andrew thomas

New York Giants offensive tackle Andrew Thomas has ankle surgery

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New York Giants, Andrew Thomas

The New York Giants spent the fourth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft on Georgia offensive tackle Andrew Thomas. Thomas had an up-and-down rookie season but flashed his potential as a solid starter in the NFL along the way. In particular, Thomas had a strong finish to the season, stringing together a few impressive performances down the final stretch.

There might now be some explanation as to why Thomas’s play was inconsistent during his rookie season. Apparently, Andrew had been dealing with a left ankle injury this season. He managed through the pain and finished the season. But now he has finally taken care of this injury, underoing surgery on his left ankle today.

This injury could further explain why Andrew Thomas’s footwork and technique seemed to get inconsistent and poor at times during the regular season. This injury indicates that there might have been more going on than just “rookie growing pains.”

Andrew Thomas informed the public of his ankle surgery through an instagram post today. The post by Thomas features an image of his ankle post-surgery and states that “everything went well” with the surgery.

According to Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post Sports, Andrew Thomas is expected to be fully healed by March. Andrew will absolutely be prepared and ready to go for the 2021 regualr season, barring anything unforeseen. Andrew’s ankle injury must have been minor, but still bothersome enough to require surgery. Now, with this injury cleaned up, Thomas can recover and look forward to a healthier sophomore season in 2021.

New York Giants: Andrew Thomas explains first season challenges

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New York Giants, Andrew Thomas

The New York Giants went out on a limb last offseason when they drafted Andrew Thomas with a top five pick; not the riskiest option in the world, but not the one with the highest ceiling either. The pick was said to be playing it safe, and opinion went back and forth on the player early on in the season.

First, there was talk that Thomas might be a bust. Another Ereck Flowers. And then some arguments that his struggles might be a matter of coaching. His own former coach even came out and basically said that he was being coached wrong. The Giants made a mid season coaching change at the O-line coach spot and the verdict on Thomas has improved since the season began.

But the rookie still has further to go in his second season. He’ll have the advantage of entering with more experience this year, and based on what he’s said, some important lessons too.

“That’s the biggest thing I think, going from college to the NFL is just how much you have to study your craft and your techniques,” Thomas said on Tuesday when addressing the media. “Those rushers, they study you, know your stance, they know your hand-placement, all those things, and if you make one small mistake it can tumble into a snowball effect and be a bad game for you. That’s been the biggest thing I’ve learned so far.”

He said that he aimed to keep his head down during his rookie season and ignore the media. It’s an understandable position, considering the greatly varying takes on Thomas this year.

Comparisons to other players

The big comparison this year has been to Mekhi Becton, who was selected lower than Thomas but had a more consistent season while playing with the Giants’ crosstown rival. Thomas said that he’s not focusing on other players like Becton – or Tristan Wirfs and Jedrick Wills, the other highly drafted tackles from his class.

“For me, I look at it as running my own race. I want all those guys to be successful, but for me I want to be the best player I can be, the best player I can be for the Giants, for my teammates and that’s what I’m working to be,” Thomas said, adding that focusing on others would take away from his own efforts.

Thomas played in all 16 games for the Giants this season and was involved in 96% of their offensive snaps during those games. His rookie season was good enough to build on, but there will almost certainly be more scrutiny going into his second year.

After all, Daniel Jones was hit far more times this season than what should be acceptable. If the Giants want to turn it around and make the playoffs next year, solving that problem and improving the O-line’s performance will be one of their chief challenges.

The New York Giants had one breakout performance in the week 15 loss to Cleveland

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New York Giants, Andrew Thomas

While the New York Giants were thoroughly embarrassed by the Cleveland Browns in week 15, there were some positives to take away from the loss. Normally, losing by 14 points and failing to remain competitive indicates very few positives, but several players had superb performances.

