What's the deal with Weston Richburg?

that bugged them all year

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In comment 13332017 Gatorade Dunk said:

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I was hoping someone would have a better informed opinion than some schmuck college kid.

Richburg looked great in 2015, but not in 2016. Which is the real guy?

He was? By who exactly? He needs to improve his anchor against power players. There is still potential upside there to be tapped into if he's willing to put in the work.

He did look good, and didn't look like he was part of the problem. This season, he frequently looked like he was beat.

Is it his linemates? New OL coach/scheme? Physical vulnerabilities being exposed? Undisclosed injury? Who the hell knows, but he sure as hell didn't look like someone that we need to rush to extend this past season.

His PFF grades were very high. And before you knock PFF, Flowers was low and most grades were consistent with an eyeball test.

RANK NAME OVERALL
17 Weston Richburg 82
The 82 score is high but a lot of centers must have hight scores because in ranking they have him only middle of the pack.
The big surprice (to me) was Hankins rankings, they have just about dead last with a miserable score. I don't see how that's possible when we shut down rushing attacks all year long.

Hankins had so "Snacks" with him

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Yeah, not too good.

He is definitely a complementary player

Flower's shakiness, & the constant meh side of the right side of the line didn't help matters.

In comment 13332058 Vanzetti said:

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Yeah, not too good. He is definitely a complementary player

BBI doesn't want to accept that.. Half of them would rather have him back over JPP.

In comment 13332062 SFGFNCGiantsFan said:

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Flower's shakiness, & the constant meh side of the right side of the line didn't help matters.

The pivot prevails. Excuse making .

Not part of the problem. Imagine a better RG next to him.

If we can figure out where Flowers will play and supplement around that decision, our offense will improve. I would give Flowers a shot at RT, sign Whitworth for 2 years, sign Leary for 5 years and draft a OL on day 2 of the draft. Richburg, Pugh and Flowers need help and this plan would do it.

In comment 13332069 RetroJint said:

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In comment 13332062 SFGFNCGiantsFan said: Quote: Flower's shakiness, & the constant meh side of the right side of the line didn't help matters. The pivot prevails. Excuse making .

Those are contributing factors, not excuses.

on that O-line right now with more pressing problems at both OT positions and RG.

But he had better be more stout in his play for Year 3, especially after calling out his peers during the last offseason.

that is...

He went from borderline pro bowler who was considered by some one of the best centers in football in 2015 to a pretty choppy 2016.

Still think he's solid in that spot and a good guy to build around along with Pugh

been bulldozed backwards a handful of times, but once it's on film everyone sees it and exploits it. He's physically weak, has trouble with DT lining up over him and bull rushing

On the small side in today's game. Look no further than Dallas. Technique wise he is solid. He just gets no push off the ball.

I'm willing to give Richburg a pass(also didn't have Pugh for awhile next to him) and perhaps some others and SEE what complements we bring in on O in FA

In comment 13332122 Carl in CT said:

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On the small side in today's game. Look no further than Dallas. Technique wise he is solid. He just gets no push off the ball.

Carl, did anyone get pushed back more than O'Hara in your Giants experience, iyo? Of the good regulars, that is..Yet, he anchored 2 SB lines and did rather well on balance..

was giving a guy who struggles somewhat of a "pass" b/c the other o-lineman next to him was weak, therefore it affected his own play negatively.

The problem with that thinking for Giants though would cause you to run out of guys to blame...

In comment 13332120 Victor in CT said:

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been bulldozed backwards a handful of times, but once it's on film everyone sees it and exploits it. He's physically weak, has trouble with DT lining up over him and bull rushing

This.

Richburg will not be the solution going forward if he doesn't get stronger.

In comment 13332139 Jimmy Googs said:

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was giving a guy who struggles somewhat of a "pass" b/c the other o-lineman next to him was weak, therefore it affected his own play negatively. The problem with that thinking for Giants though would cause you to run out of guys to blame...

If you're referring to me, that's not my stance per se. Some lineman do better when surrounded by solid complements. An example would be Leary of the Cowboys. Is he good because he's simply good or has he benefitted greatly from the all-pros that surround him?

