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Over the first six weeks of the 2020 regular season, New York Giants rookie tackle Andrew Thomas struggled. In fact, Thomas struggled so bad that many had already begun dusting off the “bust” label.
Even those of us here at Giants Wire called for Thomas to be benched. He was hurting the team and putting quarterback Daniel Jones in jeopardy.
But then something changed. Maybe it was head coach Joe Judge stepping in over former offensive line coach Marc Colombo or maybe it was just routine development that came with experience.
Whatever it was, things have clicked for Thomas over the past month and a half. He is playing at a very high level and improving, and that’s really a testament to his work ethic and calm.
“You have to keep a level head. Coach talks about ignoring the noise. That’s a big thing that I’ve learned to do,” Thomas told reporters on Thursday. “Whether you are performing well or not performing so well, you just have to keep a level head. Continue to work like it’s your first day and eventually things will work out for you. Even if they don’t, just continue to work hard. Try not to pay attention to the outside things.”
Thomas said things really began coming together in Week 8 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After that, he shored up some issues on inside moves and since then, it’s been smooth(er) sailing.
“I think that was my first game that I felt a lot better throughout the game. Obviously, gave up a few pressures, things I had to work on. I think that was the first game where I looked on tape and I felt like I had a good performance,” Thomas said.
“For me, the thing that stands out the most would probably be the inside move. Obviously, in the beginning, that was something I really struggled with. With oversetting, that’s something I’ve been working on over the last few weeks trying to get better at. I think that’s made the biggest difference.”
Judge credits Thomas’ resolve. The rookie never blinked and never wavered — he stayed true to himself, trusted the process and it has all panned out.
“This guy has never blinked. He’s never wavered,” Judge said. “One thing about Andrew is he’s played aggressive for 60 minutes in every game this season. I see that in practice every day. He’s very intelligent, he’s very insightful, he has that quiet demeanor to him where you know he’s digesting everything you say.
“Look, this guy came in baptized by fire. He saw some of the top rushers in the world out of the gate. This guy stepped up to the plate and he fought his butt off for 60 minutes and he kept improving, kept improving, and I see him improving every day.”
This is the NFL, so things aren’t going to get any easier for Thomas. Every week is a key matchup against one of the elite talents the world has to offer, but the rookie is obviously making the necessary strides to not only compete in that arena, but to dominate in it.
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