Rookie safety Xavier McKinney looked solid in his fourth start of the season, earning the most reps he’s enjoyed all year with 41. He spent 17 reps in run defense, 23 in coverage, and one rushing the passer. According to PFF, he had his highest grade of the season at 70.5 and didn’t allow a single yard or completion.

However, McKinney isn’t the player I want to talk about today, it is left tackle Andrew Thomas. Thomas was forced to challenge star defensive end Myles Garrett all game long. As the former number one pick in 2017, Garrett is one of the most physically gifted players in the NFL. He has dominant quickness and power off the edge. He’s been a force all season long, racking up 12 sacks over 12 games.

How did New Yor Giants’ Andrew Thomas fare against Garrett?

With Myles is coming off a bout with COVID, most thought Thomas would have a tough time against the star-studded defender. Well, Thomas stood his ground and then some, limiting Garrett to his second-worst pass-rush grade of the year at 60.5. He recorded just one sack on the day, which came in garbage time when the Giants had already lost. During the meat of the contest, Thomas routinely stopped him in his tracks and kept him away from running plays.

Then again, it is fair to mention that the Giants stayed away from the weak side where Garrett featured, but Thomas did a good job sealing him off and keeping him disengaged from the play.

The rookie left tackle finished with average grades but looked quite good on film. He was active in the running game, clearing paths and looking for work, but was also consistent in the passing game. He protected Colt McCoy’s blindside well after helping contribute to an eight-sack performance last week against the Arizona Cardinals.

It was a nice bounce-back for the offensive line as a whole, and the Giants should be truly excited about Thomas’ development and how well he performed against several quality pass rushers.

His final stat-line against Garrett was one sack, one quarterback hit, and two pressures allowed. He didn’t allow a quarterback hurry, which altogether seems to be a fine result considering the player he was up against.

New York Giants’ offensive line needs to bounce back against Myles Garrett & the Browns

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The New York Giants‘ offensive line put together a pitiful performance last week. The Giants’ linemen allowed eight total sacks last Sunday, costing New York’s offense 64 total yards. This week, the Giants have another tall task as they prepare to defend against Myles Garrett and the Cleveland Browns’ strong defensive line.

The Cleveland Browns’ defensive line has racked up 34 sacks this season. 10.5 of those sacks have come from elite pass-rusher Myles Garrett alone. Andrew Thomas and the Giants’ offensive line will have their hands full as they try to bounce back from a horrible Week 14 performance.

Myles Garrett and the Browns defensive line

In Week 15, the Giants will defend against a Browns’ defensive line that has been consistently getting after the quarterback this season. Myles Garrett, in particular, has been an absolute game-wrecking in 2020.

Myles Garrett was the first overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. Since then, he has been one of the best pass-rushers in the NFL on a year-by-year basis. He had a career-year in 2018, totaling a career-high 13.5 sacks that season. In 2019, though, Garrett was primed to surpass that sack total before being given a lengthy suspension that ended his season. In 10 games last year Garrett racked up 10 sacks.

2020 has seen Garrett put together another elite season. He has 10.5 sacks on the year through 13 games and a career-high 4 forced fumbles. Myles has been a nightmare for opposing offense this season. He leads the NFL in forced turnovers pressures (7 total) and has the second-highest pass-rushing grade in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus.

Myles’s 10.5 sacks are tied for the third-most in the NFL this season. He has been applying a tremendous amount of pressure to quarterbacks, totaling 41 pressures this season (eighth-most) with a 12.4% pressure rate (ninth-best).

Myles Garrett has been a dominant force on the Browns’ defense this season. But he is not the only talented pass-rusher on Cleveland’s underrated defense. Former Giants’ pass-rusher Olivier Vernon is having an excellent season as a member of the Browns this year and is coming off of a 2-sack performance in Week 14. Vernon has 7 sacks on the season and will help Garrett apply pressure to Colt McCoy this Sunday night.

