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D.J. Fluker

bigfish703 : 8/8/2017 12:24 pm
All I have been hearing about DJF is what an outstanding camp he is having. I was hoping he might even beat out Hart, who seems limited in his ceiling. Yesterday, Fluker was suddenly playing out of position on the left side, and with the 3s. It sounds like a demotion. What do the rest of you think about this?
it's camp, what better a time for shifting players around  
GMenLTS : 8/8/2017 12:25 pm : link
and giving them the opportunity to play and learn multiple positions, while still getting the requisite reps at their intended playing position.
Exact opposite  
PEEJ : 8/8/2017 12:29 pm : link
They want Fluker to be the first guy off the bench at 3 positions (if he doesn't start)
Correct...  
Chris684 : 8/8/2017 12:34 pm : link
Fluker is most likely first sub at LG, RG and RT, not sure about LT as I think first option still might be to shift Pugh out there.

Anyway, all that said, he is likely to see his share of snaps this season at multiple spots. They are getting him ready.
I want Fluker to beat out Jerry  
larryflower37 : 8/8/2017 12:38 pm : link
Hart is 23 years old and continues to grow. I hope he can man the Right side for the next 7 years.
The best thing for the Giants is this young line jells this year.
Starters
Flower 23
Hart 23
Pugh 27
Fluker 26
Richburg 26

Bench
Jones 26
Bisnowaty 24
Wheeler 23
Jerry 31

If every falls right we have a young solid line with good young depth.
I'd been hopeful he'd win the RT gig  
JonC : 8/8/2017 12:53 pm : link
but just doesn't seem to have the lateral movement and AA to effectively play the edge.
RE: I'd been hopeful he'd win the RT gig  
Anakim : 8/8/2017 12:57 pm : link
In comment 13552796 JonC said:
Quote:
but just doesn't seem to have the lateral movement and AA to effectively play the edge.


I agree. I was hoping Fluker would beat out Hart as Hart was just as bad as Flowers was last year.
bigfish  
Eric from BBI : Admin : 8/8/2017 12:57 pm : link
because a player gets time with different units at different positions is nothing atypical. Indeed, it is quite common for a back-up.

D.J. is the #2 right guard right now. He got work with the #3 unit at different spots.

Right now, he is not in line to start.

Our offensive line will be the same as it was last year, as we discussed in the podcast.
This team is all about flexibility ...  
Beer Man : 8/8/2017 1:29 pm : link
Fluker will be moved around to learn different positions on the line (although probably not C or LT). I too would like to see him starting, but that might not occur right out of the gates. Beyond that, Pugh will be a FA after the season, the team needs to know what they have in Fluker in the event Pugh prices himself higher than what the Giants are willing/capable of paying, and ends up on another team.
There are only two good OLmen  
Doomster : 8/8/2017 1:29 pm : link
on this team, Richburg and Pugh, and we are probably going to lose one of them in the off season....

Hoping that Hart, Fluker, Biz, Jones, and Wheeler are the future of this team, is wishful thinking....we have been trying to get lucky at the end of the draft for too long....and free agents have just not worked out....

We have spent years trying to fix this line, and we will be doing it again next year.....the only thing we can hope for, is that what we have this year, is better, if ever so slightly, than last year.....with more weapons at Eli's disposal, we will be able to keep the defenses guessing instead of running the same plays over and over......it will have to be a lot of quick passes, but Eli will have more options than before....
Giants only have 14 OL in camp.  
area junc : 8/8/2017 1:38 pm : link
Somebody has to platoon between 2nd and 3rd string and everybody takes turns doing it. It's a chance to work on versatility.
RE: There are only two good OLmen  
Giantology : 8/8/2017 1:40 pm : link
In comment 13552837 Doomster said:
Quote:
on this team, Richburg and Pugh, and we are probably going to lose one of them in the off season....

Hoping that Hart, Fluker, Biz, Jones, and Wheeler are the future of this team, is wishful thinking....we have been trying to get lucky at the end of the draft for too long....and free agents have just not worked out....

