The Giants struggled to consistently give Eli Manning time to make plays down the field last year. Just glancing at the sack figures, the numbers may suggest otherwise as the Giants had the second best adjusted sack rate according to Football Outsiders data, but that is attributed to the offensive style the Giants were forced to play in 2016. The ball came out of Eli's hand extremely quickly, at times it felt like Eli would rather throw the ball into the ground than stand behind his leaky offensive line.

The main culprits on the line were the Giants tackles, Ereck Flowers and Bobby Hart, but they don't deserve to shoulder all of the blame. The Giants didn't employ a single tight end that could effectively contribute as a pass blocker (I'd also argue they didn't employ a tight end that could contribute as a pass catcher either). Last season, Will Tye and Jerell Adams played in 935 snaps and were only asked to pass block 34 times. To help put those numbers in perspective, there were 46 tight ends in the NFL that pass blocked more often than Tye and Adams combined. The Giants recognized this weakness and addressed it on March 9th, when they signed Rhett Ellison to a four year deal.

Ellison came from Minnesota with a reputation as a strong run and pass blocker. If the Giants offensive line was the number one reason the offense underperformed in 2016, their stubbornness in sticking with 11 personnel and lack of creativity from McAdoo was a close second. Signing Ellison gives the Giants a different element on offense that they did not have last year, and while I didn't agree with the contract the Giants gave Rhett, I do believe he will be an asset for Eli in 2017.

I reviewed all 48 plays Ellison was used as a pass blocker and came away impressed by his ability to handle edge rushers on his own without any help. Out of the 48 times Ellison was asked to pass block, he was responsible for neutralizing a defensive end on 19 of them and for the most part he won the battles. Below is a review of his most impressive wins.

Vikings vs Packers Q1 4:22

Vikings vs Giants Q4 5:29

Vikings vs Lions - Q4 11:52

Vikings @ Bears - Q1 7:33

Vikings @ Lions - Q2 3:45

Vikings @ Packers - Q2 13:11