Shurmur tackles biggest problem
HOUSTON — Pat Shurmur benched Ereck Flowers and started Chad Wheeler at right tackle on Sunday, helping to jump-start the run game and offense with more efficiency and better early protection to build a large first-half lead in the Giants’ first win of the season.
Wheeler’s primary assignment, three-time Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt, eventually gained steam and dominated the second half of the game, finishing with eight tackles, three sacks, four quarterback hurries and three tackles for loss. He also beat Wheeler for a strip-sack fumble that Eli Manning fell on to preserve possession during Big Blue’s 27-22 victory.
Wheeler, however, made a positive difference right off the bat, too, teaming with right guard Patrick Omameh and tight end Evan Engram to open a hole on Saquon Barkley’s opening-drive 15yard touchdown run. It looked a lot like some of Wheeler’s solid work in his last start, Week 17 of last season, when he had replaced Flowers on the left side.
“That drive and that play made me real tired,” Wheeler, 24, laughed. “I was running up to Saquon trying to give him a hug. I was tired when I got to the bench. I tried to sprint down and give him a high five.”
Wheeler, an undrafted secondyear pro out of USC, and the former first-round pick Flowers had split reps in practice throughout the week until Shurmur tabbed Wheeler as starter on Saturday.
Wheeler, a former college teammate of Jets QB Sam Darnold, said of his reaction to finding out, “At first I was like, wow, I’m gonna start, and I knew the opponent I had to go against, because I’ve been watching all week and preparing. So I was at first a little jittery, but I was really excited.”
Wheeler said facing Watt was “like playing chess against a pass rusher. You’re never getting the same rush one time to the next.”
Shurmur was diplomatic about the decision, saying, “It’s probably more about Chad and less about Ereck. I just felt like it was time for Chad to get an opportunity to play. And it’s super important that those guys play hard and play together, and I thought they did that. A couple times he got beat, but he fought through it. I thought for the most part he competed and battled. So we’ll see where we go from here.”
Manning gave a thumbs up to Wheeler’s performance and liked how Shurmur called plays early to acclimate the new tackle, one of two new starters on the line with center John Greco.
“I thought Chad did a good job,” Manning said. “We mixed in quick passes and some tempo stuff and running the ball and got him going and in good shape. J.J. he’s gonna make some plays. He does it against everybody. So we did a good job of pumping (Chad) up, patting him on his helmet and saying keep competing. But getting a start against some good players this week, I thought he held his own.”
Flowers, 24, on the other hand, rushed out of the locker room postgame without talking to reporters. In Week 17 last season under interim coach Steve Spagnuolo, Flowers was benched and Bobby Hart was released for reportedly refusing to play. Wheeler took Flowers’ spot at left tackle and helped the Giants beat Washington behind a season-high 260 rushing yards.
Flowers, the Giants’ ninth overall pick in 2015, had done nothing the first two weeks to instill confidence. He was as big a liability at right tackle as he had been at left tackle for the first three years of his career.
This season, GM Dave Gettleman moved Flowers to the right side but the experiment already failed. Manning was sacked six times last Sunday night in Dallas, fumbling the ball away once. There were plenty of culprits, including fullback Shane Smith, who Gettleman promptly released on Wednesday for his two sacks allowed.
But Flowers has been to blame plenty and couldn’t be relied upon in this big a spot in Houston.