The 2017 season was full of failures and questionable motives from New York Giants‘ left tackle Ereck Flowers. From allowing consistent pressures on Eli Manning to checking out of the final game of the season with right tackle Bobby Hart, the former first-round pick has displayed nothing but negatives in his three years as a professional.
With the new regime taking hold of the team and attempting to veer it back into the right direction, Flowers has found himself with a second opportunity at life in the NFL. He has been shifted over to RT and is looking to revive a career plagued by inadequate performances.
Signing former Patriot Nate Solder has helped Manning sleep better at night, and his performance in last week’s preseason game against the Detriot Lions attests to that statement.
#Giants Nate Solder looked great pass blocking today. Last Friday night vs. the Lions, Solder had a 78.9 pass blocking grade and had a 96.7 pass blocking efficiency in 15 pass blocking snaps. #BigBlue
— PFF NY Giants (@PFF_Giants) August 21, 2018
The Giants signed Solder to a contract that allocates $15 million per year to the tackle. Flowers wasn’t too keen on the signing as he felt betrayed, but he must understand the legitimacy of the move.
Ben McAdoo speaks out about the New York Giants’ right tackle:
“He can’t bend, you got to be able to bend,” McAdoo said in an interview with the New York Post. “You can run around him on that (right) side just like you can on the other side. Eli just gets to see it, which may help Eli. It’s not on the blind side. It’s in his vision, so if he is comfortable with what’s going on over on the left side, it can help him move in the pocket a little bit better.”
Flowers fired back after the comments:
“Anything he had to say to me, he could have said it when he was here with me,” Flowers told NJ Advance Media following Monday’s practice. “Anything that he has to say now, I really don’t care about. I’m here right now, going into the season just focused on what’s ahead of us.”
In regard to making the transition to the right side:
“When you move over you kind of have to switch everything,” Flowers said. “Your muscle memory, a lot of different things. It’s going pretty well though I have gotten a lot better at it since I first started.”
For the Giants, it’s essential that Flowers becomes serviceable at the very least.
Devon Kennard realized he was lined up against Ereck Flowers and decided to feast #NotMyRT #NYG pic.twitter.com/hgqrTaRKtv
— Ethan aka The People’s Insider (@EthanGSN) August 17, 2018
This play from last week was not a good sign, but there were some better looks from Flowers. Former Gaints Devon Kennard easily swim moves around the new right tackle – Flowers was completely bent over and off balance, which was one of his most frequently downfalls last season.
He needs to continue working on his footwork and balance issues.