillo. There is an expression my mom used to say- “You can’t make a spruce from a pachysandra.” Talent is talent. You can’t make someone fast or big. But when it comes to Offensive Line, the lack of development of talent over the last decade has been palpable. We have discussed this to death. Belichick brough Dante Scarnecchia out of retirement because the work that the veteran OL coach did in taking good talent and making it excellent, along with the more critical responsibility of taking “just a guy” and making that guy good, was spectacular. Bricillo learned under Scarnecchia and it is not a coincidence that both Eluemunor and Van Roten have found their way back to Bricillo. Bricillo made each of these guys good. It cannot be overstated how valuable he will be to not only those two that he coached in LVR but also to the entire OL.
- Higher Floor. We may not see the OL do very well at the beginning of the season, as they need to work well/communicate with each other and none of them have (except GVR and Eluemunor). Look, with the exception of Andrew Thomas, no one else on the OL is currently on a trajectory to make the Pro Bowl. Yet none of them also has to to be a liability either. When you give up 85 sacks, everyone is a liability. We have 5 guys who can all do well, and ironically the only question that would remain is JMS on the physical side. JMS’s knowledge of the Center position in this offense is already excellent. Plus having two experienced Guards next to him should raise his game. It sets up well for the offensive line to execute properly and be a solid unit.
The buzz from camp is that Malik Nabers is going to get shot out of a cannon. Together with Jalin Hyatt getting more mastery of the Offense, as long as the OL (has a higher floor and) is protecting the QB, there is no reason that the Giants won’t be able to stretch defenses and throw the ball vertically down the field. Everything starts with controlling the line of scrimmage.
Final word here. Here on this blog and on Twitter I have made a point of plugging the Big Blue Banter podcast. I use this platform to emphasize what is important, and what is not. If these guys were around in November of 2006, I probably would not have started blogging because I would have been getting my fix and these guys would have been saying a lot of what was on my mind as a fan. They are a must listen. There really isn’t anyone else that is close to what those guys put out. They know the X’s and O’s. They scout. And now Nick has been been reporting from camp, which is a gift. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I make no apologies for passing along some of their nuggets because they simply make us more informed.