Polian: Offensive line needs to be addressed
Hall of Fame GM says Giants’ new weapons need some help
NEWYORK— Bill Polian agrees that the Giants should want “the arrow to be up” on Daniel Jones by Thanksgiving with one qualifier: that they fix the offensive line.
And he thinks they’ll continue trying to do that in April’s NFL Draft.
“Unless they get that solved, the weapons won’t mean a thing,” Polian, 78, said on Monday’s episode of “The Colin Cowherd Podcast.” “They have got to protect him, and they’ve got to be able to block for the run. That’s job one. And I suspect they’ll address it in the draft.”
Polian, the Hall of Fame former GM of the Bills, Panthers and Colts, made his comments after preaching patience on the Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa.
He said that “it takes quarterbacks [until the completion of ] three years before they’re even capable of leading a team and winning in the National Football League,” with some exceptions based on great surrounding situations.
So Cowherd asked that since Dave Gettleman has loaded Big Blue’s offense with more weapons entering Jones’ third season, is it fair for the Giants to speed up Jones’ clock a little bit and say, “I gotta know by Thanksgiving that you’re making progress.”
Plus three: The Giants signed three free agents on Tuesday: TE Cole Hikutini and DBs Joshua Kalu and Chris Milton. They appear to be depth and special teams additions.
Hikutini, 26, has played in four career games all with the 49ers in 2017. The 6-4, 240 pounder has been with the Niners, Vikings and most recently the Cowboys.
Kalu, 25, at 6-foot, 203, has played all 28 career games with Tennessee, including 15 in 2020. Milton, 28, at 5-11, 190, has played in 55 career games with one start, with Colts and Titans. Both played 50% or more of the Titans’ special teams snaps in 2020. - Pat Leonard, New York Daily News
Jets: Fields on display
Justin Fields put on a show with his arm and his legs at his pro day with the Jets well represented in Columbus, Ohio on Tuesday.
General manager Joe Douglas, assistant GM Rex Hogan and new offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur were on hand to see Fields’ athletic feats that included a 4.44second 40-yard dash and a throw on the move that was jaw-droppingly impressive, to say the least.
The Jets have the No. 2 pick in next month’s NFL Draft. They’re expected to use it on a quarterback and move on from Sam Darnold — unless Douglas gets a haul for the second selection that he absolutely can’t refuse.
After the Jets dropped from the top spot to No. 2 in the draft, the speculation was Fields would be the pick. But the general feeling heading into the Ohio State pro day was the Jets had BYU’s Zach Wilson ahead of Fields.
Now the Jets will continue to evaluate film, do more zoom interviews with the prospects and wait to see what the physicals show before making their choice.
It will be a defining one for Douglas, who didn’t draft Darnold. The Jets are coming off a 2-14 season and have missed the playoffs for 10 consecutive years. Douglas has gotten mostly a pass because he inherited many of the players on the last two teams. Nowhe has a chance to firmly put his stamp on the Jets and his legacy with this quarterback decision.
Douglas will listen to input from his trusted assistant Hogan, as well as new coach Robert Saleh and LaFleur. Saleh wasn’t at Fields’ pro day because his wife is due to give birth to their seventh child.
Last week, Douglas, Saleh and LaFleur were in Provo, Utah for Wilson’s pro day, and he certainly didn’t do anything to hurt his chances of being perhaps the second quarterback taken behind Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence.
Wilson’s best throw of the day was on the move, fading left and throwing it about 50 yards downfield to his receiver. — Al Iannazzone, Newsday