The Giants have been missing a lot of offensive linemen recently. Only one projected starter remains uninjured which is hardly a good sign for Big Blue. Ereck Flowers (tackle/Giant's 1st round pick) has been hampered by a hip flexor which is not good news for an inexperienced rookie. Tom Coughlin had this to say about Flowers
"Very difficult. Very tough, you miss time and you really have a difficult time making it up, because there's all kinds of stuff being thrown at him. The defense has got a sophisticated disguise and pressure package. He would benefit, definitely, from being out here. He had his work in the spring, and there's no doubt he can pick it up, but it's not good to miss practice."
The remaining linemen, Weston Richburg (center), and Geoff Schwartz (guard) have all been struggling with nagging injuries as well. The Giants starting left tackle Will Beatty has been out for a considerable amount of time and probably will not return until November. The offensive line that the Giants have been forced to use now includes Justin Pugh (left tackle), Adam Gettis (left guard), Dallas Reynolds (center), John Jerry (right guard) and Marshall Newhouse(right tackle). This is very much a concern since a lot of the starters are missing a lot of mental reps; one thing is certain if the Giants hope to protect Eli Manning entering the twilight of his career his offensive line needs to be healthy.