We have spent years trying to fix this line, and we will be doing it again next year.....the only thing we can hope for, is that what we have this year, is better, if ever so slightly, than last year.....with more weapons at Eli's disposal, we will be able to keep the defenses guessing instead of running the same plays over and over......it will have to be a lot of quick passes, but Eli will have more options than before....


You ever get sick of being... you?
RE: There are only two good OLmen  
adamg : 8/8/2017 1:41 pm : link
In comment 13552837 Doomster said:
Quote:
on this team, Richburg and Pugh, and we are probably going to lose one of them in the off season....

Hoping that Hart, Fluker, Biz, Jones, and Wheeler are the future of this team, is wishful thinking....we have been trying to get lucky at the end of the draft for too long....and free agents have just not worked out....

We have spent years trying to fix this line, and we will be doing it again next year.....the only thing we can hope for, is that what we have this year, is better, if ever so slightly, than last year.....with more weapons at Eli's disposal, we will be able to keep the defenses guessing instead of running the same plays over and over......it will have to be a lot of quick passes, but Eli will have more options than before....


Or we can re-sign Richburg to a long term deal, one of Biz and Wheeler earns a shot as a 2018 starting OT, and one of Flowers and Hart shows to be a starting caliber OT. Then, we can draft an OG within the first two rounds next year, and then we'll have 4/5 spots filled for the foreseeable future:

Biz/Wheeler
2018 draft pick
Richburg
Jerry

Or Fluker could prove to be more durable and he also gets a Jerry+ type contract (3/18) to play LG for us.

Even if Flowers and Hart both prove to be mediocre, we have depth now that may mitigate that. If Wheeler is the goods, that would be an amazing pick up. And based on the camp reports, his biggest issue if bulk. Giving Wheeler a year to build himself, he could turn into the most important move this offseason.

The OL is still the biggest question mark on the team, but at least we seem to have some contingencies that offer tremendous upside.
He doesn't..  
FatMan in Charlotte : 8/8/2017 1:45 pm : link
get tired of being wrong, so he's probably perfectly fine from an ignorant is bliss standpoint:

Quote:
we have been trying to get lucky at the end of the draft for too long


Who are these "end of the draft" linemen?

Pugh? Flowers? Richburg?

Which OL was drafted in 2016?

The one drafted in '15? Hart - penciled in as a starter

Which one from 14'? Richburg? 2nd round is late?

How about 13'? Pugh in the 1st? You probably mean Herman in the 6th.

So in other words, since 2013, we've missed on exactly 1 "late draftee", right?
Fluker will probably start at some point due to injury even if he  
Heisenberg : 8/8/2017 1:54 pm : link
doesn't win a job out of camp. He's here on a show me deal. Hopefully he plays well when he gets on the field.
RE: Exact opposite  
Moondawg : 8/8/2017 2:03 pm : link
In comment 13552755 PEEJ said:
Quote:
They want Fluker to be the first guy off the bench at 3 positions (if he doesn't start)


It would be great to have that Kevin Booth sort of talent and versatility on the line again. Pugh has shown that too, but he's a starter all the way.
Fatman, you are happy with this OL, that we have been  
Doomster : 8/8/2017 2:23 pm : link
rebuilding for 6 years?

He doesn't..
FatMan in Charlotte : 1:45 pm : link : reply
get tired of being wrong, so he's probably perfectly fine from an ignorant is bliss standpoint:

Quote:
we have been trying to get lucky at the end of the draft for too long


Who are these "end of the draft" linemen?

Hart, Bis, Wheeler



Which OL was drafted in 2016?

Well, we didn't have a 7th round pick to waste an OLman on


The one drafted in '15? Hart - penciled in as a starter

Starter? Seriously? Only because there is no one else...


So in other words, since 2013, we've missed on exactly 1 "late draftee", right?

You are missing my point.....at the end of this season, I seriously doubt, we will be able to resign BOTH Richburg and Pugh.....one or even both, may go for the brass ring elsewhere.....that leaves us with Flowers, who is still a huge question mark....either Pugh or Richburg....then exactly what do you have? 7th rounders Hart and Biz? Fluker is a one year deal we might not re-sign? undrafted Wheeler is suddenly going to blossom?

