Andrew Thomas joins 'Good Morning Football' to discuss Daboll, DJ and more
The performance of second-year tackle Andrew Thomas was a bright spot for the Giants during the 2021 season.
Thomas played 800 offensive snaps across 13 games this past season. The young tackle was on the field for 517 pass block snaps, of which he allowed just two sacks. Thomas earned an 82.1 pass block grade, which came in at No. 12 among all offensive tackles, while his 78.9 overall grade ranked 19th.
The left tackle joined NFL Network's 'Good Morning Football' this week to discuss several topics, including his development in his second season.
"I definitely made some strides over Year 2," said Thomas. "I worked really hard this past offseason to get stronger and refine my technique. I think my sets and my hand placement were a lot more consistent this year, which led to an overall better performance. But there's still a lot of work to be done."
The offense will certainly look a lot different next season following the hire of Brian Daboll as head coach.
Daboll comes to the Giants following four seasons as the Bills' offensive coordinator. The new head coach oversaw the development of quarterback Josh Allen, who finished second in the MVP voting in 2020 and set numerous franchise single-season records. That same season, Daboll was named the AP Assistant Coach of the Year.
"I'm looking forward to getting to know him," the 23-year-old tackle said about his new head coach. "Obviously in Buffalo, he helped cultivate one of the most explosive offenses in the league. I'm excited to learn from him and be a part of turning this thing around."
One of Daboll's biggest tasks will be to help the development of quarterback Daniel Jones.
After throwing 24 touchdown passes in 12 games as a rookie back in 2019, Jones has 21 total touchdown passes over the last two years. However, Jones has proven to be a valuable asset in the run game, totaling 721 yards and three scores on the ground over the previous two seasons.
Since being named head coach, Daboll has said several times that Jones was one of the first players he met at Quest Diagnostics Training Center last Saturday. Thomas reiterated that sentiment on the show, telling the hosts that the young quarterback is always one of the first guys in the building.
"DJ is a great teammate and a great leader. He works extremely hard," Thomas said. "Like Coach said, he's one of the first guys in the building. He's always been that way. He's very critical of himself. He never points the finger. Obviously, there are some things that we have to improve up front, but he never points the finger. He just works every day. I think he has all of the tools to be a great quarterback. It's up to us up front to allow him to do that."
Check out the video below to view Thomas' full interview on 'Good Morning Football'
Pro Football Focus' Senior Bowl standouts
After three full days, Senior Bowl practices wrapped up yesterday.
The game itself is still to come on Saturday, but there have already been several players who have stood out in the three days of practices.
Pro Football Focus ranked the biggest Senior Bowl winners through the first few days of practice.
Bernhard Raimann, OT, Central Michigan
PFF Big Board Rank: 19
"Raimann had a slow start to the week, but he looked like the best tackle in attendance on Wednesday. He won most of his one-on-ones and was lights out in team drills. The impressive part was how well he played at both tackle positions, even though he only played left tackle in college."
Trey McBride, TE, Colorado State
PFF Big Board Rank: 62
"McBride has stood out head and shoulders among a loaded tight end class. He looks comfortable running every route possible in the one-on-ones and has shown some nastiness as a run-blocker. McBride dumped Penn State defensive end Arnold Ebiketie on a pass-protection rep in team drills."
Jermaine Johnson II, EDGE, Florida State
PFF Big Board Rank: 42
"Through two days, the answer to the question "who has been the best player in Mobile?" is undeniably Jermaine Johnson. From the bag drills to the run-game work to the one-on-ones, it doesn't matter — Johnson has been in complete control. He's so polished for a college prospect that you start to think about the kind of impact he could make next fall instead of even worrying about subsequent falls."
View the top photos from the week of Senior Bowl practices in Mobile, Alabama.
Senior Bowl on social media
Practices are officially over for the 2022 Senior Bowl.
The game itself will kick off at 2:30pm ET tomorrow at the University of South Alabama, Hancock Whitney Stadium.
Before the game begins, check out what social media is saying about the Senior Bowl festivities.