The New York Giants suffered quite a scare as their franchise quarterback, Jaxson Dart, got hit hard enough for him to have to be checked in the blue tent. Needless to say, head coach John Harbaugh was not happy at all.
Per Jordan Raanan of ESPN, Harbaugh was livid. “There’s no way he should have been hit there. I mean, it just shouldn’t have happened. That was a basic protection.” Running back Tyrone Tracy caught a stray as he was the one whiffing his blocking assignment.
To be fair to Harbaugh, he is right. The fact is that the play was basic protection. Tracy, who is fighting to be an important piece on the roster, didn’t make himself any favors by botching that play. That play puzzled Jaxson Dart, as he had to be in a blue tent after the game.
Harbaugh is very intentional with pass protection duties
Harbaugh always runs a run-heavy scheme but that doesn’t mean he ignores fully the pass protection aspect of the game. In fact, he emphasizes on it. A prove of that is that he brought arguably the best blocking fullback in the NFL, Pat Ricard, to the team.
During the press conference on Saturday, Harbaugh also stated “My feelings in that moment was, we need to block better.” Hence, it’s imperative for the players, especially backs, to practice their blocking drills at full intensity. The Giants can’t afford getting Jaxson Dart getting injured.
Who are the best blockers in the NY Giants RB room?
The undisputed premier blocker in the New York Giants’ backfield is newly acquired fullback Patrick Ricard, who is a big presence at 6-foot-3, 300-pounds. Veteran Devin Singletary handles the top duties in pass protection when no full back is on the field.
Cam Skattebo is also a very physical blocker. This leaves Tracy as the last man in the blocking department. Seeing how he whiffed his assignment on that play, he is the one who has the most to learn in protection.