The Giants’ offensive line will have their hands full against Myles Garrett, Olivier Vernon, and Sheldon Richardson (who has earned 4.5 sacks as well). A better performance than what the Giants’ offensive line put together last week is a necessity for New York’s offense to achieve success against the Cleveland Browns.

New York Giants getting everything and more out of 2020 rookie class

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New York Giants, Tae Crowder

The New York Giants are on a four-game winning streak. This is the longest winning streak the Giants have been on since 2016. New York is also in first place in the NFC East after beating a tough 8-3 Seahawks team on the road this Sunday. The Giants look poised to make a playoff run this season, proving their legitimacy while beating one of the best offenses in the NFL in Seattle.

One of the biggest difference-makers on the Giants this season has been their 2020 rookie class. New York has seen early returns on nearly every single rookie they drafted or signed this offseason. These rookies have been crucial to the Giants’ success in recent weeks.

Rookies on offense

On the offensive line, the Giants have been seeing their young, inexperienced players improve every single week. Andrew Thomas had the best performance of his young career so far this week against Seattle. For the second week in a row, Thomas did not allow a single pressure in pass protection. He also recorded the highest single-game Pro Football Focus grade of his career at 87.1 overall. Not only was this his highest-graded single game this year, but it was also the highest single-game grade among all first-round offensive tackle picks this season (PFF).

Right beside Andrew Thomas is Shane Lemieux, the Giants’ fifth-round pick from Oregon who has been starting at left guard for the past few weeks. The entire offensive line has played significantly better since Lemieux entered the lineup. Lemieux has had his fair share of ups and downs, but he has been very impressive when considering where he was drafted. Lemieux has also been improving week-by-week and looks like he will be with Big Blue for a long time.

In addition to the two rookies on the offensive line, Nick Gates has gotten better every week playing a brand new position. Initially, a guard, then a tackle, Nick Gates has transitioned to the center position and played at a high level in recent weeks after some great struggles early in the season. Gates is basically a rookie as he is learning and playing a brand new position this year. He has shown tremendous progress, though, and is already locked into a contract extension that should keep him as the Giants’ starting center for years to come.

Undrafted rookie free agent wide receiver Austin Mack also has a game this season as the Giants’ leading receiver. The Giants’ other rookie offensive tackle, Matt Peart (selected 99th overall in the 2020 NFL Draft), has not elevated to starting status yet. However, he has seen playing time while rotating in at both left and right tackle this season. He has been super impressive whenever he is on the field and could play his way into a starting role sooner than later.

Rookies on defense

The defensive side of the ball is where the Giants have really seen their rookies contribute this year. New York has been starting rookies at multiple defensive positions this year. Darnay Holmes, New York’s fourth-round selection out of UCLA, has started at slot cornerback all season long. Holmes has, like the rest, improved every single week. He certainly has not been a liability like the slot cornerback position has been for the Giants in the past. Holmes had his first career interception against Russell Wilson and the Seahawks this week. A promising future seems to be laid out for Darnay Holmes and the Giants’ defense.

The second half of the Giants’ 2020 NFL Draft class was filled with defensive selections. New York drafted the likes of Cam Brown, Carter Coughlin, and Tae Crowder in the sixth and seventh rounds. Whether earned through merit or obtained through injuries, these rookies have all seen significant playing time in the Giants’ defense.

Tae Crowder, Mr. Irrelevant from the 2020 NFL Draft, has been starting on the Giants’ defense this year when healthy. Crowder has been so impressive for a player who nearly went undrafted. Crowder recorded a clutch sack against the Seahawks this week and recorded a game-winning scoop-and-score fumble recovery against Washington earlier this season. He has exceeded all expectations as a starting inside linebacker for the Giants this year.

Crowder was one pick away from going undrafted. When speaking of undrafted rookies, it is hard not to talk about Niko Lalos, the Giants’ undrafted gem out of Dartmouth. Lalos was elevated to the Giants’ active roster last week before their matchup with the Bengals. In his first NFL game, Lalos recorded an interception and earned more playing time this week. Of course, the Ivy League animal went ahead and recovered a fumble this week against Seattle. This undrafted rookie has been forcing turnovers left and right.

