Giants Offensive Line Making Steady Progress

Giants offensive line coach Marc Colombo offered a frank evaluation of where his guys are and where they still need to get better.

The numbers might not show it, but the Giants are making progress on offense behind its new offensive line.

The Giants are ranked last in rushing yards per game (52.0). The rushing stats would seem particularly disturbing given that the team had Saquon Barkley for five of the eight quarters of football played, but Colombo is staying on his group to bring them up to speed.

“Obviously, it hasn’t been up to the standard we are trying to set,” he said of the run blocking. “But there was an improvement from week 1 to week 2. They are a young unit and they haven’t played together before so it’s going to take time. I need to coach better, and we need to play better. I’m proud of how they finished down the stretch. It was a good sign of their cohesiveness as a unit.”

The Giants ran the ball 18 times for 75 yards on Sunday, but 21 of these were scrambling yards by Daniel Jones, who currently leads the team in rushing with 63 yards on seven carries for a 6.1 per carry average and who is the first Giants quarterback since the 1970 merger to lead the team in rushing to start a season.

The passing game has been a little bit better. The Giants are ranked 19th in passing yards per game (241.0). But again, there is a lot of room for improvement, as the Giants have allowed seven sacks in two games and are ranked 24th in the league in sacks per pass attempt (8.64%).

“We’ve done a good job with mental assignments and it’s something we need to keep improving on. They are pushing to get better. We must do better against stunts. Period. It’s the way teams attack all offensive lines. The communication is OK, but we need to do a better job recognizing it sooner,” said Colombo.

Colombo, who like all the other Giants assistant coaches, reiterated that the onus is on him to coach up his crew, has been pleased with the play of the individual members of the offensive line, starting with rookie left tackle Andrew Thomas, who has faced Bud Dupree, Khalil Mack, and Robert Quinn in his first two games in the NFL.

“Andrew has gone against some really good pass rushers and has held his own for the most part,” Colombo said. “There’s a lot of room for improvement and he knows that. It’s good for him to go against these types of pass rushers. He’s going to be going up against these types of guys his whole career. We must keep pushing the fundamentals with him, but I like what I’ve seen so far.”

Thomas allowed a strip-sack in Sunday’s loss to the Bears but bounced back to have a nice game as Mack and Quinn were mostly nonfactors in the second half.

On the other side is veteran Cam Fleming, a player with whom Colombo is familiar from their time together in Dallas when Colombo was a member of Jason Garrett’s coaching staff, and Fleming was a swing tackle for the Cowboys. His showing has been a mixed bag against some tough edge rushers in the early part of this season.

But Colombo insisted that Fleming is on the right path, saying that the veteran “looked even better” than he has from their days together in Dallas.

“As the veteran, he sets a great example for the younger guys based on how much he prepares and studies against the pass rush,” Colombo said. 

“Cam has taken his game to the next level now that he has gotten a starting opportunity. It’s given us a shot out there. I expect him to keep battling at that right tackle position.”

Meanwhile, on the offensive line's interior, Colombo, who in the summer was very bullish about Nick Gates at center, remains a fan of the third-year pro’s body of work, which has included making the protection calls.

“Nick’s done a good job. The big thing we are looking for is improvement from Week 1 to Week 2. It’s his first time playing the position and he has a lot of responsibilities. I’m proud of the step he’s taken and now we need to take a step further. I think we are headed in the right direction we just have to continue moving forward,” said Colombo.

As for left guard Will Hernandez, who some are still waiting to take that next step forward in his development, Colombo, who again in the summer gushed about how much he enjoys coaching the former UTEP player, thinks he’s on the right track as well.

“First off, I just want to say I love coaching Will Hernandez,” Colombo said. 

“He’s everything you want in a player. He’s a football junkie. But there are some areas we need to improve on, and it’s my job to put these guys in the best position. But I love having him. He’s a big part of what we are doing moving forward.”

Moving forward, the goal is to tighten up against the run and start moving more defenders out of the way while also sealing up the cracks that have developed in pass protection where, according to Pro Football Focus, the Giants have allowed the second-most pressures in the league (56).

“My expectation for them is so high and I tell them that all the time,” Colombo said. 

“My job is to push them every day with every step and technique. We need to take what we practice and put it into the game more. There are some inconsistencies with technique on game day, but we have seen improvement and now we need to take a bigger step forward.”