Upgraded Giants O-line hoping to thwart Cowboys stunt-men

Stunt Men: Experienced Giants O-line hoping to fare better against Cowboys stunts

Giants offensive line coach Hal Hunter would probably have preferred to forget about last year’s game at Dallas in which the Cowboys threw numerous stunts and twists designed to confuse his offensive linemen into submission.

The tactic worked. According to Pro Football Focus, quarterback Eli Manning dropped back 16 times against such pressure in the Giants’ Week 2 game against Dallas, and was sacked six times int hat game.

This year, the Giants and Hunter are counting on having better protection against Cowboys defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli’s use of twists and stunts designed to create confusion.

That improved protection includes a more experienced duo of Nate Solder and Will Hernandez on the left side, veterans Kevin Zeitler and Mike Remmers on the right side, and a more advanced Jon Halapio at center orchestrating the lien calls and protections.

Hunter and his hog mollies have been hard at work in preparing for the Cowboys, studying the different types of twists that Marinelli likes to throw into the game plan.

The Giants’ offensive line coach believes this study combined with the experience on the offensive line should yield better results.

“One thing you that have to do at this level, I remember my first coaching job there was always a sign in the weight room that said, ‘championships begin in the division,’ so in the offseason what you need to do is study your division opponents,” he said Friday.

“You study Dallas, you study Washington and Philly. You find out what worked against them, what did they hurt you with, and that’s the stuff you work on. They are an athletic, talented team upfront. You go back, and you learn from your mistakes. What worked, what didn’t work, what do you need to correct, and it’s an ongoing process.”

What clearly didn’t work for the Giants last year was having two players—Ereck Flowers and Patrick Omameh—who were moved from the left side to the right, where they struggled to get guys like Cowboys defensive end Demarcus Lawrence blocked.

In that Week 2 game last year, Lawrence recorded a season-high seven pressures as the Giants had virtually no answers for what he and the rest of the Cowboys defensive front were doing.

Here is an example of the sack recorded by Lawrence on a twist in which the defensive end, lined up across from right tackle Ereck Flowers, starts to the outside before crossing inside with defensive lineman Tyrone Crawford, No. 98.

As a result of this twist—and the Giants failure to get the right protection, Lawrence records one of the easiest sacks of his season which comes through a Texas-sized hole up the middle.

If that’s not bad enough, watch how Omameh, the right guard, sees what’s happening but is slow to react and peel off his block to at least try to push Lawrence off his path to the quarterback.

Hunter tried to explain the Giants struggles last year in part due to the Giants having a new offensive line and playing in a hostile environment.

The reality is that the offensive linemen worked together int eh spring and preseason, having had plenty of time to jell, and the team no doubt used crowd noise to prepare for the loudness of the environment, making his explanation sound nothing more than a coverup for what was essentially poor play by two guys who never quite took to playing o the right side.

This year, Hunter is full of hope that the Cowboys’ stunts don’t catch the offensive linemen off guard as much, if at all, on the Giants’ line being more experienced.

“I just think the guys are coming back having a year playing with each other,” he said. “All of a sudden, now you have a left guard and left tackle that have a year under their belt. You have a center that’s back healthy.

“You have two pros playing on the right side that have both been in big games before. Remmers played in a Super Bowl before, so playing in Dallas isn’t going to faze him. He’s played in the biggest arena there is. You have some veteran experience that I really think is going to help.”

The Giants chances for success depend on it.