How about some love for Weston Richburg

[BleedinBlue]

This should have been his first Pro Bowl invite. Big time snub!

 

New York Giants' Weston Richburg, The Best Player You Don't Know Enough About

 

By Justin Weiss - 12/24/2015

 

 

Forget Allen Robinson, Delanie Walker and Olivier Vernon for a second.

 

The biggest 2015-16 NFL Pro Bowl snub is likely Weston Richburg, the New York Giants menacing 6'3", 298 pound center who ranks highest at the position according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

 

Richburg, 24, who was selected with the 43rd pick of last year's NFL Draft, has quickly emerged as one of the league's best centers.

 

Originally asked to play out of position (guard) in 2014 due to injuries on the o-line, he switched over to ball-snapper this season, replacing JD Walton, who was quite horrific with New York.

 

Lightly recruited in 2009 out of high school, the two-star Richburg chose Colorado State over Texas Christian University, in a class that featured Taylor Lewan and D.J. Fluker.

 

A prolific player in college, Richburg was a First-team All-MWC (2013), Honorable Mention All-MWC (2012) and Second-team All-MWC (2011) with the Rams.

 

Richburg would surely be proud of his senior year, when he tallied 15 "knockdown" blocks and added a 90 or above grade from offensive line coach Derek Frazier in the first five games of the season.

 

Additionally, Richburg stood out for the following eight reasons: he had good snap-and-step quickness, was very good at getting in position, had good mobility, possessed good awareness, was energetic and quite the competitor, was extremely durable, could be a vocal team leader, and possessed natural versatility.

 

On the latter note:

 

"When they talk about my versatility, I think they're talking about that I can play wherever they need me to play," Richburg said before the Draft. "I think if somebody gets hurt, we have guys who are capable, but I'm able and willing to go play any position. I've talked to some guys (about the NFL) and they've said that a guy was only a center, and he went into camp and was going against a guy who could play center and guard, and the center-only guy might be a better center than the other guy. But they're going to keep the guy who plays guard and center, so it's really valuable to be trying to do as much as I can."

 

Since coming to the NFL, Richburg has been the most consistent lineman on the Giants' injury-prone o-line. He has played in 22 games; starting in 21 of them, and has been the highest-graded lineman by Pro Football Focus over the past two seasons.

 

There's no reason for him not to be flying out to Hawaii with the rest of the Pro Bowlers.

 

Pro Football Focus agrees:

 

"This is one of the better put-together Pro Bowl rosters in recent seasons, but a couple of spots still reek of the name pushing certain players over the line; at center, that is certainly the case with Alex Mack (75.6) and Mike Pouncey (78.2) getting the nod after solid seasons when others have excelled. Weston Richburg is our highest-graded center this season, equally adept as a run blocker, pass protector and even working in front of screens. Richburg has proven, with his elite play this season, that he probably should have been at center for the Giants from day one of his rookie season, and if he keeps up this level of play, the accolades will soon follow".

[Sephiroth]

http://www.sportswrath.com/index.php?showtopic=53135&view=&hl=&fromsearch=1

[BleedinBlue]

http://www.sportswrath.com/index.php?showtopic=53135&view=&hl=&fromsearch=1

I stand corrected - didn't catch that thread back in September.

 

I've been saying all along that the left side of our line is solid (Flowers, Pugh, and Richburg) and that we need to focus on fixing the other side. Depends on whether Beatty is still worth the kind of cash he is going to make and maybe slot him at RT. It might be worth more to cut him and take a hit, but add a few million more to our coffers to put in a younger guy from the FA list.

 

Regardless...I like Richburg. And like all good O-linemen, you know they are playing well when you never hear about them.

[Tempest]

I stand corrected - didn't catch that thread back in September.

 

I've been saying all along that the left side of our line is solid (Flowers, Pugh, and Richburg) and that we need to focus on fixing the other side. Depends on whether Beatty is still worth the kind of cash he is going to make and maybe slot him at RT. It might be worth more to cut him and take a hit, but add a few million more to our coffers to put in a younger guy from the FA list.

 

Regardless...I like Richburg. And like all good O-linemen, you know they are playing well when you never hear about them.

 

Richburg is as advertised.

 

I'd keep Will Beatty until we get another tackle and the same goes for Schwartz at guard. We don't have the depth to cut players who are being overpaid when we fail to draft better ones. Anyone interested in John Jerry and Marshall Newhouse starting again during the course of the next season?

[Sephiroth]

I stand corrected - didn't catch that thread back in September.

 

I've been saying all along that the left side of our line is solid (Flowers, Pugh, and Richburg) and that we need to focus on fixing the other side. Depends on whether Beatty is still worth the kind of cash he is going to make and maybe slot him at RT. It might be worth more to cut him and take a hit, but add a few million more to our coffers to put in a younger guy from the FA list.

 

Regardless...I like Richburg. And like all good O-linemen, you know they are playing well when you never hear about them.

Oh no man, I'm not saying someone should have remembered that thread... just that Richburg has been playing well since then. He's a pretty good center; nice pass protector and gets to the second level on run plays. If I have one complaint it's that although he's athletic and nasty, he's not much of a mauler in the run game and has trouble moving bigger DTs.

[Dragon]

 

Richburg is as advertised.

 

I'd keep Will Beatty until we get another tackle and the same goes for Schwartz at guard. We don't have the depth to cut players who are being overpaid when we fail to draft better ones. Anyone interested in John Jerry and Marshall Newhouse starting again during the course of the next season?

I said it in Osi's thread... Beatty needs an option. Move to RT and take a pay cut or find work elsewhere. As far as Schwartz goes I'm looking at Brandon Brooks as his replacement. Schwartz isn't reliable health wise.

[CrazedDogs]

I don't put a lot of stock in PFF, but its nice to see Richburg get some recognition. He's been good.... I wouldn't have guessed he was that good though.

[Allstarjim]

I said it in Osi's thread... Beatty needs an option. Move to RT and take a pay cut or find work elsewhere. As far as Schwartz goes I'm looking at Brandon Brooks as his replacement. Schwartz isn't reliable health wise.

 

I think the issue with Beatty is also health. This team has so many holes though, if you cut Beatty you've just added another one. I still think the best line for the short term, assuming everyone at full health, is Beatty at LT and Flowers at RT. I just think Beatty is a better pass blocker than run blocker, and the reverse is true for Flowers. Which is not to say that Flowers isn't the long term anchor LT of this line... because he is. But that's for the coaches to decide and I'll be happy however Flowers is deployed, I'm just glad he's on our team... he's going to be a great one.

[Dragon]

 

I think the issue with Beatty is also health. This team has so many holes though, if you cut Beatty you've just added another one. I still think the best line for the short term, assuming everyone at full health, is Beatty at LT and Flowers at RT. I just think Beatty is a better pass blocker than run blocker, and the reverse is true for Flowers. Which is not to say that Flowers isn't the long term anchor LT of this line... because he is. But that's for the coaches to decide and I'll be happy however Flowers is deployed, I'm just glad he's on our team... he's going to be a great one.

While I agree on Beatty being better at pass blocking than run blocking, I also think it's kinda counterproductive to move Flowers after all the good he's done this season.

[Nas]

I've always had a soft spot for Jews

[BleedinBlue]

I've always had a soft spot for Jews

LOL - I know you do Naz, I know you do