This was supposed to be a breakout season for Giants offensive tackle Will Beatty. Instead it feels more like a break-down season.
After signing a five-year $38.7 million contract during the offseason to protect Eli Manning’s blind side, Beatty was supposed to be the most reliable piece of an offensive line in transition. Though there has been stability in his presence at left tackle for every game, there wasn’t in his performance.
“It’s one of those seasons that’s like a roller coaster,” Beatty told the Post on Friday.
There was the showing in Carolina when he was beaten for three sacks during the Giants’ 38-0 loss. It led to an inconsistent year in which he sometimes would look like a seasoned sixth-year pro and other times raise questions whether he was dependable enough to keep his job long term.
With the Giants (5-8) out of the playoffs, Beatty is among a number of Giants who are determined to leave a good impression by making the most of these last three games, beginning with Sunday’s matchup against the Seahawks at MetLife Stadium.
“You know there’s going to be changes,” Beatty said. “But right now and right here I’m making a stand, saying I want to play for the New York Giants and I want to put my best foot forward and I want to give them everything I’ve got.”
A good game for an offensive lineman means a game played in obscurity. Normally a mistake — committing a penalty, blowing an assignment or yielding a sack — brings them attention. That’s why it’s going to be hard for Beatty to erase the public perception that’s he’s had a bad season.
That’s why it’s more important to impress his coaches with what he puts on tape over the next three weeks as management begins planning for next season.
“It’s important to me and important to the O-line,” Beatty said. “What you do at the beginning of the year is OK. But when the coaches and the owners look at film, it’s the recent stuff they want to see. Knowing we’ve got three more games and aren’t going to make it into the playoffs, they want to see who gave it their best and who put it all on the line. You don’t want them to say, ‘We’ve got players slacking off. We’ve got players that aren’t into it and not giving their all.’ ”
Beatty is determined not to be among the latter. He understands the offensive line has struggled this year. Injuries hit the unit early and hard, with the loss of center David Baas, guard Chris Snee and tackle/guard David Diehl for the start of the season. The absence of those established veterans might have caused Beatty to put more pressure on himself to live up to the contract. It’s hard to explain how a player who had given up just three sacks in all of 2012 gave up that many in one game.
“I’m trying to improve my performance,” Beatty said. “Each game is a new game. I’m glad I’m here. I get another opportunity. You don’t let the past define your future. You move forward.”
He moves straight into Seattle’s top-ranked defense. Big and physical, the Seahawks have allowed just 287.1 yards and 15.8 points per game. The Giants face a tough challenge to stay mentally strong and physically into the game.
“Their linebackers are the size of tight ends, and their safeties are like linebackers,” Beatty said. “They’ve got some big guys. You know with it being a cold game, there’s going to be a lot of running and a lot of hitting. It’s going to be the way football should be play with the pads.”
There’s no quit in Beatty and no quit in the Giants.
“We’ve got three games to define our future,” he said. “We know when our last game is going to be played, but we need to enjoy the moment and get to the last game with the best possible record that we can.”
Maybe it’s not too late for Beatty and the Giants to leave a good impression.