:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/27045735/20131110_kkt_al2_798.0.jpg)
On Friday we reviewed the sieve that was the New York Giants' offensive line in 2013. Today, the Star-Ledger is wondering if long-time offensive line coach Pat Flaherty will be the next Giants' assistant to be dumped because of the group's shortcomings.
Valentine's View: Dave Hutchinson of the Star-Ledger pointedly writes that Flaherty should not be blamed for the mess on the line. Hutchinson says: "It couldn’t possibly be the fault of whoever made the decisions in assembling the offensive line, right?"
Hutchinson finds agreement here. Flaherty has long been, and still is, one of the best offensive line coaches in the business. The problems on the line stem from the refusal between the 2009 second-round selection of Will Beatty and the 2013 first-round selection of Justin Pugh, to use any high draft picks to bolster an aging group. Also, when it was apparent entering the season that depth was lacking, the Giants failed to acquire a veteran lineman who could have filled in.
The woes of the offensive line fall at the feet of GM Jerry Reese, not Flaherty.
DallasCowboys.com is assessing NFC East teams, and is wondering what the transitioning Giants might look like in 2014. So are we.
Former Giants defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan has been hired as linebackers coach by the Detroit Lions. Sheridan spent the last two years as defensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was linebackers coach with the Giants before failing miserably as defensive coordinator in 2009 a season after which he was fired.
NJ.com is wondering if the Giants will fork over the big contract it will take to keep defensive tackle Linval Joseph. My crystal ball, and past history with Barry Cofield, says the answer is probably not.
