Barkley, Engram Are Willing Blockers, But Are They Able?
You couldn't miss it, even if you wanted to.
New York Giants tight end Evan Engram, never known for his blocking ability, whiffed on some blocks in the Giants' Monday night loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Meanwhile, there was running back Saquon Barkley, a player not exactly known for being a bulldozer in pass protection, allowing a Steelers blitzer to sneak through to the backfield.
Sadly, both of these occurrences are nothing new to those who have watched Engram and Barkley, now in their fourth and third years, respectively.
While it would be great to be able to say that every player lacks deficiencies in his game, that's not the real world we live in. Still, don't expect head coach Joe Judge or offensive coordinator Jason Garrett to give up on either player being a blocker just yet.
"We believe Evan can be a complete tight end," Garrett told reporters Thursday.
"He’s demonstrated that at different times throughout his career, and certainly during our time together in training camp up to this point. We don’t see him as a one-dimensional player who’s only a receiver."
It's important to understand where Garrett's sentiments are coming from. When he was hired, Judge vowed to give all his players a fresh start and spoke about wanting to know what players could do versus what they can't.
Judge is also a head coach who just this week said he wouldn't call out a player in public, and he and his staff have stuck to their word, pointing the finger at themselves for any shortcomings in the team.
He's also shown patience. Judge believes that a new scheme can often uncover discoveries regarding a player's abilities to contribute and that you can't make any snap judgments about the strengths and weaknesses of a scheme after just one week.
But let's get back to the blocking business. Physics would suggest that asking a 240-pound tight end (Engram) to block a 270-280 pound defensive end is asking for trouble.
Physics would also suggest the chances of a 230-pound running back trying to slow down a guy of that size would be damn near impossible.
But then how does physics explain David Meggett, all 5'7" and 190 pounds of him who from 1989-94 used to stonewall blitzers for Bill Parcells back in the day?
Meggett, like Barkley and Engram, had the desire. But what separated Meggett from Barkley and Engram, at least as of now, is consistency in leverage and technique.
This is not to say that Engram and Barkley should always be asked to serve as blockers as if you're talking the strength of their respective games, blocking isn't it.
I'm reminded of another moment in Giants history that I'm sure Judge would like to avoid, and that is tipping his hand as to what they're going to do based on the personnel package, such as what happened in 2007 whenever the Giants put fullback Madison Hedgecock on the field, a sure sign they were going to run.
What Judge wants to do is give these guys a chance to prove one way or another if they can handle what the coaches think they can. But with that is a fine line regarding when to keep going and when to pull the plug which Judge admitted exists.
So for now, don't expect him to make any changes, despite there being a growing roar to do so.