The Pugh example I cited was more about a possibility than a probability. I don't know why Richburg appeared to have regressed. If it continues next year after we hopefully improve the line, I might believe it's totally his skillset

Had a better line around him, a different OL coach with schemes. But yes he was small. Also, the DTs were not (for the most part) 375 lbs.

its more of a possibility than probability factor...well said.

Imv, the importance of a O-line working together as a unit and in tandems with the guy to your right/left is a clear goal. However, I think our guys are just trying to stabilize and hold their own a good deal first...

In comment 13332016 montanagiant said:

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that bugged them all year

I wonder the same thing. He looked much better later in the year, so his being injured early isn't out of the question.

Richburg's best football is ahead of him. Like Pugh, he was inconsistent first 2 seasons but showed a ton of promise. He'll be a good player for us for awhile.

of our OL problems.

Replace Jerry, Hart and move Flowers elsewhere.

But the entire offense as a whole did as well. In this offense he doesn't have to be a mauler at Center, but consider the complaints from the offense and the comments in the media about the Giants personnel and play calling being incredibly predictable and easy to diagnose. That absolutely KILLS OL in the running game because a DL or LB is attacking exactly where they know the ball is going and now as an OL you're playing defense instead of being aggressive. On the plays where he was blown up in the running game it was almost always inside trap and power plays which we ran well a year ago. We tipped them off too much this year so when defenders knew it was coming they knew that keeping the C off the LBs would essentially negate the run and that happened entirely too often.

I'm not absolving Richburg he was bulldozed too often, but his job was made incredibly hard as was everyone else's on the offense because of the predictable nature of our scheme. As for getting stronger, he will. Keep in mind that he's 25 and going on his 4th year, he should be entering his physical prime and with another year in this program and with this OL coach it's a safe bet he'll keep improving. O'Hara was a smallish center who got shoved around a lot until he added weight and became a Pro Bowl player in his late 20s so don't cash out on Richburg yet. I'd assume he bounces back as does the entire offense and this conversation will look silly in about a year.

the OL was looked upon as three solid guys on the left side and two question marks on the right....

But, this was going to be the first year, this OL was not going to play musical players/positions.....the OL was set.... it had played together last season, and looked better as the season progressed.....and supposedly, we had a new OL coach that would make a difference also...

Instead......

Flowers looked as bad, if not worse, than last year....even with a year under his belt, the motion penalties, the holding calls, and the pressures he allowed, was devastating to the line.....we thought the year before, it was because of the fact he was a rookie, playing on a bum ankle, that he would dramatically improve this season.....it didn't happen, and a new OL coach certainly did not fix the same glaring pass blocking weakness he demonstrated the year before....

Pugh, is now considered the best OLman, for one reason.....he didn't play worse than last year.....he is a solid guard, but is that what we expected from a first round pick? He is not a mauler in the run game, and his pass blocking is ok....his main strength, is his ability to play multiple positions, when called upon....we worried about concussions last year, but this year, it was one of those freak knee injuries, but he was still able to return....

Richburg, took a step back, this year....maybe, as others have suggested, film has shown his weakness....I always felt he was at his best on downfield blocking....run blocking? Meh....Pass blocking? He was the reason Eli was nailed in the Washington game, not Jerry...,can only hope, that he was playing with some sort of injury that hampered his play this season.....

As for Jerry, he played as expected, yet BBI somehow thought he would play better.....he is what he is, nothing more.....

The Newhouse/Hart shitshow, was as expected also....which makes one wonder why the TE's were not used more to at least chip block and help either Tackle.....

So why did the OL fail? Because the RG/RT played as we expected(Reese had his fingers crossed), and the other three did not play as expected......because we had no backup plan for a FB.....because we have TE's that can't block, and somehow Gilbride Jr., gets a free pass on this....


We are 5 years into an OL rebuild, and exactly where are we after 5 years?

Don't think he has the best leadership qualities. Pugh needs to step up and be the leader of the group, if he gets locked up contract wise like he should. Weston would be a nice piece at center for a long time.

In comment 13332181 Carl in CT said:

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Had a better line around him, a different OL coach with schemes. But yes he was small. Also, the DTs were not (for the most part) 375 lbs.

