Despite Metrics to the Contrary, Giants' Offensive Line Did Show Some Growth

Despite the metrics saying otherwise, the New York Giants' offensive line did make some forward progress in certain areas. NFL Network Analyst Brian Baldinger helps break that progress down.

When it comes to their offensive line, members of the New York Giants brass have adopted the "What, me worry?" mantra of the fictitious Alfred E. Neuman of MAD Magazine fame.

The belief of head coach Joe Judge and general manager Dave Gettleman is that the young unit is talented enough to get the job done and that the experience gained last season has better prepared the group to handle life in the NFL pit.

So just where is this improvement in an offensive line that, according to Pro Football Focus, finished 31st in the league in pass-blocking efficiency with an 81.3 percentage and whose 195 total pressures were fourth-most in the league in 2020

"One area that did improve during the stretch was the mental errors went way down," NFL Network Analyst Brian Baldinger told the LockedOn Giants podcast.

"The mental errors--when you really slowed things down, they popped out at you. But five guys working together on slide protection, cutting off the backside, blocking the right guys in the run game--those errors went way down." 

Baldinger also pointed to the role of the tight ends early on in the offensive line's struggles but noted that the blocking by the tight ends improved, as did the individual offensive linemen's performances. 

"There was a there was a stretch last year of about six games, maybe from the Rams game on where I thought they were really improved," Baldinger said. "And then they went on that four-game win streak and I thought they were really...on their way, and then they kind of fell off at the end of the season." 

Baldinger, who touched upon each of the returning Giants offensive linemen's performance from last year, noted that Andrew Thomas got off to a slow start but eventually got better as the season wore on.

Which NFL offensive lines were the best and worst at limiting pressure in 2020?

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"He battled," Baldinger said of Thomas. "He's a good athlete--that's what got him drafted No. 4 overall. I didn't believe he was as good as Tristan Wirfs (Bucs), Jedrick Wills (Browns), or Mekhi Becton (Jets). I thought there were real weaknesses in (Thomas's) game, and it showed up last year.

"His feet weren't in the ground--he's constantly on one foot, which puts you off balance and takes away your strength. And he's got a big swinging gait with his right foot and he opens it up all the time. But I thought he did better at keeping his feet in the ground."  

Perhaps no Giants' offensive lineman's performance has been more of a head scratcher than that of Will Hernandez. Hernandez, the Giants' second-round draft pick in 2018, had a solid rookie season but has been unable to build on that since. 

After losing his starting job last year, something that might have been due to his bout with COVID-19, for which he tested positive mid-year, Hernandez has been training to play right guard for what's believed to be the first time in his football career dating back to high school. 

"He's a little stiff," Baldinger said of Hernandez. "It doesn't help when, you know, teams are running stunts against you, and you gotta get to the second level in the run game. 

"He's had some trouble in pass protection, and they basically benched him for a while last year. Maybe it was COVID-related, but I can't speculate on any of that."

Moving forward, Baldinger said the goal of the Giants offensive line needs to be a focus on the fundamentals to where the unit is functioning as one. 

"You want to see the mental errors as a group go down, and then you want to see teamwork together go up," he said of what to look for as far as continued improvement goes.

"So if you're running an inside zone play and you've got two double teams at the point of attack between the guard tackle center guard, you want to see that double team shoulder-to-shoulder, foot-to-foot like fundamentally sound football."  

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 More from Giants Country

• A Deep Look at the Giants' Quarterbacks Ahead of Training Camp 
• A Deep Look at the New York Giants' Tight Ends Ahead of Training Camp 
• TE Kyle Rudolph: The Good, the Great, and the Ugly
• New York Giants Training Camp Player Previews  

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