Articles

 

It’s been a disastrous first half of the season, and with the Giants sitting at 2-6, perhaps the two biggest problem spots on the offense are the running backs and the offensive line.

Running Backs: F+

Where to start?  Brandon Jacobs, David Wilson, Peyton Hillis, Da’Rel Scott and Michael Cox have combined to rush for a combined 521 yards.

That’s a far cry from where the Giants teams of yore used to be, where it wouldn’t be uncommon for the Big Blue to rush for that many yards in three or four games.  To further put it in perspective, Hakeem Nicks has 521 receiving yards on the year alone, and he’s been underachieving to a certain extent.

There have been glimpses of hope this year: Jacobs’ 100-yard game against Chicago Week 6, the last game he appeared in; Hillis’ 70-yard game against Philadelphia; that’s really it.

The running backs have been downright awful this year and the only reason I gave them an “F+” instead of an “F” is because of the horrible offensive line the running backs have had.

Offensive Line: F-

If it was possible to give a grade lower than an F-, I would’ve given it here.  Warren Beatty would be a better left tackle than Will Beatty at this point.  Kevin Boothe continues to show why you don’t draft players out of the Ivy League.  David Baas and David Diehl have been terrible (I ran out of sarcastic comments).  And Justin Pugh has played like a rookie.

The line has provided Eli Manning with zero pass protection, and has allowed Manning to sacked 19 times.

The lack of pass protection has also forced Manning to make many premature decisions leading to 15 interceptions.

The run blocking efforts have been equally as futile.

The line can’t open up holes for the running backs to hit, leading to a yards per carry average of under four yards for the team.  It’s no secret that without an offensive line, you can’t have an effective running game.

If the Giants expect to turn the season around and make a push for the playoffs, the offensive line needs to improve.

Joe Vasile | Featured Columnist

Joe Vasile is a play-by-play announcer for Widener Pride football and the host of “Ball Four” on WTSR in Trenton.  Follow him on Twitter at @JoeVasilePBP.