On Saturday night, Andrew Thomas has a chance to watch his alma mater, Georgia, earn a berth in their second straight CFP Championship Game.
The next afternoon, he can help his current team, the New York Giants, earn their first playoff berth since 2016 – Thomas’ senior year of high school.
“It definitely means a lot. I've never played in the playoffs as long as I've been in the league. It's definitely something you look forward to,” Thomas said Tuesday.
The Giants’ game with Indianapolis is their second straight “win and you’re in” opportunity, but Thomas thinks this experience is a lot different than what he went through in three years at Georgia, when the Bulldogs went 36-7 and played in three SEC Championship Games, two Sugar Bowls, and one CFP National Championship Game.
“At Georgia, we played some teams that you have a week off playing smaller schools and stuff like that. In the NFL, it's different. Every week, you're going against the best in the world. There's no time off and each game counts for winning,” Thomas said. “Right now, I would say the atmosphere would be similar but I've never been to a playoff game, so I don't know what the playoffs are like.”
The Giants went 10-23 under Joe Judge in Thomas’ first two seasons, but he knew early on in this preseason that things were different under Brian Daboll, and this squad had a chance at the postseason.
Related
“Early into the offseason, just the way that we gelled, the energy that Coach Daboll brought in early…it was just a different feel around the building,” Thomas said. “Obviously, the first game was a great win and I think that just sparked the season from there on.”
They’ve done it with a group of offensive skill players whose resumes range from “who’s that guy” to “he’s still around,” but maybe, all it took was the right system and the right chance.
“I would say they're all resilient. They've had their opportunities and they've made the most of them,” Thomas said of the Giants’ skill group. “Regardless of what people say about them or what they may think, when the game is on, they're ready to play, they're playing tough, physical, and making plays for us. We reap the benefits of that.”
It hasn’t been easy given all the injuries on offense, especially on the line, where Thomas noted that the Giants’ current method of rotating guards “is not easy to overcome,” but the offense has grown into a cohesive unit despite all that…or maybe because of it.
“We have a good group of guys, everyone trusts in each other and we go out there and try to make plays,” he said. “Our biggest growth is how we’ve started to gel later in the season. I think earlier in the year, we were really good at running the ball, then there was a stretch that we were throwing the ball. I think over the last few games, we've been able to do both really well, and that's what you need to win.”
Related
And the credit for that, he said, goes in large part to Daniel Jones and the offensive coaching.
“It starts with our coaching staff, because the beauty of our play calling is that whatever is working that day is what we're going to do. If we're running the ball well, we're going to run the ball and if we're passing it well, we're going to pass it,” Thomas said. “I think that started with DJ, he does a great job, (and) the receivers getting open. The offensive line, we've got to be better in pass protection because I think we’ve left some plays out there, but DJ has done a great job.”
One more great job and one more win Sunday, and no matter what happens Week 18 in Philly, they’ll have a chance to win a few more for the first time in six seasons.
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
Listen live to WFAN via:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker
Follow WFAN on Social Media:
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch