Tag: Mark Glowinski

Giants’ Brian Daboll: Battle at guard has been settled

New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll says the guard battles have been settled but refuses to reveal the winners until Sunday night.

The New York Giants offensive line is one on the rise with an All-Pro left tackle in Andrew Thomas, another up-and-coming one on the right side in Evan Neal, and a promising center in John-Michael Schmitz.

What has Giants fans concerned are the two guard positions. Right guard is spoken for by veteran Mark Glowinski, but he had a rollercoaster of a year in 2022, struggling at times in pass protection.

This summer, the Giants had a rotation at left guard with Ben Bredeson, Joshua Ezuedu, and others such as Shane Lemieux.

On Friday, head coach Brian Daboll said the position has been ‘settled.’

When asked to elaborate on the decision, Daboll would not disclose any details.

“We’ll just get out there and be ready to play and the guys that will be out there will be ready to go,” he told reporters.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see the revolving door still in effect the entire season. Bredeson has been starting in practices and in the preseason but the others have gotten plenty of reps, too. At one point, the Giants had Glowinski playing out of position.

I guess we’ll find out like the rest of the world come Sunday night who the guards will be.

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5 keys for Giants as 2023 regular season gets underway

The 2023 regular season is officially underway and here are 5 keys for success for the New York Giants.

The New York Giants are ready to go in 2023, hoping to improve upon their success from last season when they finished 9-7-1 and qualified for the postseason for the first time in six years.

They’ll need to overcome a few things, however, if they are to do so. Here are our five keys to a successful 2023 for Big Blue.

Ben Bredeson’s versatility becoming invaluable for Giants

Veteran offensive lineman Ben Bredeson can play all three interior spots and that versatility has become invaluable for the New York Giants.

The New York Giants have finally landed on a center in rookie John Michael Schmitz, but who will play next to him at guard is still very much in flux.

On Monday at practice, Mark Glowinski, who played right guard in the 16 meaningful regular season games and the two postseason contests last year, was flipped over to the left side in an effort to find the team’s best mixture.

Head coach Brian Daboll was asked before practice if he is considering rotating at both guard spots in a regular season game as he has done all camp.

“I’d consider whatever we think, whatever is going to work best for us,” he said.

It’s likely that the Giants keep Glowinski at right guard in between Schmitz and second-year right tackle Evan Neal for stability purposes. The left side is still wide open, hence the decision to try Glowinski there.

The favorite for the job is Ben Bredeson, who has been flopped all over the interior of the line since he’s gotten here two summers ago.

“He’s got good position flex,” Daboll said of Bredeson. “He’s done a nice job really at all three spots of the snaps that he’s had, which have been quite a few. He’s got good leadership, so he’s done a good job with the things we have asked him to do.”

Daboll went on to say that Bredeson would still be listed on the depth chart at all three positions. He began camp as the starting center while Schmitz got acclimated.

“Well, he’s going to have to play some center, too,” continued Daboll. “He’s really going to have to play; you never know what could happen, but the one thing that is valuable for a guy like Ben is that he’s played all three spots. He hasn’t just been at one spot. He can play all three spots, he’s worked in camp at all three spots, in OTAs. Again, that flexibility is important I’d say particularly at that position.”

Bredeson is likely to win the starting job at left guard but his backup will become equally important to the Giants if the veteran is forced to move around due to injuries elsewhere along the line.

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Giants’ Mark Glowinski: Offensive line has become ‘fine-knit group’

Mark Glowinski says the New York Giants’ offensive line has become a “tight-knit group of individuals” thanks to slowed turnover.

The New York Giants’ offensive line should be better this season as they enter Year 2 of the Brian Daboll era. It will also be their second under offensive line coach Bobby Johnson.

The personnel is finally coming together after years of shuffling. Left tackle Andrew Thomas has become one of the best in the NFL at his position and the Giants hope his counterpart on the right side, Evan Neal, follows suit and takes a huge step forward in his second season.

At center, the team believes they have finally landed a franchise staple in second-round selection John Michael Schmitz. He will be the starter as camp opens next week and the Giants are hopeful he wrests the mantle there and never looks back.

The guard positions are still very much in play. The left side, especially. There will be a glut of players vying for the starting role. Ben Bredeson, Joshua Ezeuzu, Shane Lemieux, Marcus McKethan, Jack Anderson, and Wyatt Davis will all be getting their shot this summer.

On the right side, veteran Mark Glowinski will be the starter again. He is in the middle year of a three-year, $18 million deal and the Giants are hoping he can become a stabilizing force playing in between Neal and Schmitz.

