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.
GIANTS STILL IN STATE OF DENIAL CONCERNING ERECK FLOWERS -- AND SUNDAY WILL
BE CRUCIAL By Dave Klein
Historically, the Giants have sunk into denial
when it comes to the subject of disappointing first-round draft picks.
Like now. It has become increasingly
more obvious, even to the television analysts, that left offensive tackle Ereck
Flowers is not improving. His technique is not acceptable, he allows sacks and
pressures, he isn't great - or even acceptable - at run-blocking, and yet the
coaching staff, from the head man, Ben McAdoo, to offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan
and offensive line coach Mike Solari continues to provide excuses and bubbling
optimism. "Ereck is our left tackle,"
is what Sullivan says, and there is some truth to that statement since we are
approaching the 14th game of the season and it's kind of late to make a change
- even if there was someone of quality waiting for the chance.
"I thought he got better in the second half," said McAdoo, after the astonishing
victory over Dallas last Sunday night.
Well, he didn't. The Giants scored 10 points and won - which hasn't happened since
2002, when they beat the Eagles by the same score in the final game of the season.
The head coach then was Jim Fassel, and earlier that season they beat Seattle
in the third game, 9-6. Equally puzzling
is the presence of former Giant Will Beatty on the roster. Why is he there if
he isn't going to play? He was re-signed out of retirement earlier this season,
since the team obviously felt there was going to be a need for another tackle,
and yet he just sits. Oh, he is occasionally spotted as the "eligible receiver"
on goal line plays, but he has not had a snap.
So why did they sign him? It is possible
that next season Flowers will be tried at right tackle or one of the guard spots,
but for now, as Sullivan says, "he is our left tackle."
Why doesn't that statement create a warm and fuzzy feeling among the fans?
Now the 9-4 Giants are preparing to host the Detroit Lions, equally 9-4 but in
first place in their NFC North Division, and if ever a game was more important
at this point of the season - especially after beating Dallas last week - it's
this one. There is a chance that guard
Justin Pugh will finally be ready to play again. He has been suffering with a
knee injury the four weeks, and his presence on the line may well prove to be
a benefit for Flowers. Might be nice
if the Giants had a dependable running back, too, but Rashad Jennings and rookie
Paul Perkins are all you're going to get. Eli Manning has either started to lose
that edge (he is 35) or begun to shy away from what he knows will be a powerful
impact when Flowers or Bobby Hart or Marshall Newhouse misses a block (or both).
There must be something horribly wrong
with Beatty if he's not playing and those other pretenders are, you know? Need
a little more disconcerting news? The best defensive end on the Lions' depth chart,
Ziggy Ansah, appears to have recovered from various injuries and the 6-5, 275-pounder
will have his eyes riveted on Flowers. So
will the rest of a top-notch D-line, which include the other end, Devin Taylor,
and tackles Kerry Hyder and Haloti Ngata. This game has all the earmarks of another
10-7 nail-biter. Lions' quarterback Matthew Stafford has an injured finger (torn
ligaments) on his passing hand, and there is no question that the Giants' pass
rushers, who did such a devastating job last Sunday, will focus on that infirmity.
And, of course, if Flowers doesn't handle his assignments, Eli may develop a few
infirmities of his own. The Giants are listed as 4 to 4½-point favorites, and
if they win they'll push their record to 10-4 and that guarantees a season mark
of 10-6, which is an almost certain ticket to the post-season.
But, well, there's Ereck Flowers, so nothing is for sure.
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
for a free week's worth of news!
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