An ankle injury compromised Giants left tackle Andrew Thomas late last year, and he had his second surgery in as many seasons once Big Blue’s 2021 campaign concluded.
But, after rehab and working out in the non-contact red jersey during OTAs, Thomas is back on the field and working as of the beginning of the Giants’ training camp and ready to roll.
“Feeling pretty good. I just followed the plan from the trainers in the off-season, and I'm trying to maintain that, working on strengthening and stuff like that. It feels pretty good,” Thomas said of his ankle. “They had a plan for me in OTAs, and I just followed that. I'm just working, trying to get better, and they're letting me go now.”
Thomas had “no doubts” he would be good to go, having followed the plans to the latter and “doing everything they asked me to do,” which included treatment and rest in Atlanta after OTAs. Still, he’s treating his return as “day-by-day” because of the surgery, rehabbing and doing treatment even when feeling good and working extra hard in camp, because there’s always something lost when rehabbing an injury, even in the offseason.
“In the early stages it's hard, because early in January when I first had (surgery), I can't run, obviously and things like that,” Thomas said. “But when I could, I did everything that I could. I worked hard. I did a lot of balancing and stuff like that to recover. I feel like the hardest part is catching up to the plays. Because you can't – I learn well by being on the field. So, in OTAs not being able to run with the team, it was something to overcome. I tried to be as engaged as much as possible in the meetings.”
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The team also had dos and don’ts for Thomas’ physical therapist in Atlanta, so it’s been a true team effort for Thomas to get back on the field, and he’s looking forward to seeing what he really can do when the lights (and pads) go on in camp.
“There's not really a benchmark. I'm just approaching every day just trying to win the day. Put today away, watch the film and get ready for tomorrow. That's the way I go about it,” he said. “Right now, it's a little different because it's not full contact, obviously. You can't really test your anchor as much when you don't have pads on. But, once we put the pads on, we'll see what happens.”
Before the ankle issue popped up, Thomas was coming into his own in his second year. The Giants are counting on him to be an anchor on a revamped offensive line, and he is confident he can put in the work to continue to blossom as time goes on.
“There are a lot of things I saw from last year that I need to clean up and get better at, just being consistent in my set,” Thomas said. “I made jumps obviously from my rookie year to last year. It's being a lot more consistent with my hand placement and having a stronger anchor at certain times and just being more consistent overall.”
One other thing that could hamstring him: this is his second offensive system in three years, and Bobby Johnson is his fourth offensive line coach after the tumultuous Joe Judge era – but once again, Thomas was dialed in all spring and summer, and believes he can make it happen.
“The scheme is a little different the way we approach it, just a little bit more aggressive in our sets.” Thomas said. “Some of my previous coaches we've had, it was a little more of a vertical set. In the running game, the footwork is a little different. But the mentality is still to be physical and to be dominant upfront.”
And, despite a new scheme and a lot of new faces on the offensive line, Thomas believes things can come together quickly.
“We're taking it one day at a time. We have some talented guys in the room, and we’re working on getting the playbook down, figuring out our technique and just trying to be as good as possible, he said. “It’s a lot of new guys coming together, so we’re doing whatever we can to get better – but the goal is to be dominant. Lead the guys, protect Daniel (Jones) so he can make throws to the playmakers.”
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And as the only real healthy holdover (other than fellow rehabber Shane Lemieux), Thomas is ready to take on a leadership role for the newcomers, young and old.
“Not necessarily that it's my offensive line, but this year I'm trying to take more of a leadership role,” he said. “It was little harder in OTAs not being out there, but when I'm out there now, just trying to be a little bit more vocal and lead with how I practice.”
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