New York Giants left tackle Ereck Flowers will face a big test Monday night when he goes against Cleveland Browns rookie Myles Garrett.
One could argue no New York Giants player has attracted more attention throughout the summer months than often-criticized left tackle Ereck Flowers. A Giants side that won 11 games during the 2016 season added weapons on offense, remained relatively stable on defense, appears more comfortable under head coach Ben McAdoo and still has two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning leading the charge.
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While it may be hard to believe one person could sink Big Blue’s title hopes, that Flowers is either so important or such a massive liability, depending on your outlook, says plenty about the 23-year-old’s career path since he entered the NFL in 2015. Flowers was once valued by the Giants, other franchises and respected scouts as worthy of a first-round pick, but he has mostly flopped throughout his pro tenure.
Flowers managing to flash even glimpses of improvement during summer training camp sessions provided hope he may have begun to win battles during what seems to be a crisis of confidence. After all, he is a mammoth individual who certainly looks the part. He did well to get himself in better shape ahead of training camp. He has managed to play well in regular season contests in the past.
Some fans and observers understandably placed their faces into their hands after seeing Flowers supposedly surrender a pair of sacks versus the Pittsburgh Steelers during last Friday’s exhibition contest. As Ed Valentine of Big Blue View explained, neither of those takedowns should be blamed on Flowers. In fact, the third-year pro actually had a solid preseason debut, particularly when tasked with protecting quarterbacks.
As has been the case throughout Flowers’ career, however, any good feelings that existed following a handful of positive plays quickly evaporated. Per ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, who evaluated New York throughout training camp, Flowers was nothing short of disastrous in practices earlier this week. After showing film to “several ex-NFL offensive linemen and some independent offensive line coaches,” one told the reporter: “Worst I’ve seen, period.”
There’s no rest for the weary, so goes the famous saying, and the Giants will have a few extra days to prepare for a preseason contest against the Cleveland Browns on Monday (Aug. 21). While the majority of the four games teams play every August are glorified walkthroughs, analysts, coaches and nervous fans will carefully examine every snap in which Flowers is lined up against impressive Cleveland rookie Myles Garrett.
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The 21-year-old is the highest-rated defensive prospect since Jadeveon Clowney. Clowney, you’ll remember, dealt with injury woes that kept him a spectator for 12-of-16 contests his first season. Garrett, meanwhile, is fully healthy and seemingly ready for the first meaningful snap of what could be a promising career.
Sure, Garrett has looked like a monster during practices played at half-speed, but the rookie managing to handle his own against future Hall-of-Fame left tackle Joe Thomas while both men were wearing shorts shouldn’t have anybody penciling Garrett into this year’s Pro Bowl squad. What should not be ignored, however, is how Garrett played against the New Orleans Saints last Thursday.
Joe Gilbert of Waiting for New Year broke down Garrett’s performance from his first ever preseason game, and nobody would blame Giants fans for feeling a bit queasy upon reading Gilbert’s assessment. Garrett played like an established veteran lining up across left tackles, and he routinely got into the backfield, disrupted pass-blocking schemes and hassled quarterbacks.
As of the typing of this sentence, both Garrett and Flowers are scheduled to feature in next Monday’s showdown at FirstEnergy Stadium. As difficult as it may be for some to fathom following the past several days, that’s only good news for New York. Now, when the games don’t matter, is the time for the Giants to throw Flowers into the deep end and see if he treads water, swims or sinks like a boulder.
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Garrett will win some match-ups against Flowers. It’s inevitable, as the rookie really is that good. Flowers gaining confidence and having the better outing of the two could do wonders for his psyche and New York’s season. If, however, Garrett dominates, the Giants will seriously need to consider ending the Flowers experiment before he costs the club more than sacks in an insignificant game.