TEACH BOYS
Vernon doing his part to help flowers bloom
Olivier Vernon was given $85 million to be the backbone of a defense that was last in the NFL a year ago, to improve a pass rush that produced just 23 sacks, and anchor what could be one of the best defensive lines.
The dynamic defensive end already has added another job to the list: Mentor.
Vernon has spent a lot of time so far in training camp going against young left tackle Ereck Flowers, a fellow University of Miami alumnus entering his second NFL season. But that’s just part of their relationship. The two have lockers next to one another and speak frequently about the game. A lot of it is the 25year-old Vernon talking and the soft-spoken Flowers listening.
“We speak every day, and it is funny because when I was in that same position, going into my second year and trying to learn everything I can, and that is what he is pretty much doing,” the 6foot-2, 275-pound Vernon said following practice on Friday. “He is always asking questions and is always sharing knowledge.”
When the Giants beat the Dolphins last December, the two exchanged jerseys, a common practice in the NFL, particularly for two players who went to school in South Florida. They didn’t know it at the time, but they would soon be teammates.
Flowers, a 6-foot-6, 329-pound mountain of a man, raved about how much it will help his game to go out every day and face Vernon, the kind of speedy and powerful defensive end that will properly prepare him for the regular season. A third round pick in 2012, Vernon developed into a premier pass rusher with the Dolphins, producing 29 sacks in his first four years in the league, and was rewarded by the Giants as the highest paid defensive lineman in the sport.
“He is a great player, his allaround game — it is going to be pretty good getting that work in practice,” said the 22-year-old Flowers, the Giants’ first-round pick (ninth overall) in the 2015 draft. “We are just looking to get
each other better. Every day we go out there and work. We talk about some of the stuff I need to work on in order to get better.”
Said Giants coach Ben McAdoo: “[Vernon] is not someone who is going to make it really easy on him. So he’s learning to battle with a good competitor out there.”
Flowers is healthy after a severe left ankle injury limited him as a rookie. Still, he started 15 games, impressing the Giants with his toughness and durability. However, lapses in technique sometimes led to breakdowns, which he has been working to fine-tune. Flowers didn’t want to use the injury as an excuse. But now that he’s healthy, he expects more out of himself.
“It will definitely help,” Flowers said. “Everyone always plays better when they are healthy.”
While Flowers can learn a lot from Vernon and all the experience he has, it goes both ways. Facing someone as strong and agile as Flowers can also help Vernon. He has been impressed with him so far, comparing Flowers to Dolphins two-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle Branden Albert.
“Flowers is going to be a really good player, man,” Vernon said. “Right now it is all about getting each other better. He helps me out just as far as when it comes to the pass rushing. As young as Flowers is, he is ahead of the game as far as what he knows and his athletic ability.
“Once he starts getting more knowledge of the game and he puts it with his athletic ability, he is going to be even better, man.”