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New York Giants' Ben McAdoo cites fundamentals for offensive line woes

By The Sports Xchange
New York Giants new head coach Ben McAdoo. Photo by Dennis Van Tine/UPI
New York Giants new head coach Ben McAdoo. Photo by Dennis Van Tine/UPI | License Photo

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- New York Giants head coach Ben McAdoo paused for a moment as he delivered his opening statements on Sunday, one day after his team's 21-20 win over the New York Jets.

"I'm expecting a lot of questions about the offensive line," McAdoo said.

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With good reason. For the third week in a row, the Giants' starting offensive line - left tackle Ereck Flowers, center Weston Richburg, right guard John Jerry, right tackle Marshall Newhouse and left guard Bobby Hart who was playing for the injured Justin Pugh - did not perform well in either run blocking or pass protection.

As time begins to run out on the preseason, there is a sense of panic among Giants fans that the offensive line is beyond repair. McAdoo, who is a lot closer to the situation, sees the offensive blocking problems as correctable.

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"We need to work hard to finish, detail the fundamentals and eliminate the penalties and we need to stay ahead of the chains," McAdoo said of the unit.

"I think we can tighten up our assignments, but it's really the details in the fundamentals. We got to be detailed in what we're doing fundamentally and we have to work like heck to finish hard and with effort."

The Jets, owners of one of the best defensive fronts in football, managed to record one sack and five hits against the Giants on Saturday night.

In the run game, they recorded a whopping seven tackles for a loss, allowing the Giants' rushing offense to gain five yards on 12 carries, an 0.4 yards-per-carry average.

Despite his calm demeanor toward the offense, McAdoo is unaccepting of the team's performance.

"No one's happy with the way the first offense operated yesterday," he said. "We need to improve. We need to make sure we're going forward so we give guys opportunities to showcase their abilities.

"Frustration doesn't solve anything," he added. "At the same time, we need to execute better and we need to play forward; we can't be going backwards."

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Perhaps the most telling of McAdoo's responses on the topic of the offensive line was when he was asked if he believed he had the right five starters on the line.

The coach's answer spoke volumes not just about the starters but also about the depth competing to make the roster.

"I feel very confident that we're going to get the offensive line going in the right direction," McAdoo said.

-- After almost two seasons away and a handful of setbacks, receiver Victor Cruz finally took his first live action snaps since Oct. 12, 2014, when a torn patellar tendon sidelined him for that season.

Given a little more than two dozen snaps against the Jets, Cruz caught one of two pass targets for four yards.

"It felt, felt good to put that jersey on again and go out there with my teammates, from the warmup, the pregame, and then during the game to be in the position to make a play and be out there running routes against an opponent," Cruz said after the game, adding that he came through his first live reps "unscathed."

That's good news not just for Cruz but for the Giants, who have visions of a three-headed receiving tandem of Cruz, Odell Beckham Jr. and rookie Sterling Shepard creating matchup nightmares for opposing defenses.

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"It was good to have him out there for a healthy amount of snaps," McAdoo said. "We would've liked to get him the ball a little earlier in the game, let him get his hands on the ball, but he looked comfortable out there. He looked confident."

Cruz, who wasn't really tested as far as press coverage was concerned, admitted that he felt a little rusty during the game, but was encouraged that his progress continues to move in the right direction.

"Obviously you're just trying to get your feet up under you again and things like that. On that one move where (quarterback) Eli (Manning) just missed me, I felt like I was shaking some of the rust off a little bit," he said.

"I just wanted to see myself get open, continue to go out there and do the things that I'm accustomed to doing and I felt that way, I felt good about the things that I was putting out there. I felt good about how I was running my routes, the things that I was doing and things of that nature, so step one was definitely being out there, getting out there with my teammates, and then step two was not just being out there, it was making an impact."

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Cruz smiled when asked about what that first reception was like for him.

"It was great, man," he said. "That ball felt like it was forever in the air before it got to my hands but it was good to kind of catch that ball and get a little contact, get a little hit out of bounds and hopefully I can build on that. But it was definitely good to get one in."

Moving forward, the receiver was confident that he'd recover from his first extensive game action in quite a while as he continues to eye a return to regular-season action. He said he wasn't sure if he would play in the Giants' preseason finale against the New England Patriots Thursday (7 p.m.), but added that he'd "love to" continue building rapport with Manning.

If that doesn't happen, Cruz said he'd be fine with the decision and added that he didn't think it would hamper him in any way for being ready for the season opener on Sept. 11.

"Again, it'll be up to Coach Mac," he said. "From a personal level, I would like to play, even if it's just a series or two. Do I need to play? I don't think, I think it's just a matter of continuing to understand what we want to accomplish as a team and as a game plan and as a receiving corp. I think I can go out there Sept. 11 and be okay."

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--On the official stat sheet, Giants rookie cornerback Eli Apple was credited with just one pass defensed, that coming in the first quarter when he knocked away a pass intended for Jets veteran receiver Eric Decker.

In reality, Apple had perhaps his best game of his young career, a game in which the Jets went after him early on. Apple, who was coming off a knee injury, stayed hip for hip with the receivers when he was tested.

"Jumping back in there after a little time off, he competed," McAdoo said.

"He was physical at the line of scrimmage and he competed down the field; they went after him down the field a little it in the press man coverage and he didn't back down. He did a nice job."

That's good news for Apple, who has primarily shared snaps at right cornerback with Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. The Giants' first round pick out of Ohio State isn't necessarily used to being targeted by opposing quarterbacks, but as a rookie, he welcomes the challenge.

"Well, of course, as a corner, you want to get your chances to make an impact on the game and everything. So anytime they target you, it's an opportunity," he said.

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For as solid as a performance as it was, both McAdoo and Apple said they see room for improvement.

One area that will no doubt be a point of emphasis with the rookie is his tendency to grab at opponents if they start to separate from him, an act that will bring a cluster of penalty flags Apple's way every time.

"We're just going to keep coaching him to be physical and to play the technique the right way and to keep competing," McAdoo said.

Another area that Apple said he'd like to improve are his angles. For instance, on a pass breakup against Decker, Apple felt as though he could have played that better.

"I could have been inside a little bit more but I finished the play the way I was supposed to, by breaking the ball up and it was a good play," he said.

Apple has devoted himself to studying film, picking the brains of his veteran teammates and attaching himself to the hip of his position coach, Tim Walton, in an effort to rapidly improve his game.

Then there are the lessons he gets in live action which he says are invaluable.

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"The more experience I get, just naturally the confidence is going to get better as well," he said. "I just want to get out there on the field and try to compete on every down and get my confidence up."

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