Things seem to be pointing in the right direction for Ereck Flowers. The much-maligned former first-round pick of the New York Giants might finally be starting to reach his full potential.
Flowers has had a tough road in his first two seasons in the NFL, the former offensive tackle out of Miami has struggled in nearly every facet of being a left tackle. But there are some glimmers of hope now that Flowers might be close to touching his potential.
There have been some positive reviews of Flowers over the past couple of weeks during Organized Team Activities (OTAs) as well as this week’s minicamp. It is a ray of hope for a player who has been raked over the coals during his first two seasons in the NFL. There were expectations based on his being a first round pick, unreasonable perhaps, but expectations nonetheless that have led to a sense of disappointment about his perceived lackluster play to date.
On Tuesday, Flowers wore a hooded sweatshirt on the first day of minicamp, a day that reached record high temperatures, perhaps a sign that he is committed to his fitness and conditioning.
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“The first thing about Ereck that jumps out is how much leaner he is. Both he and Bobby Hart have been committed to the work that they have put in throughout the winter, before we have even started the offseason program and the time they spent preparing themselves physically,” offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan said this week. “You can see that Ereck looks leaner. There is initial quickness that is there that is impressive. Obviously, it doesn’t take rocket science to figure out that here we are in just in our shorts and helmets, you are not going to get a true sense of where we are at from a pass protection standpoint, from a run-blocking standpoint. But I think Ereck particularly, and I think Bobby as well, both you see the results of their work and getting them to this point.”
And a leaner, perhaps meaner Flowers would be a good thing for the Giants.
Last year’s offensive line was considered the weak link of not just the offense but the entire team. With the addition of the versatile D.J. Fluker into the mix along the line, there is hope that the unit will stabilize.
Guard Justin Pugh said that he knows Flowers and several teammates did some offseason boxing workouts in an effort to get faster and quicker in the trenches.
“He’s working his butt off. He stayed up here, he’s been in there every day. He’s one of the first ones over here in the morning,” Pugh said. “So, I’m excited for what’s he’s going to put in there. He’s definitely worked, I couldn’t say this is the hardest he’s worked, but from my perspective, he’s been there every day putting in the work. So, he’s ready to go.”