Cam Brown and Carter Coughlin were two under-the-radar linebackers that the Giants found late in the 2020 NFL Draft. Coughlin has seen increased playing time with EDGE Kyler Fackrell recently placed on injured reserve. Coughlin has played 79 defensive snaps this season, already totaling 6 combined tackles, 1 sack, 8 total pressures, and 6 hurries. Cam Brown has played 48 snaps, recording 5 pressures 3 hurries, and 8 combined tackles already.

Second-round pick Xavier McKinney has yet to see expanded playing time after returning from a fractured foot, but he is sure to be part of New York’s long-term defensive plans as well.

The Giants have seen early returns on nearly every rookie they drafted or signed this offseason. It was a job fantastically done by Dave Gettleman, Joe Judge, and company, acquiring young, talented players this offseason. The future is bright in the Big Apple.

New York Giants rookie offensive tackle Andrew Thomas makes PFF Team of the Week

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New York Giants, Andrew Thomas

The New York Giants just earned a clutch win over the Seahawks in Seattle to improve their winning streak to four games. The Giants had a phenomenal outing defensively, holding Seattle to only 12 total points in the contest. But on the other side of the ball, the Giants’ offense got going on the ground while struggling to gain yardage through the air with backup quarterback Colt McCoy.

Despite the Giants’ struggles to pass the ball, gaining only 105 passing yards, the offensive line did an excellent job keeping their backup quarterback upright. McCoy was sacked only twice, losing a total of only five yards. McCoy was rarely under pressure, especially from his blindside as rookie left tackle Andrew Thomas had a stellar performance on sunday.

The key to the Giants’ offensive success son Sunday was the offensive line. New York’s lead blockers helped the Giants gain a total of 190 rushing yards. The Giants found great success running behind Andrew Thomas and the left side of the offensive line. Wayne Gallman had 10 rushing attempts to the left side, gaining 102 rushing yards on runs to the left.

Andrew Thomas had such an excellent performance this week that he was honored with a spot on Pro Football Focus’s Week 13 Team of the Week.

Andrew Thomas in Week 13

According to Mike Renner of Pro Football Focus, “Thomas has looked like a completely different player the past few weeks,” which has been “huge for the Giants.” Thomas was selected as the Week 13 PFF Team of the Week left tackle after an incredible performance against Washington.

Andrew Thomas put together 86.7 pass-block and 84.3 run-block grades against Seattle, earning him a spot on Pro Football Focus’s Week 13 Team of the Week. Thomas’s 87.1 overall grade is the highest single-game grade among the first-round offensive tackle picks this season.

Thomas has not allowed any quarterback pressures in the last two weeks. He has been excellent for the Giants in both pass protection and run-blocking in recent weeks. The Giants are finally seeing their fourth-overall pick from the 2020 NFL Draft perform like a top offensive tackle talent and their offense is thriving because of him.

New York Giants: Offensive line shows out in clutch Week 12 win

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New York Giants, Andrew Thomas

The New York Giants are now in first place in the NFC East. The Giants’ clutch 19-17 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals put them on top of their division. The Giants barely scraped out with a win in this game that saw starting quarterback Daniel Jones go down with a hamstring injury.

The Giants’ offense struggled to get anything going once Jones exited the lineup. But while Daniel was playing, New York’s offense was efficient, minus a couple of miscues that held them back. The Giants’ offense looked primed to breakout in the second half before Daniel Jones suffered his injury.

The reason why the Giants’ offense was performing so well: the offensive line. What has been the Giants’ biggest weakness for years was arguably their biggest offensive strength this week.

