New York Giants: Ereck Flowers must be moved or benched

New York Giants left tackle Ereck Flowers isn’t the answer at the position, and the Giants have to realize this to save their season.

Credit the New York Giants for maintaining faith in a young project such as left tackle Ereck Flowers. Admire head coach Ben McAdoo, general manager Jerry Reese, others within the organization and even Flowers’ teammates for continuing to believe the 23-year old and former first-round pick would develop, and evolve and figure life in the NFL out during his third season.

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Following New York’s disastrous performance versus the Detroit Lions on Monday night, the team’s second-straight loss to begin the 2017 campaign, offensive lineman Justin Pugh openly defended Flowers. Per Tom Rock of Newsday:

"“I’ve been in his shoes before,” Pugh said. “I was in Philly my second year in the league and let up four sacks in a game and we lost, 38-0. In the NFL, it’s tough to play tackle. I can tell you that firsthand. Playing tackle in the NFL is very, very hard. Everyone wants to come and take shots at Ereck, and that’s trying to kick somebody when they’re down. He knows he didn’t do what he was supposed to do tonight. He’s 23 years old going out there and trying to do everything he can.”"

Fans like to hear and read those types of comments, as they suggest members of a given unit have formed a true bond and brotherhood. Pugh clearly didn’t mean to insult anybody’s intelligence following the team’s latest loss, nor was he speaking for others inside the locker room. He should be appreciated for offering honest comments about what is a difficult and touchy subject regarding somebody he has to see at work every day between now and January.

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With that said, Pugh is not responsible for making roster decisions or choosing who starts up front for Big Blue. McAdoo must read the writing on the wall and inform Flowers he has dropped down the depth chart after what occurred at MetLife Stadium on Monday. It’s a necessary switch that has to be made to save a season that is quickly getting out of hand for an 0-2 side watching once-promising playoff hopes quickly evaporate.

Flowers may not have been the worst player on the field in front of a Monday Night Football audience, but he was nevertheless abysmal versus what won’t be the toughest pass rush he will theoretically face in 2017. Detroit’s Ezekiel Ansah thoroughly owned Flowers throughout the contest, to the point the Giants are lucky quarterback Eli Manning wasn’t injured:

It’s worth noting the Giants cannot make a major upgrade at the position before the 2018 NFL calendar opens. The time to make such a move was last March or the 2017 NFL Draft. Reese and company elected to not address the offensive line during the spring, and that decision now looms over a club that was supposed to compete for more than a playoff berth this season.

Giants fans must stop kidding themselves about the team trading for a top-tier offensive lineman. Such deals may occur in Madden, but they’re rare in real life. The Cleveland Browns aren’t trading left tackle Joe Thomas, and Thomas seems content retiring as a member of that franchise even though it’s more likely he’ll flap his arms and take flight than play a single down of postseason football with the Browns.

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Be that the case, McAdoo can no longer send Flowers into battle. There’s no positives in doing so. Flowers’ confidence is clearly shattered, and building it back up, if that’s even a possibility, will involve plenty of work away from games. Manning cannot be expected to be anywhere near his best when he is consistently worried about taking a blind-side hit because his left tackle is a breathing traffic cone.

Flowers wasn’t to blame for each of Detroit’s five sacks, but you don’t have to view the All-22 film to know he failed his QB far too often in the defeat. Attempting to help Flowers via a tight end should no longer be on the table. The previously mentioned Pugh has played at tackle in the past, and he should start at left tackle moving forward unless the Giants stumble upon a better option. Flowers can rotate with others at right tackle if he plays at all.

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Any talk about Flowers’ future with the Giants or in the NFL, in general, is useless. The Giants need to produce a win immediately to avoid what could be the beginning of the end of an era that started in the fall of 2004. Flowers can’t play left tackle, pure and simple, and the Giants will be better off if McAdoo realizes that before New York faces the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.