+1

and that line played well together. Snee was a rock next to O'Hara and the LG was always a solid player (forgot his name besides Seubert but it worked).

Pugh has been in and out, Jerry can't run block, etc. The OL is a mess.

In comment 13332540 est1986 said:

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Don't think he has the best leadership qualities. Pugh needs to step up and be the leader of the group, if he gets locked up contract wise like he should. Weston would be a nice piece at center for a long time.

How would you know what his leadership qualities are?

You in the locker room every day make that determination?

You really do say a lot of stupid things

In comment 13332540 est1986 said:

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Don't think he has the best leadership qualities. Pugh needs to step up and be the leader of the group, if he gets locked up contract wise like he should. Weston would be a nice piece at center for a long time.

Everything I read about him prior to the draft included what a great leader he is. He called out teammates who may have not been working in the offseason.

This group simply isn't that good and IMO, they have questionable chemistry

Diehl was a hard worker who loved to practice
Seuburt was a hard working blue collar type
O'Hara was tough, smart player
Snee was a bull
McKeenzie was quiet Giant man and true professional

That group had great chemistry

What chemistry does this group have? Quiet Flowers, looks lost. Pugh, kind of a comedian, Richburg who is tough, a quiet Jerry who can't run block and RT who claims "I understand the business". It's like a bunch of temps.

Lets not forget that F up early in the season. Comments were made that this O line is not a cohesive group and I believe Richburg is part of the problem. He talks big and seldom shows up. I strongly suggest that we see what he does this off season to improve. Colorado State doesn't produce a star studded line up of offensive linemen. Why we would take this guy in the second round is beyond crazy.

instead of the ones that are...

and THAT will make Richburg big and strong plus he'll never miss another assignment like he did when Sam Baker panicked Eli.

Richburg IS one of the problems. Not saying he can't get his head out of his ass and put on 15 pounds or so, but anyone who thinks he is not one of the problems, please go read what Sy wrote about him.

pancaked

THANKS AUTOCORRECT!! Fucking bullshit

In comment 13332976 GeorgeAdams33 said:

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pancaked THANKS AUTOCORRECT!! Fucking bullshit

Boy do you seem rational and fit to analyze.

Multiple issues. And he did not have a very good year. First, I think he started believing he was really good because of what was being said about him last year. Young guys should never read their own press clippings. Tried to assume a leadership role based off of that and then called out his line mates for not working hard enough. Wrong way to go about it. Second, he does not appear to have enough sand in his pants. Is barely 300 lbs and got tossed into the backfield by some big DTs this year (Baker, Atkins, etc). He needs to add about 15 lbs to handle these guys. Lastly, he appears to be a bit of a hothead and has taken some bad penalties because of it. He needs to clean that up.
So the recipe for Richburg this offseason is shut up, clean it up, add 15+ lbs and stop thinking you're as good as some have said you are.

In comment 13332593 phillygiant said:

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In comment 13332540 est1986 said: Quote: Don't think he has the best leadership qualities. Pugh needs to step up and be the leader of the group, if he gets locked up contract wise like he should. Weston would be a nice piece at center for a long time. How would you know what his leadership qualities are? You in the locker room every day make that determination? You really do say a lot of stupid things

Transcripts during the week and after games mostly. I didnt say he has been awful in that regard, just haven't seen him as of yet take on a leadership role as the center of the unit, year 3... What did I say? Change your tampon bro.

Look at the final four OL's. The core three (LG, C, RG) don't get pushed back as often as the Giants line was this year. The QB's had a solid pocket (for the most part) for their QB to step forward and throw, or to step side to side. It makes me sick to see how much time Brady gets, for example, and how much room he has in the pocket up the middle.

Quickest way to the QB is up the middle...and Richburg IS the middle. He has to anchor it. Yeah, the guards need to get better, and putting more talent there will help him, but WR needs to stop people bullrushing over him.

Fact of the matter is, Jones was better at center when he was put there, for that exact reason (though he couldn't stay healthy). I would not be shocked to see Jones take the starter job away at center if WR does not improve over this year.

really bold...