Offensive line stats and highlights in Week 12

For the first time this season, the Giants’ offensive line did not give up a sack. This comes just over a week after Joe Judge fired offensive line coach Marc Colombo and replaced him with coach Dave DeGuglielmo. In DeGuglielmo’s first game as offensive line coach of the Giants, the offensive line had its best performance of the season.

The Giants did not allow a sack and were great in the run-game, helping running back Wayne Gallman total 94 yards and 1 touchdown on the ground. The Giants gained a total of 142 rushing yards against Cincinnati.

According to Pro Football Focus, rookie offensive linemen Andrew Thomas and Shanne Lemieux were particularly impressive. PFF states that neither rookie allowed a pressure on the day. This is encouraging for the Giants to see their young linemen continue to improve with a near-flawless game in pass protection.

The Giants saw great improvement from their offensive line this week. But it still was not perfect. Right tackle Cam Fleming struggled against the Bengals, committing a number of costly penalties. This could lead the Giants to start rookie tackle Matt Peart in Fleming’s place once Peart returns from the reserve/COVID list.

This was an encouraging performance from the Giants’ offensive line. New York’s front line has struggled all season long but has seen drastic improvement in recent weeks. As New York pushes for a playoff spot in December, it will be crucial for the offensive line to continue to play at a high level.

New York Giants need to see offensive line improve after bye week

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New York Giants, Matt Peart

The New York Giants made a shocking move today, firing offensive line coach Marc Colombo after only ten weeks with the team. According to reports, head coach Joe Judge made the decision to fire Colombo after a verbal altercation that saw Colombo insubordinate the team’s head coach. Now, Dave DeGuglielmo will serve as the team’s offensive line coach.

The Giants’ offensive line has struggled immensely in 2020. But, over the past few weeks, there has been some improvement. According to reports, this is correlated to the fact that Joe Judge has spent more time coaching the offensive line himself.

New York’s offensive line is a point of weakness. Judge and DeGuglielmo now have a whole bye week to work together and try to fix the offensive line’s issues. As the Giants make a late-season playoff push, it is crucial that the offensive line improves after the bye week to keep the Giants in the hunt.

New York Giants Offensive Line Stats

Despite investing a hefty amount of assets into the offensive line this offseason, the Giants’ front unit has not looked improved this year. Granted, there have been slight week-to-week improvements from individual linemen, but overall it has been a struggle for this positional group.

According to Pro Football Focus, through ten games, the Giants are last in pass-block grade (47.2) and 29th in run-block grade (56.9). PFF also states that quarterback Daniel Jones has been pressured on 42.9% of dropbacks this season (second among qualifying quarterbacks). Over the last four games, Jones has been pressured on 41.1% of his dropbacks (tied-fourth most).

New York’s second-year quarterback has been under constant duress this season. When kept clean, Jones has been surgical. In Sunday’s victory over Philadelphia, Jones was 18-18 from a clean pocket for 188 yards and a PFF passing grade of 93.1.

But keeping Jones’s pocket clean has been a struggle for the Giants. Rookie first-round draft pick Andrew Thomas leads all offensive tackles in the NFL in pressures allowed. He has struggled to find his footing in the NFL and has even been outplayed by third-round rookie Matt Peart in his smaller sample size.

The New York Giants found their formula for winning against Washington and Philadelphia the past two weeks. Essentially, the offensive line has to give Daniel Jones time to make plays. When Jones has a clean pocket he can make plays and keep the ball out of harm’s way. This is why fixing the offensive line should be the top priority for the Giants to close out the final seven weeks of the 2020 NFL season, as they push to make their first playoff appearance since 2016.

Should the New York Giants roll with a young offensive line for the rest of the season?

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New York Giants, Matt Peart

The New York Giants‘ offensive line has struggled immensely through the first seven weeks of the 2020 NFL season. Despite this, their best lineman Kevin Zeitler has been brought up in trade discussions. Zeitler is a nine-year NFL veteran that has performed as the Giants’ best offensive lineman over the past two seasons.