Glowinski feels the offensive line is coming together in its second season. In a recent interview with veteran Giants reporter Pat Traina on her podcast, the eight-year NFL veteran stated the unit is still getting to know one another but is becoming more close-knit.

“I think a lot of it is just us having the ability to get to know one another and all the little things we do outside. If it’s how many times we spend in the cafeteria with one another or little trips we take, I think we’re a fine-knit group of individuals,” Glowinski said.

“So I think a lot of what we did initially, it was just learning plays, but I think even within this off-season alone, I think we’ve done a lot of things to kind of close the gaps in, in different things, especially just getting to know one another and, and you know when you get to know somebody a little bit better. I think that will make us a better group.”

The Giants are most excited to finally have a franchise center in Schmitz. Glowinski knows he’ll initially have to ease the rookie into NFL life both on and off the field and had some simple words of advice for him.

“The biggest thing I can tell ’em is trust what’s happening,” he said. “Trust your coaches; trust the guy next to you. Don’t second have second judgments on things; just go about the things asked of you.”

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Giants’ Mark Glowinski: Dexter Lawrence is ‘on a different level’

New York Giants guard Mark Glowinski offers high praise for NT Dexter Lawrence, QB Daniel Jones and RB Saquon Barkley.

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New York Giants guard Mark Glowinski has appeared in 111 games over his eight-year NFL career and he’s gone against some of the best. Needless to say, he knows talent when he sees it.

However, after joining the Giants as a free agent last offseason, Glowinski quickly came to realize there was a whole new level of skill.

Enter All-Pro nose tackle Dexter Lawrence, who Glowinski says is on a “different level” compared to the rest of the league.

“I (hadn’t) really had the opportunity to go against anybody like that,” Glowinski said on the Ross Tucker Podcast. “He’s definitely on a different level. He might be a guy you don’t see for another few years or maybe not for a lot longer.”

Glowinski says that he ‘feels bad” for opposing offensive linemen who don’t know what they’re getting into every week. That empathy stems from practicing against Lawrence on a daily basis.

“We deal with that every day,” Glowinski said with a laugh, recalling Lawrence’s remarkable athleticism.

Glowinski also offered up praise for running back Saquon Barkley and quarterback Daniel Jones

“Every game that we were winning, he was opening up a little bit more. You would see a little bit more fire in him,” Glowinski said of Jones. “That swagger was coming out.”

With some consistency for the first time in his career and a long-term contract in tow, Glowinski expects Jones to get even better in 2023.

“He can just go out there and have fun and kick (expletive),” Glowinski said. “I think that’s what was shown last year.”

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PFF ranks Giants’ offensive line among worst in NFL

According to Pro Football Focus, only three teams sport a worse offensive line than the New York Giants entering the 2023 season.

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Pro Football Focus has ranked the New York Giants as having the fourth-worst offensive line in the NFL.

Evan Neal was poor as a rookie but was playing right tackle after manning the left side in his final year at Alabama. Year 2 removes that as a potential excuse, and now he needs a massive improvement.

Only the Chargers and Vikings surrendered more total pressures than the Giants did last season, but solid play from rookie center John Michael-Schmitz and Evan Neal in Year 2 would catapult them up the rankings.

Best Player: Andrew Thomas

Left tackle Andrew Thomas upped his game again in 2022 to All-Pro levels. He earned a 90.3 overall PFF grade and allowed 23 pressures in 18 games.

Having the fourth-worst offensive line coming into the season is definitely something New York is not proud of. There were a lot of struggles last season outside of Andrew Thomas (who had an All-Pro caliber season). Evan Neal was terrible but he was just a rookie so his subpar play will hopefully be improved with a year of experience and a full offseason of training.

But the interior of the offensive line still remains a problem for New York. Mark Glowinski and Joshua Ezeudu are not really names that strike fear into opponents regarding offensive guards. However, Big Blue did make a massive upgrade at the center position by drafting the top-ranked center in the 2023 NFL draft class, John Michael Schmitz.

Getting this group into shape will definitely be a top priority following the massive extensive for Daniel Jones. New York made the playoffs and won a game last season for the first time in a decade. They will be looking to build on this going forward and that starts with improving the hog mollies up front.

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Where does PFF rank Giants’ Mark Glowinski among NFL guards?

Pro Football Focus has released a list of the top 32 guards in the NFL (out of 64) and Mark Glowinski of the New York Giants made the cut.

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The New York Giants are building an offensive line that hopefully will lead them to a championship.

They already have an All-Pro left tackle in Andrew Thomas and they hope right tackle Evan Neal, a 2022 first-round pick, can step up his game to give the Giants a formidable pair of bookends.

