Nick Gates: The Good, the Great and the Ugly
Giants offensive lineman Nick Gates is one of the pit players you rarely hear mentioned when talking about the future of the Giants offensive line.
That is because he was not a starter, and many believed with the signing of Cam Fleming and drafting of Andrew Thomas to join Nate Solder that the battle for the present and future of the offensive line makeup would be settled there.
With Solder's announcement that he will not join the team this year due to concerns over Covid-19, depth is thrust back into the forefront.
In steps Gates, who has made spot starts at two different positions (guard and tackle). Versatility for a backup is paramount in a season where players may be forced to miss time due to illness and injury.
Gates could be counted on as the guy who is ready to step in and fill gaps where it is needed. We will take a look at the things that make him valuable and something that he needs to improve if he wants to have a long and fruitful career.
(Video clips via NFL Game Pass.)
The Good: Quick Feet in Pass Protection
In this first clip, Gates is working in an obvious passing down. He has a wide nine-technique defender that he has to kick slide out to pick up.
On the snap, he works to the defender who begins to make an inside rush. Gates is able to adjust his feet and keep the defender from getting by him.
He then notices that the interior defender is looping outside. He is able to separate from the outside rusher, adjust his feet, and pick up the looping interior defender to keep them both off the quarterback.
The Giants are running a play-action pass in this next clip. Gates has a defender lined up to his inside in the B-gap. On the snap, he has to cut off the defender and keep him from penetrating that gap. He is able to use his good footwork to slide down and get the defender wholly covered up.
Once the defender realizes it is not a zone play to his right and the quarterback is bootlegging back to the left, there's nothing he can do about it.
When he tries to adjust back out, Gates's feet are square and balanced, enabling him to block the defender regardless of where he tries to go. It also allows Gates to keep him clutched because the defender is never out of the framework of his body.
This final clip is slide protection for the offensive line. They are sliding to the left, and Gates has a defender in the B-gap, so he will most likely be responsible for picking him up in the scheme.
On the snap, Gates once again does an excellent job of sliding into a position to take the B-gap away and stop the defender's rush. The defender is relentless, and the defense has taken away the initial reads on this quick passing play.
The defender tries to swim Gates and work back to his outside. Thanks to Gates's balance and footwork, he is able to redirect, keep the defender from beating him outside, and work him up the field.
That gives the quarterback all the time he needs to eventually find an open man and hit him for a touchdown.
The Great: Versatility
Whether it's at guard or tackle, Gates delivers a solid effort every time.
In this first clip, he shows his prowess as a run block from the right tackle position. The Giants are running zone to the right side, which means that Gates' block is an important one.
He does a good job of getting on his zone track and only engaging the outside tilted defender, who is trying to spill the play outside when he enters into his zone.
The run hits underneath his block, and when the defender tries to redirect to get to the ball carrier, Gates is able to manhandle him completely.
In this next clip, Gates is at guard versus the Miami Dolphins. Pass protection at guard is very different from tackle because the tackle almost always has a man over him. He either inside, outside, or head-up.
At guard, you can have a man lined up on you, or you can be looking at empty gaps. So most of the time, guards end up helping and scanning for potential blitzers.
In this clip, the noseguard who is head up the center attacks the A-gap to Gates side. Because Gates has no immediate threat, he assists the center with blocking the nose.
As they both wall the nose off and push him around the pocket, he notices the defender that the right tackle is blocking trying to get to the inside.
So he comes off the double team with the center and assists the tackle with his block.
As you can see, the right side of the pocket is well secured. Unfortunately, there was a breakdown by the left tackle that leads to a sack.
In this final clip, Gates is again at guard against the Dolphins. The Giants are running one-back power from the gun. Gates has a B-gap defender he must account for because the center has to replace the pulling guard.
He is able to get to the defender and stop his initial rush. He also gets a little help from the right tackle who gives the defender a shove as he's working to the second level. This allows Gates to turn the defender, creating a crease for the back to squeeze into and gain extra yards.
The Ugly: He "Opens his Gate" vs. Speed Rushers
In this first clip, Gates has a nine technique defender outside of him in a clear pass rush situation. He is already two yards back from the line of scrimmage because he is able to cheat his alignment off of the guard.
This gives him an immediate advantage against the pass rusher because the defender has more space to cover before he can get the lineman to react to him.
Despite that distance, Gates almost immediately begins to open his hips and turn perpendicular to the line of scrimmage. This opens up the opportunity for the defender to have a two-way go at the quarterback.
With the distance he had between him and the defender, Gates should have used a vertical kick slide, which would allow him to shut down either move.
In this next clip, you can see an example of the same thing. The nine-technique pass rusher is in a two-point sprinters stance. Gates isn't quite as far in the backfield this play, but he still has plenty of space between him and the defender.
On the snap Gates kick slides out and immediately begins to open his hips. The pass rusher uses a chop-dip-RIP move to try and defeat Gates block.
Because Gates opened up his hips, the defender was able to spin back inside, and he piles onto the sack of the quarterback.
If Gates had used a vertical set, he would have eliminated the defender's opportunity to use that move, and he would be equipped to answer the defender's secondary move to the inside.
Final Thoughts
Gates has value, especially in this pandemic-driven lifestyle. There's no way to tell how this roster will pan out by the time we get to Week 1.
We also have no clue what the roster will look like by the end of the season. Having a great, versatile option to turn to on the offensive line is necessary, and the Giants are fortunate enough to have that in Gates.
