I know this article may have been referenced here already, so I apologize if I am being redundant.
I don't know who Greg A. Bedard is. I understand that Monday Morning Quarterback by Peter King is a different style of column and King usually has different takes on situations, specifically in the 10 Things I Think I Think section (Link Below). I totally get that the idea of this section of the column is to make an opinion on something. Even with all that said, Bedard did a poor job of writing and reporting.
| 1. I think the Giants are fooling themselves if they think the pectoral muscle injury suffered by left tackle Will Beatty, which reportedly could keep him out until at least October, won’t have huge ramifications. Beatty had developed himself into a very capable left tackle, and now the Giants are left with either Justin Pugh (who underwhelmed so much at right tackle he had been penciled in at guard ) or Ereck Flowers, the ninth overall pick out of Miami earlier this month. I recently spent the weekend at the Coaches of Offensive Line (COOL) Clinic in Cincinnati, and the reviews on Flowers were not good. “Some of the worst technique I’ve ever seen in a player drafted that high,” said one veteran NFL line coach. “He played for one of the best coaches, Art Kehoe, and his technique was terrible,” said another coach. “That tells me he doesn’t take coaching well. That’s a big problem because all of the recent tackles have struggled making the transition. It now takes them until Year 3. You can thank the spread and the [collective bargaining agreement] for that.” |
1. Calling Beatty a "capable left tackle" is generous. I know that Pro Football Focus graded him out at a +13 (whatever the hell that means) and he was the highest graded lineman on the team. I don't put much stock into that and even if I did, that wasn't saying much last season. Beatty was serviceable at best and he didn't pass the eye test meaning he was beaten often and allowed a ton of pressure. His finesse style doesn't match what the team wants to do on offense which is a bullying, attacking run game. And even for a finesse blocker, his pass blocking skills left quite a bit to be desired. After an abysmal year two seasons ago, yes, Beatty rebounded somewhat. I think the writing is on the wall for him and his big contract will be off the books as soon as it won't be a crippling cap hit. It's not like the team is losing Orlando Pace or Jonathan Ogden.
2. Pugh underwhelming last season was mostly in part due to injuries. Funny how Bedard conveniently left out the solid rookie season that Pugh had. Sure, he struggled at times, but that is absolutely, positively not the reason why the move to guard was being discussed. His versatility was a main reason why he was drafted and with Beatty and Flowers both as natural tackles, the logical move was Pugh to guard. No one within the organization had mentioned anything about Pugh to guard. The only statement said was the 5 best linemen will play. Some (myself included) feel the Pugh's best position might just be left tackle. He has a good combination of athleticism and power to play the position. As a reminder, he played left tackle for the majority of his time at Syracuse, including his final season, despite his short arms. Does anyone here think that Pugh could do any worse than Beatty?
3. This is where I have major issue. Does Flowers' technique need some refinement? Sure. But what player making the jump from college to the pro's wouldn't need a little help from a technical standpoint? Criticizing a kid who hasn't played a down yet is asinine. The kid has started since freshman year at Miami and he didn't give up a single sack last season. So his technique may need some help, but he gets the job done successfully in an unorthodox manner. Not only did he not give up any sacks, some outlets had him only giving up two pressures all season! The fact that he can be that impressive while needing help from a technical perspective is amazing. It just shows the talent he has to go along with the size that he has. Here is a real nice article breaking down Flowers:
http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2015/4/2/8183561/2015-nfl-draft-ereck-flowers-breakdown-offensive-tackle-miami I don't know who this supposed "veteran NFL line coach" is, but he sounds like a jilted lover. Bedard jumps to a massive conclusion by saying because Flowers has poor technique, he isn't coachable because Kehoe is a good coach. Extremely irresponsible reporting. Kehoe actually had the opposite to say:
Miami offensive line coach Art Kehoe has mentored a long line of Hurricanes linemen that graduated to long and successful NFL careers, including Pro Bowlers like Bryant McKinnie and Chris Myers. Kehoe feels the Giants drafted his latest top pupil with the No. 9 pick in the draft.
"I'd say talent-wise, he compares with any of them," Kehoe said in a phone interview with NJ Advance Media. "He's a guy, you know what you're getting. He's gonna come there and he's gonna scrap. He's a scrapper, I promise you he's a scrapper. This guy, he just wants to get after it."
...
"When we watch film as a staff, we were always kind of amazed," Kehoe said. "You could pull him as a tackle or you could have him come flat in the open field on a kickout on a corner or an outside 'backer, and a lot of times in those situations, the lineman's at a mismatch, and he wasn't.
"He's a guy, we'd throw an out route or a quick screen to one of our receivers, either in motion or just lined up out there, and you'd send him out and he'd actually [lay a] lethal block on a corner, safety, an outside 'backer. He matches up well in the open field, which is pretty ridiculous for a guy who's 6-7, 325 pounds." |
The Giants scouts as well as Ross and Reese are extremely confident that Flowers can play left tackle in the NFL.
Overall, poor showing Bedard, very poor showing. Do a little more research and don't jump to so many conclusions. If there is ever a time to lose a left tackle, it is now: in mid May so the team has time to scour the waiver wire and free agency or time to adjust with players currently on the roster.
