The New York Giants have patiently been waiting for left tackle Andrew Thomas to reach his potential, and after struggling in the final preseason game of the off-season against the New England Patriots, he has been lights out on the football field.
The New York Giants are watching their young tackle blossom:
Thomas has had a tremendous start to the 2021 season, which is also his sophomore campaign. After a tough start to his rookie season, he turned it around during the second half, posting far more optimistic numbers. Following the conclusion of the year, Thomas immediately underwent surgery to fix an ankle issue that had been bothering him since training camp. Ever since then, Thomas has completely redefined himself, thanks to new coach Rob Sale, who has done a fantastic job helping elevate the offensive line as a whole.
Currently, the Giants offensive line ranks 17th in the league in pass-blocking efficiency, a big jump from 31st in 2020, per PFF. This is primarily thanks to the establishment of Thomas at the most important position in the trenches, which has given quarterback Daniel Jones more time in the pocket to execute his throws.
Just take a look at the detailed statistics that Thomas has posted this year compared to last season. They represent an entirely different player with processed fundamentals and a focus on great pass blocking.
2021:
-1 QB hit
-5 hurries
-6 pressure
-ZERO sacks
2020:
-3 QB hits
-13 hurries
-19 pressures
-3 sacks allowed
“I think this year I’m doing a little bit better with my sets, getting to the spot a little bit better with hand placement,’’ he said. “The thing I want to improve on is double teams in the run game. I think my base blocks on the D-ends have been pretty good but I got to get better on my double teams, getting up to the ’backers and second-level blocks.’’
Thomas knows that his development is far from over, but he started off the 2021 campaign in fantastic fashion. As the team’s top-rated pass protector, he has enjoyed 264 offensive snaps, committing just two penalties, both of which came against Washington.
It is not as if Thomas has faced off against lackluster talent either, taking on Chase Young, Dante Fowler, and Cam Jordan in consecutive weeks. In fact, Jordan, who struggled against the Giants in Week 4, recorded just one hit and two pressures, arguably his worst game of the season. The week before against New England, Jordan tallied three hits and six hurries, far outpacing his performance this past week against the Georgia product.
Not only is Thomas putting together a great start to his second professional season, but he’s doing it against quality players, which is all the difference.