This spring, they added a top center through the draft in John Michael Schmitz. The only pieces still in flux are the guard spots.

Last year, free agent Mark Glowinski played 92 percent of the offensive snaps on the line at right guard. Only Thomas played more snaps on offense than Glowinski did.

Glowinski played admirably for his first season with the Giants in a new offense. Pro Football Focus ranks him the 28th best guard (out of 64) in the NFL heading into the 2023 season.

Glowinski’s 65.6 PFF grade in 2022 ranked 29th among guards. While he’s unlikely to ever be considered elite, he has proven reliable and serviceable, producing PFF grades above 65.0 in each of the past three seasons.

‘Reliable and serviceable’ is fine but may not be good enough for the Giants and their lofty goals going forward. This summer, Glowinski will be challenged by a slew of hopefuls the team has been developing.

Although it’s likely that Glowinski is back at right guard to start the season and beyond, the team will be taking a long look at a pair of 2022 draft picks (Joshua Ezeudu, Marcus McKethan) and others such as Shane Lemieux and Wyatt Davis.

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Giants rank dead last in 2023 pass protection expectation

Based on their current depth chart, the New York Giants rank dead last in 2023 pass protection expectation.

The New York Giants’ offensive line has not gotten much love when it comes to their performance in pass protection over the past few years.

That isn’t expected to change in 2023. They are rated dead last according to a chart compiled using Pro Football Focus pass block data (based on their current depth chart, which is subject to change).

A quick note on how to read the chart: blue is good, orange is not.

As you can see, only the left tackle, Andrew Thomas, is coded blue for the Giants. The left tackle, Evan Neal, is rated among the lowest in the league. Both of those players will be back.

Thomas is among the best at his position and Neal is expected to ‘take the next step’ in his progress this year, so they’re likely to be better as a duo.

The middle of the Giants’ line is no surprise. Right guard Mark Glowinski is a much better run blocker than pass protector. They have a revolving door at left guard and no legitimate candidate at center at the moment.

In 2022, quarterback Daniel Jones was sacked 44 times, or on 8.5 percent of his dropbacks, eighth-most in the NFL. Jones was third in hurries with 49 and was 15th in pressure rate (25.1 percent).

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Baldy Breakdown: Giants are improving in every area

Brian Baldinger breaks down how the New York Giants are demonstrating improvement in every single area.

Each week, former offensive lineman turned NFL Network analyst, Brian Baldinger, posts his thoughts on the New York Giants’ recent performance.

This week, Baldy had a lot to say about Big Blue’s dominant performance against the Indianapolis Colts.

On the Giants’ offensive line — Baldy’s specialty — he praised left tackle Andrew Thomas and guard Mark Glowinski.

Baldinger also tweeted about how improved the Giants’ offense is this season under quarterback Daniel Jones, and how players such as wide receiver Richie James have stepped up.

Baldy didn’t leave out the defense in his praise. He loves defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence as well as rookie outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux.

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Baldy Breakdown: Poor protection costing Giants big plays

Poor pass protection is creating major issues for the New York Giants offense, costing them big plays and even leading to injury.

Following a 48-22 drubbing at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 14, New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll admitted that the offense was leaving plays out on the field.

Almost immediately, critics rushed in to blame quarterback Daniel Jones. But Daboll doesn’t necessarily subscribe to that theory, instead pointing out that DJ often has immediate pressure in his face.

“When you get pressure right away in the pocket and there’s not much you can do, then the most important thing is to take care of the ball and live to see another day,” Daboll told reporters. “There are other times he’s created lanes and made some loose plays, whether it be with his feet or throwing the ball. There are other times he’s been able to throw on time and make the right decisions.”

As film gurus began to break down film of the game, they came to similar conclusions.

Retired offensive lineman and current NFL analyst, Brian Baldinger, also looked over the Giants-Eagles film this week and concurred with the rest.

Baldy singled out rookie right tackle Evan Neal and right guard Mark Glowinski as culprits. He showed how their protection breakdowns are not only forcing Jones to rush throws but are costing the offense big plays and leading to injuries.

Jones actually had two deep options on the above play but when it came time to throw, he had already released the ball due to the pressure coming off of the right side. The dump-off to Daniel Bellinger was not the original plan and because of the rushed nature of the play, the rookie tight end took a big hit.

Bellinger injured his ribs on the play and eventually had to leave the game. His status for Week 15 is now in question.

As Baldy alludes, these errors should not be occurring in Week 14. Not even for a rookie. Evan Neal has a bright future but right now, he’s hurting the offense.

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