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Had he been healthy and Bedard wrote an article criticizing Beatty and called him not a capable LT, I'm sure many including the OP would have criticized him for that too.
Beatty is a finesse guy. Always has been and we knew that when he came out of UCONN.
Giants have had some good run blocking LTs over the years such as Jumbo Elliott and David Diehl.
Not many Jason Peters or Tyron Smith's out there who excel at both and have a mean streak.
They wouldn't have drafted a tackle this high if the expectation was a career RT. The position doesn't rate a top 10 pick. Guys with his measurable numbers play Left Tackle.The question is whether he can get his technique to a point where he can play it.
I'm tired of him whiffing on run blocks.
I'm tired of him being walked into the QB's lap.
I'm tired of his extensive injury history.
I'm tired of his inflated salary ($5.5 million this year, $6.25 million next year, $6.75 million the year after.
He isn't a franchise left tackle (although he's being paid like one) and he is just way too soft, way too finesse and way too inconsistent for my liking. As I mentioned, he picked a good time to have a decent year because there wasn't much to speak of at tackle when his free agent year came so he was overpaid.
What does he do above average? He doesn't anchor well. He doesn't maul. He doesn't finish blocks. He doesn't have a powerful punch. He is okay at mirroring. He is okay at pulling and moving.
which is probably right where he should be.
is he upgrade-able - ABSOLUTELY, who isn't? but my opinion is still that the Giants would have been better with him for all of 2015 than without him.
I'm looking forward to trying Pugh and or Flowers at left tackle.
We need Kittens with attitude!
Hopefully they have him on one of those arm stretching machines.
Bryan Bulaga?
Jake Long?
Joe Thomas?
Brandon Scherff?
Taylor Lewan?
This idea of short arms is just absurd.
By the way, Strahan's nickname for Scott Gragg was "pussy."
Well done, now please put the straight jacket back on, go quietly to your cell, and take these pills with a half glass of water.
It took Jumbo two or three years to settle in at LT. As I recall, he was moved around a bit in his first two years before becoming comfortable, and from then on he was a major force in the run game and a more than capable pass blocker. I am excited about Flowers and his potential to restoring power and intimidation to an OL that has largely lacked same in many years. O'Hara, Snee, KMac, Seubert, Diehl et. al were a very efficient combo, with some power from FA KMac, but I hope Flowers goes beyond in setting a tone. So, I'm with Eric in wanting to do away with pussies and perfume purveyors.
And frankly to me, to maximize Pugh's potential you use him as a movement OG.
Joe Thomas is a freak of nature. He's on another level physically and technically and shouldn't be compared to other left tackles. He's the current high-water mark for left tackles in the NFL.
Neither Beatty nor Pugh have his talent so it makes for a bad bit of information to say that because Thomas is going to the hall of fame despite shorter than ideal arms, anyone can be good with short arms.
It is perfectly fine that some posters have complaints about Beatty, but frankly, most of that is born out of frustration than actually understanding what the hell they are looking at.
Time and again, people on BBI will lay blame with one lineman for a poor play only to have a poster with more knowledge of line play correct them on who was really at fault. It happens quite a bit.
I really don't know jackshit about line play, so it is damn tough to tear down somebody when I have no clue what I'm looking at. I wish others exhibited similar restraint.
Name a Miami coach since the Butch Davis era and I'll show you an underperforming unit. It's kind of sad as a fan to see where the program has fallen to.
If Flowers is nasty, he should get every opportunity to start early.
It is perfectly fine that some posters have complaints about Beatty, but frankly, most of that is born out of frustration than actually understanding what the hell they are looking at.
Time and again, people on BBI will lay blame with one lineman for a poor play only to have a poster with more knowledge of line play correct them on who was really at fault. It happens quite a bit.
I really don't know jackshit about line play, so it is damn tough to tear down somebody when I have no clue what I'm looking at. I wish others exhibited similar restraint.
The idea that more people should follow FMIC's example of restraint is pretty fuckn hilarious, no?
But heck yeah too many here misjudge Beatty horribly. He definitely a plus player, if not a pro bowler or anything stellar.
I mean, most of the talk here revolves around people making snap judgments about the competency of others when a vast majority doesn't even comprehend fully what they are looking at.
It would be like somebody watching a NASA broadcast and start ripping some guy in the Space Station for dabbing himself with wet towels instead of taking a shower.
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I'm a Miami fan, the guy is so far from "one of the best" it's not even funny. Technique is nowhere near his strong suit. He's been at Miami for 30+ years and gets by mostly on his attitude and the fact that he's been part of all the national championship teams, but he's never been a sought out coach by the NFL, or college for that matter, and only coached in 2 other places, which came after he'd gotten fired in 2005. He's seen plenty of guys go to the NFL under his watch, like anyone who has been at Miami over the past 3 decades for any period of time, but that's about it. In his most recent run his offensive lines the last few years have been as talent as anyones and have not come close to performing as well as they should have as a unit.
Name a Miami coach since the Butch Davis era and I'll show you an underperforming unit. It's kind of sad as a fan to see where the program has fallen to.
Yup.