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Geoff Schwartz Will Offer Much Needed Upgrade To New York Giants’ OL

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By @teapester725

Geoff Schwartz Giants

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

A lot of the blame this season for the New York Giants has been placed upon the shoulders of Eli Manning. It all came to a head Sunday when Manning imploded in a game against the San Francisco 49ers – a game the Giants very easily could have won had their offense gotten anything going. But placing the blame on Manning is wrong, as the offensive line has been the real problem. Things could be looking up though, as the Giants’ offensive line will be getting a boost this week in the form of Geoff Schwartz.

The Giants’ offensive line has been a mess all season. They have struggled to consistently open up running lanes for the Giants’ running backs and keep pressure off of Manning. Certain stretches of the season they have been able to keep Manning upright in the pocket, but not nearly enough.

The pressure has been what has made Manning look bad, as his performance drops significantly when facing pressure. According to ESPN Stats & Info, Manning has completed only 22-69 passes, 31.9 percent, when facing pressure, averaging 3.78 yards per attempt. He has thrown five touchdowns facing pressure, but four of his 11 interceptions on the season have come against that pressure.

The five-game losing streak has seen the pressure on Manning ramped up, as he has faced pressure on 12.4 dropbacks per game, completing only 14-46, or 30.4 percent of his passes on those pressures, with three touchdowns, two interceptions and 13 sacks absorbed. Keep in mind, outside of this losing streak, Manning has absorbed only seven sacks in the five other games.

This all points at the ineffectiveness of the Giants’ offensive line when the competition ramps up. Schwartz should help; it’s just a matter of figuring out where. When he was signed in the offseason, he was expected to plug into one of the guard positions. But his injury, coupled with the retirement of Chris Snee, forced the Giants to turn to players they had hoped would be backups at best.

Rookie Weston Richburg and John Jerry, who had to step in for Schwartz and Snee, both rank among the 15-lowest rated guards in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. An injury now to second-year tackle Justin Pugh will only make things more difficult.

That clouds where the Giants will use Schwartz, but he will be an upgrade no matter where he plays. It may be too little too late to save the Giants’ season, but it should make the rest of the season a little more productive down the stretch. Injuries have caused for offensive line combinations the Giants had never hoped to use, but they have to make the most of what they have and haven’t been able to do so with any consistency.

Kenneth Teape is a New York Giants writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @teapester725 or join his Google network.

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