Who are the two stars on the NY Giants?
Depending on your view, they are #1 and #1A. The answer is Andrew Thomas and Dexter Lawrence. Those are the two All Pros.
Unfortunately, the breaking news late this morning was that Andrew Thomas will not play on Monday night. One must understand this information in the context of what was told in prior days and weeks- the original thinking was that Thomas could possibly play in Week 2 or Week 3 but they held him out out of precaution, giving him the ability to get another 11 days of rest. Remember, he traveled to the West Coast. So to now learn that Thomas won’t play Monday… on Saturday… tells us this could be a hamstring that’s with him the entire season. He used to be “day to day.” Now he’s “week to week.” Did he aggravate it in attempting to practice? We’re obviously guessing here but a weaker outlook is based on how a lot of other hamstrings have played out.
“Let’s qualify the bull case immediately here. On the first play from scrimmage, one of the Offensive Tackles could get hurt…”
UltimateNYG 9/4/2023
It was the first series in the first game. Thomas was hobbled the rest of DAL and hasn’t played since. Effectively, the Giants have lost their All Pro Left Tackle, one of the foundational keys to protecting Jones’ blindside. It’s tainted everything this season, and apparently will continue to impact the trajectory because Seattle was important during this tough stretch with MIA and BUF the following weeks. The Giants were slightly favored but now are dogs. The Giants need to win Monday night and they need to get Thomas back to help shore up their protections. If they get neither, 2023 is at risk.
Jones’ transformation last season came, in part, due to the confidence in Thomas. The QB’s poise in the pocket drove much of his success in 2022. Without Thomas, old Jones is back. I’m not making excuses for Jones. He needs to play better. Playing w/o requisite confidence in your OL is possible but Jones has never shown that ability. Ezeudu, as backup LT, needs to pass protect better. Ezeudu is a much more consistent run blocker. Whether or not Barkley comes back, the Giants must run the ball to help Jones. Dan Schneier of the Big Blue Banter points out that in the 2nd Half vs AZ, Jones came back under center, the Giants ran the ball with the heavier personnel and ran play action. He argues that they must do that. Adjust. Find a way to win. And maybe get a miracle with Thomas back/effective in coming weeks.
If you can’t protect the QB and control the Line of Scrimmage, you can’t win in the NFL.