New York Giants O-line Coach Explains Why Andrew Thomas is Struggling Inside
New York Giants rookie offensive tackle Andrew Thomas has had his share of growing pains this season, that's for sure.
According to PFF, Thomas has allowed 28 total pressures from the left tackle position, including a season-high nine last week against the Dallas Cowboys.
And Through five weeks, Thomas leads all offensive tackles with 28 pressures.
Giants offensive line coach Marc Colombo said its simply a matter of staying on Thomas each day to get him to clean up some things, but also noted that there is one thing in particular that has shown up on tape that opponents have exploited in Thomas' game.
"Yeah, what he's doing is snapping out of his stance and he's kind of overshooting his target," Colombo explained.
"And what's happening is when you put that on film, you're going to get a heavy dose of it and they're going to change it up. They're going fake up field and come back underneath."
Here is a still-shot of one such instance where Thomas appears to have missed his target, this coming in the second quarter against edge Everson Griffen, No. 97.
Take note of Thomas' positioning as he makes initial contact with Griffen. Thomas is lunging at the defender, and strikes him on the shoulder pad. Griffen, as you'll see in the clip below, then puts a spin move on Thomas and beats him inside for a hit against quarterback Daniel Jones.
"I tell these guys, 'Focus on your target and if your target is the inside number, that's it,'" Colombo said of his teaching point for the offensive linemen. "Wherever that target goes, you go."
Colombo believes that Thomas ha the feet to handle speed rushers, but notes that the inside move defensive players use is "the Cardinal sin" for an offensive lineman to lose.
"That's something I gotta do a better job, coaching him on, on what keys to look for when the guy's going to come inside," Colombo said.
"He's got to know that every single defensive end has watched it and seen it have success, and you're going to get it all game until you shut it down and you put it on tape, shutting down the inside move. You're going to get it every time."
Colombo is also working hard to make sure that Thomas, the fourth overall pick in the draft, doesn't lose confidence in himself as he goes through his growing pains.
"Andrew's really young. He's a rookie and he's going to go through some growing pains, but he's getting better," Colombo said.
"He did a lot of good things in the game the other day--used his hands. We're going to talk about a few things we need to clean up, but for the most part, it's just really harping on the details."
Colombo thinks that if Thomas can achieve consistency, the return on investment that the Giants are expecting won't be too far behind.
"Andrew's capable of being a dominating left tackle in the NFL. I truly believe that," said Colombo, himself a former NFL offensive tackle and first-round draft pick.
"He's gone against some really good competition, and he's done well at times, and at times, not so much. He's gotten a lot of good learning opportunities for Andrew. And you know, I truly believe, you know, after the amount of pressures and pass rushers he's seen, he's really going to be better for it."
NFL Game Pass
Notice Thomas' positioning as he makes initial contact with Griffen. Thomas is lunging at the defender and strikes him on the shoulder pad. Griffen, as you'll see in the clip below, then puts a spin move on Thomas and beats him inside for a hit against quarterback Daniel Jones.
"I tell these guys, 'Focus on your target and if your target is the inside number, that's it,'" Colombo said of his teaching point for the offensive linemen. "Wherever that target goes, you go."
Colombo believes that Thomas has the feet to handle speed rushers but notes that the inside move defensive players use is "the Cardinal sin" for an offensive lineman to lose.
"That's something I gotta do a better job, coaching him on, on what keys to look for when the guy's going to come inside," Colombo said.
"He's got to know that every single defensive end has watched it and seen it have success, and you're going to get it all game until you shut it down and you put it on tape, shutting down the inside move. You're going to get it every time."
Colombo is also working hard to make sure that Thomas, the fourth overall pick in the draft, doesn't lose confidence in himself as he goes through his growing pains.
"Andrew's really young. He's a rookie and he's going to go through some growing pains, but he's getting better," Colombo said.
"He did a lot of good things in the game the other day--used his hands. We're going to talk about a few things we need to clean up, but for the most part, it's just really harping on the details."
Colombo thinks that if Thomas can achieve consistency, the return on investment that the Giants are expecting won't be too far behind.
"Andrew's capable of being a dominating left tackle in the NFL. I truly believe that," said Colombo, himself a former NFL offensive tackle and a first-round draft pick.
"He's gone against some really good competition, and he's done well at times, and at times, not so much. He's gotten a lot of good learning opportunities for Andrew. I truly believe after the amount of pressures and pass rushers he's seen, he's really going to be better for it."
(Clip and screen shot via NFL Game Pass.)
