NFL

Giants GM backs Ereck Flowers — in the short term

Give Jerry Reese credit for this: He knows what is being said about the player perceived to be the most disappointing on the entire Giants roster.

“It seems like this is a common theme, everybody wants to beat up on Ereck Flowers,’’ Reese said Tuesday.

Well, yes.

Flowers, the third-year left tackle, is not just another player on the roster. He was the No. 9 pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. Among the Giants, only Eli Manning (No. 4) was a higher pick in his draft class. More is expected of those taken so high. Flowers has been a starter since Day 1, but he is not regarded as a franchise left tackle based on glaring inadequacies in his technique that leave him vulnerable in pass protection and with run blocking. When it comes to assigning blame for this sad Giants season, Flower always gets his share.

“Ereck Flowers is not the reason we’re 1-6, okay?’’ Reese said. “He’s still a young player, he’s been a starter for us for three years, I still believe he will develop and get better. He’s gotten better as the season has gone on, so far.’’

Flowers is not the only issue on the offensive line. Bobby Hart, a 23-year old in his third year with the Giants like Flowers, has not worked out at right tackle. Reese this past off-season determined the 2017 draft class was not strong as far as ready-to-play offensive linemen. In free agency, Reese did not like the crop and decided he did not want to make a run at an older, established offensive tackle (35-year old Andrew Whitworth comes to mind. Whitworth, the longtime Bengals starter, is playing well this season for the Rams).

“We want to be a younger football team and everybody has an opinion about who was available and who wasn’t,’’ Reese said. “To us, it didn’t make sense for us and that’s what we went with. We want to be a younger offensive line. Again, do you want to try to develop a 23-year old guy, or do you want to bring in a 36-year old guy? We chose to go with the young guy.’’

When Reese takes a look at the Giants’ offensive line, he sees a unit not as good as some but not as bad as has been portrayed.

“Is our offensive line comparable to a lot of teams around the National Football League? Absolutely, it is,’’ Reese said.

The only disclaimer from Reese was that he did not fully commit to Flowers as the left tackle of the future.

“I do think he’s developed,’’ Reese said. “Is he going to be our long-term left tackle? We don’t know that, but if you look at him compared to a lot of left tackles around the National Football League, there’s a bunch of comparables around. But, if you put Flowers on some of these guys’ jersey and you’d be like, ‘Wow.’ So, I do think that he gets pointed out unfairly a little bit at times.’’