Giants Country

Giants LT Andrew Thomas Breaks Silence Since Landing on IR

Thomas gave an update on his recovery from a season-ending foot injury and reflected on a Giants season that's gone off the rails, particularly on offense.

Patricia Traina

New York Giants offensive tackle Andrew Thomas (78) and his teammates run onto the field moments before kickoff, Sunday, October 13, 2024, in East Rutherford.
New York Giants offensive tackle Andrew Thomas (78) and his teammates run onto the field moments before kickoff, Sunday, October 13, 2024, in East Rutherford. / Kevin Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Despite how the 2024 Giants season has unfolded, New York Giants offensive tackle Andrew Thomas would much prefer to be out there with his teammates, doing all he can to help lessen the disastrous and disappointing 100th season in the franchise’s history.

Such is not the case, as Thomas is still in a walking boot for at least another two weeks after suffering a season-ending lis franc injury in the Giants' Week 6 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, for which he had surgery.  

He’s making progress toward shedding the boot, eventually running again, and getting back on the football field at some point next spring or summer when the Giants start from square one.

While he hasn’t been able to practice, he said he’s been in the meetings and has seen the film, trying to contribute helpful suggestions to get things pointed in the right direction.

So what’s been the problem, then, with the offense? 

“I'm not sure. I can't put my finger on one exact thing, but watching is the same as when I was playing,” Thomas said when asked what’s gone wrong for the Giants offense this year. 

“When you lose, it's frustrating. Everyone is putting a lot of work in, and it's frustrating when you don't have the results that you want. But all you can do is go back to the drawing board.”

Part of the problem started with the quarterback situation. Daniel Jones was benched after ten games and ultimately waived as the team sought to protect itself from Jones's contract's $23 million injury guarantee being triggered. 

But since then, the Giants have played three different quarterbacks–Drew Lock, Tommy DeVito, and Tim Boyle–due to injuries and, in one case, performance.

They have had no success in snapping a current nine-game losing streak that, if it grows to ten games with a loss this weekend against Atlanta, will set a new franchise record.

The other part of the problem is the offense's lack of explosive plays despite adding receiver Malik Nabers. Thomas, however, thinks that is a result of multiple factors. 

“When coaches call plays, it's based on trust. If we're not executing or we're not protecting the right way, if we're not getting checks the right way, it makes it hard,” he said when asked if the lack of deep pass plays resulted from the coaching or the execution. 

“First-and-10, you call a deep ball, and now you're 2nd-and-10 if you don't convert. That's very hard to overcome, so I think it's a little bit of both.”

Injuries are also a part of it. In addition to Thomas, who said he was given a five-month recovery period, the Giants also lost starting left guard Jon Runyan, Jr. to a season-ending ankle injury.  

They have also fielded seven different offensive line combinations due to injuries, which have caused the coaches to flip guys around and, in the cases of Joshua Ezeudu and Christopher Hubbard, play them out of position at left tackle.

“I think the injuries were tough this year,” Thomas admitted. “We were all healthy. I thought we were playing better. I thought that's the best football we've played up front in a while, so hopefully, next year, we can stay healthy and continue to build that continuity.”

Thomas, who plans to stay in New Jersey during this coming offseason while he continues his rehab, believes that the pieces are in place to turn things around next year.

“Yeah, that's the mindset. You always have to feel like we're going to turn it around,” he said. 

“If you have a negative mindset, you'll never overcome it. I'm trying to be as positive as I can, having this season-ending injury, but I think we have a good, collective group of some young players that can play well. It's going to take some time, but I think we'll get there.

“ I think if we continue to build continuity with the offensive line, figure out what we're doing at the quarterback position, because we have injuries, we have trades, all these different things. But once we get on the same page, I think we can do something special,” he said. 

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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