Solari power injected into Giants’ O-line
MIKE Solari figures if he had played in the secondary in college instead of being an offensive lineman, he probably would be leading his own NFL team right now. After all, that’s how things worked out for his San Diego State teammates in the mid-1970s, Herman Edwards and John Fox.
“They were great guys,” Solari said Friday. “Maybe I should have been a defensive back. I would have been a head coach by now.”
Truth is, Solari is happy being the Giants’ new offensive line coach, replacing Pat Flaherty, who had been with the organization for 12 years.
Solari, 61, is being asked to develop an offensive line that returns all five starters from last year. Change isn’t always easily accepted in the NFL, especially when there has been a set way of doing things for a number of years. But Solari’s high-energy approach has been embraced by his new students.
“From the time we get here in the morning until the time we leave at night, he is all ball,” center Weston Richburg said. “It’s awesome. He knows everything about the offense and he makes sure we know it.”
The projected starting line of Ereck Flowers at left tackle, Justin Pugh at left guard, John Jerry at right guard, Marshall Newhouse at right tackle and Richburg at center is an experienced group learning new techniques under Solari, who has coached in the NFL for all but one season since 1987 with stops at the Cowboys, Cardinals, 49ers, Chiefs, Seahawks and Packers.
“He brings a lot of experience,” Pugh said. “That’s a lot of knowledge and it’s huge for us.”
If anything, the Giants aren’t going to get bored; not with the way Solari is always teaching, encouraging, and correcting.
“He has a very high motor,” Pugh said. “He’s always going. There’s not a minute that goes by that we’re not doing something. If five guys are working one-on- one, the other 10 guys are back working on something else. They’re not sitting and watching. He’s getting everybody better.”
The offensive line should be an area of strength this season, especially if the starters can remain healthy. Flowers, a first-round draft choice, is in his second season after a promising rookie year. Richburg is in his third season, and Pugh his fourth. Jerry and Newhouse are in their seventh seasons. Not only will they be in charge of protecting quarterback Eli Manning, but they must block for a running game that was inconsistent last season.
“The hardest thing in training camp is developing habits so you can put them to work in a game environment,” Solari said. “We’re improving. It’s getting better. But you’ve got to have the pads on. We’re working hard.”
Flaherty was a highly regarded coach who helped the Giants win a pair of Super Bowls before retirement and injuries took their toll. After Tom Coughlin was fired at the end of last year, Flaherty caught on with the 49ers as their offensive line coach. The Giants have embraced the change.
“I think sometimes guys can get complacent when you’ve had the same coach for so long,” Pugh said. “You kind of know how things go and know how to get through the drills. But with a new coach, there are all these new drills and new expectations about how he expects you to block a certain guy. It’s about learning those things and trying to execute at a high level.”
Solari is stressing foot work, hand placement, executing at the highest level and finishing.
“We have to have an unbelievable relentless effort to finish,” he said. “In the NFL, the offensive lines are very, very talented with great coaches. I think the difference that sets people apart is the finish.”
The Giants’ goal is to finish with the best offensive line possible.