Trading away Kevin Zeitler would leave the Giants with yet another huge hole in their offensive line. That hole would be filled by another rookie, Shane Lemieux, out of Oregon. This would place the Giants with two rookies starting on their offensive line, the other being left tackle Andrew Thomas. Nick Gates is also a rookie at the center position, playing this position for the first time in his career.

But should the Giants take things one step further and get as young as possible on the offensive line? New York has three rookies it could start on their offensive line: Andrew Thomas, Shane Lemieux, and Matt Peart. Combining these three rookies with second-year Nick Gates and third-year Will Hernandez would give the Giants an insanely young offensive line.

Why the Giants’ young offensive line could be a good idea

The Giants’ offensive line is bad as it is. Could it really get that much worse? It seems like it could only get better at this point as New York’s front line has allowed Jones to be sacked 20 times through seven games. Considering this, maybe the Giants’ rookies could step in and outperform the struggling veterans.

Additionally, the Giants need answers on these rookie offensive linemen. Are they long-term solutions? The only way to find out is if these rookies get significant game-experience for the final stretch of this season. Allowing these rookies to start on the offensive line would give New York eight weeks of film to evaluate their linemen heading into the 2021 offseason.

The Giants might need to invest further into their offensive line during the 2021 NFL Draft. But if these rookies can prove themselves as legitimate starters, then New York will be able to invest their assets elsewhere.

Will Hernandez will be out in Week 8 as he tested positive this week for COVID-19. This should give rookie Shane Lemieux a chance to start this week. If Lemieux performs well, it could entice the Giants to complete a Kevin Zeitler trade. If New York does that, they should take the extra step and insert Matt Peart into the starting lineup in place of Cam Fleming. This would give the Giants’ rookies eight weeks to prove themselves before the 2021 offseason.

New York Giants’ OL coach Marc Colombo details Andrew Thomas’ issues

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New York Giants, Andrew Thomas

The New York Giants’ kryptonite this season has been left tackle Andrew Thomas, who they spent the fourth overall pick on to solidify the left side of the offensive line.

Thomas, who came from Georgia with high expectations based on his technique and strength, has severely underwhelmed during his rookie campaign. As reported by multiple analysts and former professionals, his tendencies and technique have been all over the place, shooting out of his stance too early and not utilizing his hands properly. Thomas was once a highly regarded tackle for his ability to mirror opposing pass rushers and keep his feet and hands connected.

The New York Giants are doing everything they can to turn things around from Thomas:

Everything he has done so far in 2020 has been the exact opposite of what the Giants drafted him to do, but offensive line coordinator Marc Colombo is confident they can solve his issues.

Columbo stated that a left tackle’s job is to block a defensive end 1-on-1 in the NFL, and losing a majority of the time is simply unacceptable. The Giants aren’t ready to bench him just yet and allow him to watch a new competitor at left tackle, as they feel confident he will make strides in the coming weeks.

Colombo went on to say that “timing” is Thomas’s primary issue. He’s jumping out of his sets too early and punching too quickly, which is throwing off his technique and allowing edge rushers to beat him inside and with speed rushes on the outside.

Through seven weeks, Thomas has a 58.3 overall grade, with a 43.8 pass-blocking grade and a 64.9 run-blocking grade. Last week against Philadelphia, he was a liability in pass blocking but played well against the run.

His run blocking has consistently increased in efficiency the past few weeks, but pass blocking has taken a significant dip. Evening out those numbers is the goal, and he has plenty of time to refine his abilities and make up for his deficient start to the 2020 season.

A former coach of Thomas, Paul Alexander, spoke with Ralph Vacchiano of SNY. What he has seen from the young tackle has made him upset, as his technique has completely changed from Georgia.

“When he was at Georgia, he controlled guys with his hands. So I see something completely different than I saw at Georgia. And my question is: Why are you doing different things than you did? I mean, he was the best tackle in the country. And right now it’s like, ‘Oh my God!’”