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The New York Giants, from general manager Dave Gettleman to head coach Joe Judge, are extremely confident in the team’s offensive line. Just ask them — they’ve repeated it ad nauseam for the past several months.
But that confidence was not rewarded in Sunday’s preseason finale against the New England Patriots.
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The Giants’ offensive line, led by left tackle Andrew Thomas, surrendered four sacks, 11 QB hits and a seemingly endless number of pressures. Third-year quarterback Daniel Jones was absolutely rocked on several occasions and the level of play is clearly unsustainable.
Despite that, Judge refused to sound the alarm, instead focusing on the team as a whole.
“We’re going to work as a team, all units, we have to improve offense, defense and the kicking game. Nothing’s perfect at this point, we’re far from a finished product, we know that already. We’re going to keep working hard day by day to make sure we improve,” Judge told reporters after the game.
Thomas, on the other hand, stood at the podium and shouldered the blame for his poor play. He didn’t shy away from it, which was admirable.
“There are some things I’ve got to improve on; my hand placement, staying wide on my set and keeping the depth with the pocket,” Thomas said. “I think I made improvements, but there are a lot of things that I still need to work on. I’m trying to fix those things in camp, just hand placement and just being very consistent in my set. Sometimes I do it the right way, sometimes it might not be to my liking. I’m just trying to be as consistent as possible.”
The Giants desperately need that consistency from Thomas, who will play a major role in the team’s success or failure here in 2021.
Despite the sluggish performance, Thomas remains confident in himself and the unit.
“There’s a lot of time to practice, a lot of time to watch film and to get my corrections from the coaches. I think there’s enough time,” Thomas said.
But there isn’t enough time. The Giants have less than two weeks before they open the regular season against the Denver Broncos, who sport one of the league’s top projected defenses. Just a few short days after that, it’s Chase Young and the Washington Football Team.
“There’s definitely pressure, but I put pressure on myself. I know I’ve been given this role and I have worked hard to be here. I have to step up and go do what I have to do to play well,” Thomas added.
If Thomas and the O-Line can’t turn things around in a hurry, the Giants are likely headed toward another losing season.
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