nick gates

Did the New York Giants find their right tackle for the future?

by
New York Giants, Nick Gates

When the New York Giants learned that starting right tackle Mike Remmers would miss last Sunday’s game with a sore back, they seemed to go about business without skipping a beat. They inserted former undrafted tackle Nick Gates right into the starting lineup with confidence, and he proved his worth against the Jets.

Gates’ lone mishap was a false start on third down, forcing the Giants backward, which resulted in a punt. Considering the number of mistakes the offensive line has produced in recent weeks, Gates’ first performance was a confidence-boosting one, in fact, he was the most impressive of the five.

Replacing the injured Remmers, the Giants might have found their future tackle on the right side, but it’s far too early to justify his quality. Putting him up against Khalil Mack against the Chicago Bears in week 12 will undoubtedly pose a significant threat to his lone performance. Seeing how he handles himself against the games best pass rusher will give Big Blue some film to work with.

What did Nick Gates do to show he can start for the New York Giants?

One of the exciting aspects that Gates executed on was blocking stunts. His ability to square his shoulders and use lower-back leverage to hold his ground stood out. He has a strong base that can hold up against bull-rushes, which is essentially when a pass-rusher runs full-force into the chest of the offensive lineman.

Another impressive attribute is his work ethic. Gates doesn’t stop blocking until the play is blown dead. He was seen repeatedly finishing off blocks and laying some nice hits on defensive lineman on running plays. He also did a stellar job in helping Kevin Zeitler on stunts, shifting over to ensure they were in sync. His quickness also stands out (check out the clip below).

In 2018, Gates played at left tackle and guard, giving him experience across the offensive front. Slotting him in at right tackle might be in the best interest of the Giants, as they need more film to justify giving him the starting job in 2020.

New York Giants: Nick Gates Speaks On First Start

by

The New York Giants may have made some questionable decisions with Dave Gettleman at the helm as General Manager, but one thing that Gettleman has done well is find players such as Grant Haley and Darius Slayton, who have performed better than their draft status may suggest. It looks like the Giants could have another one of those players on their hands with offensive lineman Nick Gates, a strong performer from Nebraska who ended up going undrafted and was taken by the Giants as a free agent.

Months later, Gates now looks like a member of the starting rotation with Mike Remmers and Jon Halapio both out with injuries for now. The current situation is what makes a versatile player like Gates useful, as he can play across the line and could even see time at center due to Halapio’s injury. It remains to be seen what the status of Remmers and Halapio will be in week eleven, but if even one of them is still injured in the Bears game, it could see more minutes given to Gates as a replacement.

What did Gates think about his first start, which came in the loss against the Jets?

The addition of new blood to the offensive line is likely welcome to fans with the way that they’ve played so far – despite Gettleman prioritizing the offensive line as soon as he received the job with the Giants, neither his initial rework of it nor this season’s updates have been able to improve the play very much, with quarterback Daniel Jones finding himself in constant danger each game thanks to the poor blocking.

Will Gates continue playing and help to improve that necessary area? That’s not entirely clear yet, but considering the Giants didn’t have to trade a player or spend a draft pick to acquire Gates, they’re already getting a good value by having him in the rotation. There’s not many options at offensive line for this team, after all, after a lackluster trade deadline didn’t bring anyone new to the position.

New York Giants could be without starting offensive lineman on Sunday

by
New York Giants, Eli Manning

The New York Giants and general manager Dave Gettleman made it a priority to bolster the offensive line the past two years. This off-season, they traded for right guard Kevin Zeitler and signed right tackle Mike Remmers.

This time last year, Ereck Flowers was still starting on the Giants’ offensive front, not to mention the Patrick Omameh experiment. Finding their way to the current unit required trial and error, but ultimately it took time.

The Giants didn’t have the cap space to go out and sign multiple top free agents, so they were forced to utilize the NFL draft, and the time it took to rebuild the offense.

During the process, they managed to secure second-round pick Will Hernandez as their starting left guard. He is expected to be an influential player this upcoming season and dominate in the trenches. However, he did struggle at times and cost protection this preseason. While I likely could be him shaking the rust off, he was concerned with his performance and will look to bounce back during the regular season. An enticing matchup against the Dallas Cowboys is the perfect opportunity for him to prove his worth once again.

Should the New York Giants be concerned over this new injury?

While the offensive line looks like it’s coming together, the Giants could be without their starting right tackle on Sunday. Remmers missed practice during the week with an illness and back-related issues. The veteran endured surgery on his back this off-season before signing with the Giants. It could be a cautionary resting before the game, or it could be something to be concerned over.

Behind Remmers on the depth chart, the Giants host Eric Smith, Chad Slade, and Nick Gates. Slade looked solid during the preseason and could be the player of choice to fill in if needed.

Releasing Chad Wheeler could cause issues for head coach Pat Shurmur if Remmers isn’t able to play a majority of the season. While the injury does not indicate he will miss any time at all, it is better to be cautious with players coming off major surgery and time lost in the past. This is certainly something to keep your eye on moving forward.