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New York Giants Mailbag: The "Offensive" Line Edition

There's a bit of dismay among the readers this week and with good reason. So let's get to the letters.
Patricia Traina|
New York Giants Mailbag: The "Offensive" Line Edition
New York Giants Mailbag: The "Offensive" Line Edition

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New York Giants

If you'd like to submit a question for the mailbag, please send it to nygiantsmaven@gmail.com. Note: Some letters may have been edited for clarity/length.

(From Chuck D.) When will we see the quarterback pressure from the defense that Wink is famous for?

Chuck, when your team falls into a 16-0 hole after one quarter, sometimes you have to dial it back a bit with the risk-taking, know what I mean? That said, yes, you'd like to see the Giants get home with the pass rush more--last week, they blitzed 32 percent of the time on 24 Cowboys pass attempts and only managed to generate pressures on 16 percent of the opportunities. They do need to find a way to finish those pressures. But again, when you fall into a hole, you tend to dial it back with the risk-taking.

(From Rob F.) While the obvious scapegoats were the entire offensive line, where were Azeez and Kayvon? They were utterly absent. There was virtually no rush. The Dallas offensive line is one of the best, but the lack of rush, particularly when you start two rookie cornerbacks, must be concerning.

What's good, Rob? As I noted above, once the team fell into a hole, I suspect Wink Martindale dialed it back since blitzing offers something of a risk. But again, that said, yes, the Giants need more out of those two youngsters. Unfortunately, it looks like Ojulari, doubtful with a hamstring injury, will miss Sunday's game.

What's up, Rusal? What exactly do you expect general manager Joe Schoen to do about the offensive line? If there were upgrades on the street, don't you think they would have added them by now? And even if they wanted to trade for someone, what teams out there will give up quality starters or depth? None. 

The reality is this team has to roll with what it has. 

Could they change what they have by, say, Mark Glowinski and rotating Josh Ezeudu and Marcus McKethan in at right guard? Possibly. Could that mean trying Ezeudu at left tackle if Andrew Thomas has to miss any time? It could. Could they maybe try Matt Peart inside? 

Hey, anything's possible, right? But I think that's all we can realistically expect to see now.

(From Ray S.) Looks like the mystery has been solved. You know, the one about whether the offensive line would hold up. I’m not talking bad. I’m talking pitiful. We knew there would be growing pains with the rookie corners. No problem there. Unfortunately, will be waiting till the next draft for better play on the o-line.

Ray, I can't argue that the offensive line was bad. It was. I would not be surprised if we see a change this week to shore up areas of weakness.

Let's see how this unit fares over the next two games. If it continues to look like Swiss cheese, then this team is in big trouble.

David, can we please pump the brakes? Yes, the game was awful, but it's one game. If we get multiple games like that, then we can start to wonder about the coaching staff.

Not for nothing, but I suspect had it been the Giants blowing out Dallas, people would be crowing about a Super Bowl. But again, it's ONE GAME. Let's see how they respond to these next two games and then revisit this topic.

Hi Dave. As far as I know, the players around the league are coached on how to tackle. That said, sometimes a guy will go in with a proper tackle technique, and the target moves, and you have an "illegal hit."

Evan, unfortunately, I'm not a psychic. However, as I see it, there is nowhere to go but up, so I'd like to think they won't be as bad as last week. 

Remember, they shot themselves in the foot with mistakes, and when you have to play from behind, that means you have to constantly pass, and the more you pass, the more chances you give the defense to wreak havoc.

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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