Woeful offensive line destroying Giants' playoff hopes
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
That's exactly what the New York Giants have been doing with their offensive line for the past few seasons, as the the failure to address the problem is holding the team back and potentially shortening Eli Manning's career.
The pass protection issues were on full display again Monday night against the Detroit Lions, just like they were against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1. The Giants have now given up eight sacks and 12 quarterback hits over the first two weeks, as Manning has been under siege for 120 minutes.
New York had opportunities to fix the problem in the past two drafts, but maybe general manager Jerry Reese wasn't ready to admit that taking Ereck Flowers was a mistake, or management wanted to stick with the best player on the board strategy. Whatever the reason, it's catching up to the team in a major way now and there doesn't seem to be any way to fix it in the immediate future.
In 2016, Laremy Tunsil fell right into the Giants' lap, but they went with cornerback Eli Apple instead. Then in the 2017 draft, New York could have had Ryan Ramczyk or Cam Robinson, but went somewhat off the board to take tight end Evan Engram. Engram appears to be a fine player thus far and a tremendous athlete, yet he wasn't the Giants' biggest need. It doesn't matter how talented Engram is if Manning can't get the ball to him.
What makes the issue more problematic is the Giants could be a championship contender if not for the issues up front. New York boasted one of the league's top defenses a year ago and Manning arguably has the best weapons around him he's ever had in his career. Throwing to Odell Beckham, Brandon Marshall, and Sterling Shepard is a luxury most quarterbacks dream of, but Manning may never get to properly utilize the trio.
Not to mention Manning is now 36 years old and one of the most immobile quarterbacks in the league. The focus should have been on protecting him better as he got older to maximize his skill set.
The Giants are now 0-2 and it might be an impossibility to get into the playoff picture with the way this offensive line is constructed.
And they have nobody to blame but themselves.