New York Giants: Ereck Flowers nightmare is over

New York Giants head coach Pat Shurmur may have saved the season by benching Ereck Flowers ahead of the team’s win over the Houston Texans.

New York Giants head coach Pat Shurmur trying to salvage anything from offensive tackle Ereck Flowers made sense at the beginning of the season. Sure, New York’s current coaching staff and front office weren’t responsible for bringing Flowers to the franchise, but the 24-year old was a first-round pick who will be paid by the Giants since the team didn’t trade him earlier this year. Moving him to right tackle and hoping he could play that position was logical.

Everyone involved with the Giants now knows better. The Flowers nightmare that continued through the beginning of the campaign was put to bed, hopefully for good, ahead of the team’s Week 3 showdown with the Houston Texans when Shurmur benched the lineman in favor of Chad Wheeler.

Wheeler was far from perfect, particularly in the second half, but the New York offense played like a winning unit for the first time this season, and the Giants improved to 1-2 overall after a five-point victory on the road.

One shouldn’t need Pro Football Focus rankings or any analytics to understand the New York offensive line looked better with Flowers serving as a spectator. Quarterback Eli Manning took four sacks and six QB hits, but he nevertheless appeared more comfortable in the pocket than he did during the opening eight quarters of the campaign.

Rookie running back Saquon Barkley was able to run through holes created by blockers. Manning and the Giants closed Houston out with a nine-play drive that ended with a touchdown pass to Sterling Shepard with 2:08 remaining in the contest.

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Opposing defensive coordinators now have film on Wheeler and the new-look New York offensive front. Game plans will be schemed accordingly. Wheeler may flop, as did Flowers, as the season progresses. He may improve. He may stay exactly where he is. What’s done is done. Going back to Flowers, other than in an “in case of emergency” situation, is not an option moving forward.

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One bad battery prevents you from using your remote to operate your television. A single flat tire keeps you from driving your car. A weak link on the line coupled with the lack of faith those in the lineup have in that individual can sink an offense.

Flowers undeniably wasn’t the only person to blame for New York’s offensive woes in back-to-back losses. Watch the film from New York’s win over Houston. Don’t believe your eyes are telling you anything other than the obvious.

So what now that Shurmur admitted the Giants had a 6-6 problem on the line and, apparently, made the right call? Removing Flowers from the equation, entirely, is not necessarily what’s best for the current roster. Depth on the line cannot be overvalued, especially when it comes in the form of an individual familiar with the offense, the quarterback and the coaches. Keeping him around costs little outside of the value of the final year of his rookie contract.

On Sunday, former guard Geoff Schwartz took to Twitter to question Flowers’ dedication to “getting better.” That’s a different issue than talent, and it could be an explanation for why Shurmur decided that waiting any longer to yank Flowers from the lineup was prolonging the inevitable. It could also lead to the Giants completing a transaction this fall.

As difficult as it may be for some to imagine, the Giants could potentially receive something of little value in return for Flowers’ services from a team with a need up front and money to burn. The New York Jets immediately come to mind.

Gang Green’s line is on the cusp of being rebuilt. The Jets wouldn’t be on the hook for anything regarding Flowers past Week 17. Changing teams but remaining local could do Flowers some good. Taking a flier on him via a seventh-round draft pick isn’t a costly investment. The Indianapolis Colts and Cleveland Browns are also possible destinations.

The decision to sit Flowers was only the beginning of the process. Waiting until the end of October to make a clean break, if that is deemed the correct move, won’t benefit anybody. The first half of the season is too important for a team that is still eying a playoff run.