The New York Giants have been decimated by injuries on the offensive line to the point that the unit is unrecognizable compared to its original construction. The injuries have mounted so much that the team signed Justin Pugh “straight off the couch” to a one-year deal.
He made his first start against Buffalo at left guard, and a quarter later, he was thrust into duty at left tackle when backup left tackle Jeremy Ezuedu was injured. The ability to hold up through an entire game on short notice and switch positions after not playing for over a year is a victory, so the criticism that can be levied his way must remain in context.
However, as we look forward to him potentially logging more minutes, we should examine some elements from that whirlwind first start for the 33-year-old journeyman.
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Pugh at Left Guard
The Giants' 2013 first-round pick showed that he has some juice left in the tank early in the game. His performance here was worthy of praise, especially on such short notice.
There has been a revolving door at the position all season, and he stepped in and looked better than most. He used his athleticism to be successful on combination blocks when he was able to double-team a first-level defender and then detach to engage a flowing second-level defender.
He also used athleticism as a guard to get up on linebackers quickly and cover them up in pursuit. He also did a good job pulling and delivering kick-out blocks on defensive linemen.
His pass protection was adequate. Having help on the inside and outside allowed him to work within a box and not chase pass rushers as much. Even then, he was giving up a lot of ground but was assisted by the quick pass game and the play-action rollouts.
The glaring issue seemed to be his inability to move defenders one-on-one. The power did not seem to be there, and maybe that is what the time away coming off a torn ACL has done, but it was extremely noticeable. There was movement when he was in combinations, but it did not seem to be coming from his push.
There were plays where he was blown up or pushed back. One of the biggest things for an offensive lineman is to dominate the line of scrimmage. Pugh was often getting the line reset on him by defenders, especially in one-on-one blocking.
Pugh at Left Tackle
It was a surprise when Pugh was asked to bump to left tackle. First, was he being asked to learn guard and tackle in such a short time? Second, he had not played left tackle full-time since 2015.
The majority of his NFL career has been spent as a guard. It is not surprising that he saw immediate success there and not surprising that he found things more difficult at tackle. He still found success with down blocks and climbs to the second level. Those were easier because the defender was in the adjacent gap and could quickly engage from an angle.
The problem in run blocking for Pugh was when the defender was a gap away. He had trouble reaching the defender when he was not a step away. There were a couple of times when he failed to impede the defender at all. It could be due to timing or a design flaw, but it jumped out on film.
The pass protection was also something that jumped off the screen. The quickness he exhibited at guard did not seem to transition to tackle. Of course, it is a different world, but his inability to stop the speed rush was a big issue.
He immediately opened his hips, which allowed the edge rushers to flatten out and get around to the quarterback. It happened several times, and what helped him from giving up more sacks was the emphasis on getting the ball out quickly by Tyrod Taylor and the offensive game plan.
This week, Pugh has probably spent most of his time preparing to play left tackle, given that Joshua Ezeudu has landed on IR with a toe injury and Andrew Thomas remains out of action with a hamstring injury. Pugh will be better, but there is also a reason why he has mostly played guard throughout his career.
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