by Jim Jackson
We watched every offensive snap of the New York Giants and Rookie LT Andrew Thomas. He has struggled at times during the first half of his rookie season, but we believe if he fixes a few small issues in pass protection, he can get back on track and playing how he did in college at Georgia. The first issue he can work on is setting on the inside half of the DE. He tends to set past his spot on a lot of times during the game. The next step he can take is not throwing big, winding, "haymaker" type of jams on contact. Small and more controlled jams when contact happens will help him control the defender better. Again, we don't like to criticize players or coaches, but these are some simple "fixes" that if applied properly, Thomas can get on track.
Issues to work on:
1. Overset - Set with outside foot down his crotch. Don't drift too far in your set, and you never really want to set wider than nose to nose.
2. Jam - Smaller controlled jams will allow him to react quicker and allow him to control the defender better. Many times you see Thomas throw "Haymaker" type jams in order to stop the defender. Smaller controlled jams that are 6-8 inches will allow you to keep your body in a better position to react to a secondary rush.
The final play we examine is the same issue vs PHL. The result of the play is a Sack. It is difficult to react to secondary rushes likes spins, when your body is in a poor position.
We hope that if Thomas can focus on these two things, he can improve greatly and finish the season strong.
