The New York Giants are still in the process of finding the right mix along their offensive line. They have just two known anchors at the moment — center John Michael Schmitz and All-Pro left tackle Andrew Thomas.
Thomas has been one of the best at his position in the NFL the past few seasons. That is when he’s been healthy. He missed seven games last year with a hamstring strain.
This week, as the Giants began their voluntary workout sessions at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center in East Rutherford, Thomas was asked by reporters what it would mean to him to stay healthy and play every game this season.
“That would be a dream come true. (The game) that we play — a lot of things are out of your control, but I am just doing my best to have a positive mindset and do all the rehab and stuff I can to prevent injuries as much as possible,” he said.
Thomas described what his status was coming out of last season and his plan for the spring and summer.
“No surgeries, but definitely putting an emphasis on getting my body back to 100 percent,” he said. “Took some time off to really recover and just being proactive about doing my rehab. Even if it’s not bothering me, just trying to do stuff to stay on top of it to prevent injuries as much as possible.”
Thomas is one of the blocks that new offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo will build upon this year. Bricillo comes over from the Las Vegas Raiders and studied under the legendary line coach Dante Scarnecchia during his time in New England.
Thomas called Bricillo ‘energetic’ and touched on the coach’s initial message to the offensive line room.
“The first thing he said in meetings today is he wants tough players. We can figure out the rest. And that’s what you want from a coach,” Thomas said. “You don’t want to have — or speaking, if I was a coach, I wouldn’t want to have to coach effort. I only want to focus on the nuances of the game and technique and things like that. As long as we bring the effort and toughness, he’s going to do his job to coach us up.”
And that is what the Giants are hoping for. A healthy Thomas and a new dawn along the offensive line to help this team get their sagging offense back on track.
Thomas is looking forward to playing alongside two key free agent additions — guards Jon Runyan Jr. and Jermaine Eleumunor. He spoke about the value both players bring to the unit.
“The vet presence, you play ball in the NFL, that’s an asset as an offensive lineman because a lot of it is taking reps over and over going against some of the top guys, so I know that helps,” Thomas said. “Two, I know Jermaine played for Carm last year, so he can help with bridging the gap with the offense and understanding how the coach sees things and all of us getting on the same page.”
