John Michael Schmitz likes what he sees from Giants' offensive line
Giants center John Michael Schmitz Jr. speaks with the media after a day of training camp at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center in East Rutherford, N.J. on Aug. 4. Credit: James Escher
The Giants' offensive line is getting healthier after being devastated by injury for most of this season. Rookie center John Michael Schmitz noticed the difference as he returned Sunday from a shoulder injury.
“I just saw the growth,” he said. “Especially the couple of weeks I’ve been out, I saw the growth of the O-line and kind of just the camaraderie coming together, guys being way more focused and locked in. I would just say the [attention] to detail each and every week, coming in with the mindset that we can do it.”
Tackle Justin Pugh and guard Ben Bredeson were on the left side, with tackle Tyre Phillips and guard Mark Glowinski on the right.
The Giants remained without starting tackles Andrew Thomas and Evan Neal, who are injured.
Of Pugh, Schmitz said: “He's been a tremendous addition to the room. Not only with just helping us out with being in the league for so long, just the way he goes through the week, his routines. If it’s kind of just a little advice, it doesn't even have to be on the field, but off the field. I think he’s been a tremendous addition to the room.”
Schmitz said he returned to the playing field with the same confidence he’s had all along about the offensive line.
“I said it from the start,'' he said, “I believe we can have one of the best lines in the National Football League. At the end of the day, it’s just a mindset. We’ve just got to be confident. We’ve got to believe. Like I’ve said before, I’m excited. So we’ll see, but this addition to the room, they’ve been tremendous for us. Just the effort.”
Slow down!
After completing a 29-yard pass to Allen Lazard, the Jets were able to hustle downfield and spike the ball with one second remaining in regulation to set up a tying field goal. Asked if he would have liked to see “more bodies” preventing the Jets from getting set offensively at the end of the game, Giants linebacker Micah McFadden said yes.
“I mean, that’s always kind of a thought process in that moment,'' he said. "Obviously, you don’t want to draw a penalty, so it’s kind of like that balance in between trying to fight for the ball a little bit and get a few more seconds off the clock, but give credit to them. They got down there, spiked the ball and made the field goal, so, just kind of is what it is.”
Kimberly Jones covers the Giants for Newsday, a beat she first worked in the early 2000s before joining the YES Network to cover the Yankees. She worked for the NFL Network for more than a decade and has been heard semi-regularly on WFAN.
