Giants Offensive Line Has Quietly Turned into a Team Strength

The New York Giants' future might be up in the air regarding the next coaching staff, but if there is one member of the current staff worth retaining, it is offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo.

The 49-year-old Bricillo, in his second season with the Giants after spending the 2022-23 seasons in Las Vegas where he also helped to turn around a Raiders offensive line that had just as many, if not more, questions than the Giants, has worked his magic in New York.

Currently, the unit is tied for seventh (with the Lions) with an 86.7 PBE, a rating that’s just 3.3 points off of league leader Denver. That's a vast improvement from when Bricillo took over, the 2023 Giants offensive line ranking 30th in Pro Football Focus’s pass-blocking efficiency rating (78.6).

Many will point to the return of left tackle Andrew Thomas as a reason for the line’s quiet yet impressive improvement, which has also seen the Giants allow just 98 pressures per PFF (12th fewest) through 11 games.

But a closer look at the entire group of starters shows that every one of the starting five–Thomas, left guard Jon Runyan Jr., center John Michael Schmitz, right guard Greg Van Roten, and right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor–is playing some of their best ball this season, both individually and, more importantly, as a group.

“I had an opportunity to spend some time in the O-line room over the last few years and just seeing these guys communicate, seeing these guys talk through their adjustments, talk through their assignments, how they're going to attack a certain double team, how they're going to attack a certain block, it just really opens that floodgate to really great communication on gameday,” said said interim head coach Mike Kafka.

“Carm and (assistant offensive line coach) James (Ferentz)--they want to bring that out of their players, and they do. You see it on the field, and it shows up throughout the game. It shows up in the adjustments on the sideline, in the communication with the young quarterback. It's really impressive and they're continuing to step up for us.”

Notable improvements are finally showing up on tape

Former Giants center Shaun O’Hara said the transformation of the Giants’ offensive line from an Achilles' heel to a strength has been great to watch.

“There have been times in the past few years where it just seemed like guys were whiffing on blocks and defenders were just running free, and there were free shots on the quarterback. It was guys not knowing who to block, and there were missed assignments,” O’Hara told the Locked On Giants podcast during an appearance to promote The Athletic's Playoff Simulator.

After a rocky start to the season, in which, according to O’Hara, the offensive line sans Thomas (who would not return to the lineup until Week 4) had its worst game, the unit has been on the upswing because it’s being coached on the details that might have been missing in past years.

“I think they are playing well together because they know, ‘All right, who needs help on what play?” O’Hara said.

The biggest improvement, according to O’Hara, is something that has dogged the unit for what seems like the longest time until Bricillo arrived.

“They've gotten a lot better at passing off the twists,” he said. “That's been something that the Giants have struggled with up front with the center and the two guards–those inside tackle twists and a linebacker twist in there as well that has kind of given them some headaches and some issues. They've kind of quieted that down.”

They’ve also quieted down penalties. In 2023, the Giants had 31 offensive holding penalties, 14 of which were against offensive linemen. So far this year, they have 12 as a team, with just seven called against the guys in the trenches.

Want another thing to like about the job Bricillo and Ferentz have done with the offensive line? The Giants' offensive line has seemingly mastered another area of its collective performance that was previously a problem: the silent snap count.

In 2023, the Giants were called for 18 false starts on offense, 14 of those by the offensive line. But so far this year, of the 18 false starts called, only 10 have been committed by the offensive linemen.

“They're, they're all on the same page–you don't see any big gaps, you don't see mental errors, you don't see them not understanding who to slide to, and who they have in protection,” O’Hara said.

That has not only led to some solid football by a unit that seemingly every year has been a cause of concern, but also a strong argument for the next head coach of the Giants, whoever he may be, to retain Bricillo and Ferentz, especially as the Giants continue to add young talent to the unit.

What happens next with the NY Giants? Find out! Follow and like us on Facebook. Visit our YouTube channel for the latest videos. Want to send a question in for our mailbag? You can do so here.

Notable improvements are finally showing up on tape

More New York Giants Coverage