E-GIANTS
Dave Klein was the Giants' beat
writer for The Star-Ledger from 1961 to 1995. He is the author of 26 books
and he is one of only three sportswriters to have covered all the Super Bowls.
Dave has allowed TEAM GIANTS to reprint some of his articles.
UNHERALDED BOBBY HART IMPRESSING AS RIGHT TACKLE -- COULD HE BE THE ANSWER?
By Dave Klein
Hate to keep harping on the Giants' offensive
line, but it is critical to the health and well-being of both quarterback Eli
Manning and whichever running back offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan chooses
to put on the field in what seems to be a merry-go-round program for 2016. The
problem is this: The left side of the line appears to be solid, with tackle Erick
Flowers, guard Justin Pugh and center Weston Richburg. But that leaves two more
hopeful starters, as right guard and right tackle, and for the moment the names
are John Jerry and Marshall Newhouse.
Stop that! There's no crying in pro football!
But now, due to the on-going OTA sessions, a new and, yes, hopeful name has been
added, that of last year's rookie reserve, Bobby Hart. He is 6-5 and 335 and even
now he is just 25 years old. Hart was
the Giants' seventh-round draft pick in 2015, a reclamation project if ever there
was one, having played at Florida State, starting 37 games and yet virtually ignored
by the NFL scouts. So general manager
Jerry Reese did what he always does - he found a kid with talent, however undeveloped,
and since the 226th pick in that draft didn't seem to produce any forgotten All-America
players, he pulled the trigger. Hart
languished last season, appearing in nine games, starting just one. But he was
a guard, you see, and all of a sudden, under new head coach Ben McAdoo and Sullivan,
last year's quarterbacks coach, he is prancing around the field (well, prancing
is a tough word for a 335-pounder) as the right tackle. And
he's doing well. Hart is a great run-blocker,
the kind coaches call "a road grader," but he had trouble learning the
pass-blocking techniques. And, of course, run-blocking in the NFL is somewhat
more difficult than in college, even if his college was the NFL-like Florida State.
But he did his studying and his practicing
and now, as if by magic, he is being seriously considered as the right tackle.
This will all come apart, of course, if Reese finds a veteran free agent such
as Anthony Davis or even his own (currently retired) Will Beatty, but since those
possibilities don't seem likely, it might just be Hart's turn.
There was no offensive lineman drafted last month, nary a single one. Reese said
some nice things about Jerry and Newhouse, but you don't want to bet that his
fingers weren't crossed when he did that. There
is a handful of offensive line hopefuls currently on the roster, but they are
what some coaches used to refer to as "camp fodder," to be used and
to help get the team ready for when things start to count. Hart might not be fodder.
He might be the starting right tackle instead. EXTRA
POINTS - Fourth round draft pick B.J. Goodman, the linebacker from Clemson, insists
he can play inside or outside and there is some basis for that claim, since the
6-1, 240-pounder did in in college. ... Scouts say he has exceptional speed for
a man his size, so it could be that he will be used as an occasional "all
out" pass-rusher by defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
Check out Dave's
website at E-GIANTS
where you can subscribe to his newsletters which
run much more frequently than what is available here. - Team Giants
NOW
- Send a request to davesklein@aol.com
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