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Giants O-line Coach Rob Sale's Blunt Take on Right Tackle Situation

Giants offensive line coach Rob Sale did not mince words when asked about Matt Peart's development.

Patricia Traina

Giants O-line Coach Rob Sale's Blunt Take on Right Tackle Situation
Giants O-line Coach Rob Sale's Blunt Take on Right Tackle Situation /

 

For those unsatisfied with the head coach Joe Judge's response regarding why the team is sticking with Nate Solder ahead of Matt Peart at right tackle, Giants offensive line coach Rob Sale didn't mince words when asked why Matt Peart isn't playing ahead of the struggling Nate Solder.

"Nate is a better player right now," Sale said. "Matt’s had opportunities. We’re playing the best players that we think we have a chance to give us a position to win. Nate, in our opinion, is playing better.

”Is he perfect? No--nobody's perfect. But he gives us the best chance to win."

That's a disappointing evaluation of Peart, a third-round pick in 2020 whom the Giants envisioned as their future right tackle.

Peart, 6-foot-7, 301 pounds out of Connecticut, has played in 491 offensive snaps for the Giants, manning both left and right tackle and playing some snaps as a jumbo tight end.

Peart filled in for Andrew Thomas at left tackle for three games earlier this year and allowed six of his 13 pass pressures at that spot. In 303 career pass-blocking snaps, he's allowed 22 pressures.

At times Peart, whom the Giants have also been cross-training at guard this year, has shown signs of being on his way to being a serviceable offensive tackle. But in his last start for Thomas at left tackle, against the Raiders, Peart struggled against defensive end Yannick Ngakoue, allowing two sacks in that game, one based on speed and the other when Peart appeared to mess up a twist pickup.

One of Peart's most significant issues is his footwork, where he stops his feet after making initial contact with the guy he is supposed to block. He has also seemed uncomfortable with his knee bend in retreat and frequently reverts to waist-bending.

Sale, who praised Peart for his mindset and commitment to getting better, was also blunt about the lack of physicality in Peart's current game.

"He goes in the right mindset. He prepares the right way. He goes in the meeting room the right way. He's always in the building," Sale said.

"But at the end of the day, it's a violent game. You got to go out there and slide and put your hands in someone's chest and play. It's not going to be perfect all the time, but you can cover the ground a lot by being physical, more effort, toughness, strength--all those intangibles that make the great ones great."

Sale's assessment appears to cast some question about whether Peart can one day become that gritty, tough, and technique sound player the Giants were hoping he'd be when they drafted him last year.

New York added former Titans first-round draft pick Isaiah Wilson to the practice squad, a player Sale, assistant offensive line coach Ben Wilkerson and consultant Pat Flaherty have been coaching up to get Wilson ready to play.

Wilson has been cross-training at guard and tackle, and if he continues rounding into shape, it would not be a surprise if Wilson ends up as a starter next year on the right side of the line, where guard Will Hernandez and Solder are both unlikely to return to their current roles.

As for Peart, no one on the Giants is giving up on him as a prospect. But Sale said he needs to find a way to help Peart add more physicality to his game.

"Every player responds to something different," Sale said. "You can, you can sit down and have realistic conversations with guys, which that's been done. Some people yell, holler, scream--everybody responds differently and everybody gets motivated by things differently, but (Peart) knows where he's at in his career and knows where he's at as a player."

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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