Giants Offensive Tackle Andrew Thomas Welcomes New Role as Team Captain
New York Giants offensive tackle Andrew Thomas is only in his third NFL season, but he's certainly come a long way.
From starting as the fourth overall pick in the 2020 draft (and the first offensive tackle off the board) to struggling as a rookie only to do a 180-degree turn in his second season while dealing with a nagging ankle injury, Thomas's star continues to rise.
The 23-year-old, now firmly entrenched at left tackle for the Giants, was voted a team captain by his peers Tuesday.
“It’s definitely an honor when your teammates vote you to be one of the leaders on the team,” said Thomas. “I don’t think it stops there. I’m working every day to be a better leader, to be a better player – not just for the offensive line but for the whole team.”
Thomas is a classic success story of someone who overcame the challenge of having to erase the stigmatism that initially dogged him, much like the offensive line unit has been dogged by a reputation for being the Achilles heel on the team.
As a rookie, he led the team in pressures allowed (57) and sacks (10) in 978 snaps. Last year, he conceded just two sacks and 18 pressures in 800 snaps.
Any NFL team would want that kind of progress from such a highly touted draft pick. And for Thomas, not only does he think he can be even better, but he revealed he identified another goal for the 2022 season.
“At the end of last season, in some of my exit meetings, the biggest thing for me was to take the leadership role,” he said. “A lot of times, I was focused on getting better – going through the struggles. The next thing for me is to be more vocal, lead by example, and help the team in any way I can.”
Being a strong leader requires various important qualities. But at the top of the list is communication and ensuring everyone is leading understands their roles and the system.
This is a factor that both coaches and team captains are tasked with, something Thomas feels he has a good grip on based on his discussions with head coach Brian Daboll.
“Coach always says that this is a players' league,” said Thomas. “It’s run by us – they give us the plays and technique, but at the end of the day, it’s based on what we do on the field. Just being able to communicate between him and the players, making sure that we’re all on the same page, is a big thing for success.”
When it comes to fostering growth in this league as a coach or leader, a big part of it is accomplished by recognizing how one applies knowledge and experience to help others evolve. Self-awareness is crucial, but so is the ability to understand what’s working. Thomas, for his part, recognizes that and still believes the Giants' offense isn’t fully there yet.
“Honestly, I still think we have a long way to go,” said Thomas. “We’re working every day to get better to be explosive on the offensive side of the ball.”
To do that requires patience while teammates continue to build chemistry with one another.
“It’s just a new system,” said Thomas. “We got guys coming back off of injuries. Just working on building that camaraderie because this offense is about timing and understanding what you expect a certain guy to do, especially on the offensive line. We play five as one unit, so building that is important.”
Overall, Thomas likes the direction the team is headed.
“I definitely got confidence in our guys,” said Thomas. “We work every day to get better. We have some veterans in the group helping lead us. We’re just looking forward to game one.”
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