The Ol, is what it is.....we can only hope there are no injuries to Flowers, Pugh, or Richburg, because the replacement will be a huge drop off.....as for the RG/RT, you just have to cross your fingers and hope for the best....

If Flowers does not improve this year, and we lose
Richburg or Pugh, you don't think we will have OL problems next year?

It's truly a shame, what we have put in front of our franchise QB, these last 7 years!
It doesn't matter..  
FatMan in Charlotte : 8/8/2017 2:26 pm : link
how happy or not I am with the OL. It is the continued myths that either Resse has serially ignored the OL or that he only drafts them late.

Those two "facts" get bantied about like they are actually true.
I think there is a legitimate  
barens : 8/8/2017 2:45 pm : link
Reason to be worried about Flowers. I don't know if there was much the Giants could have done about it prior to the season without overpaying someone, but Flowers still has much to prove.

It's not worth a darn thing.BUT  
grizz299 : 8/8/2017 2:50 pm : link
Fluker impresses. Saw a clip of him up close...damn he's big. High draft pick, happy to be here. My hunch (hope?) is he blooms.
Let's assume (as it is starting to look likely) that The Flower at OLT blooms too.
If we're lucky we could almost afford to lose BOTH Rickenburg and Pugh. Jones is flashing potential. So we'd wind up with Flowers Fluker Jones, Jerry, Hart. Potentially that could be a decent line with two road graders on the left side. And Still have Jones (the convefted dl), Wheeler and Biz to get super lucky with.
Again, not advocating letting Pugh and Richenburg go but thinking it could be survivable. And cheap.
RE: Exact opposite  
LauderdaleMatty : 8/8/2017 2:54 pm : link
In comment 13552755 PEEJ said:
Quote:
They want Fluker to be the first guy off the bench at 3 positions (if he doesn't start)


This. The depth of the OL is not much. Camp allows no to at least get reps there God for or inuries hit. Males total sense
To me it begins and ends with Flowers  
Bluesbreaker : 8/8/2017 10:05 pm : link
were are rarely in position to pick up the highly touted
O-linemen . When we took Pugh at #19 and Fluker was taken at #11 . There were a lot of prospects that season but again were picking at #19 so Pugh was a good pick .
Hindsight we could have take Travis Frederic but we got
Richberg in the 2nd the next season .
Then we took Flowers at #9 I am not sure how Andrus Peat
is doing in comparison . When you select a guy at #9 you
really need to hit that pick out of the park .
We can't afford a repeat of last year and at least we
now have Fluker to back up Hart because he had his problems as well .
Will Beatty is still out there  
Larry in Pencilvania : 8/8/2017 10:42 pm : link
Just saying
I can see good and bad aspects to Fluker as the 'sixth man'.  
Big Blue Blogger : 8/9/2017 3:38 am : link
He brings power, experience, and reasonable versatility. He would likely be the extra blocker in the short yardage/goal-line package, where he should be more effective than the Will Beatty/Brandon Mosley types who have filled the extra TE role lately. Thinking outside the box, Fluker could even replace John Jerry in some obvious four-minute offense situations, when he could pound a tired DL and his presence wouldn't telegraph anything because the opponent expects the Giants to run anyway.

On the downside, there's little chance Fluker would be trusted at center or left tackle. Since the presumptive backup center (Jones) can't play LT either, the team would need to either dress an eighth lineman each week or commit to moving Pugh if Flowers suffers an in-game injury. Dressing eight OL is fairly common, but making it a weekly custom reduces flexibility elsewhere. In recent years, I think the Giants' preference has been to dress a swing tackle and one backup C/G. IIRC, when they added an eighth OL, it was usually because a starter entered a game already nicked up, or because injuries at other positions left a spare shirt for a healthy body.
FWIW, Sy seems to  
section125 : 8/9/2017 8:09 am : link
think Fluker hasn't got the lateral movement to be a tackle. Now in run blocking he's a bulldozer.

But as far as backups, this is the best group of backups they have had since 2011/2012.
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