Giants Q&A: Offensive line shuffles again
Saquon Barkley of the Giants runs the ball in the first quarter of a game against the Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday in Las Vegas. Credit: Getty Images/Ian Maule
How was the offensive line configured?
In the moments after the Raiders’ 30-6 win over the Giants, that question doesn’t seem pertinent.
But the Giants’ offensive line is always a story.
Evan Neal started but left the game with a right ankle injury after returning from a left ankle injury, and it would not be a surprise if he misses even more time with this one. So the Giants will need to plug someone in at right tackle. Which likely will cause the line to shift again.
Hey, at least most of the linemen are used to that by now.
In Week 9, the line finally was healthy. And now, as Week 10 beckons, it is not.
Left tackle Andrew Thomas, who indicated last week that he was feeling better, returned against the Raiders, and the Giants certainly were happy to have their anchor back.
Justin Pugh played at left guard, and one can only wonder where the Giants would be without him arriving “straight off the couch.”
Center John Michael Schmitz returned last week.
The right guard is Ben Bredeson (he was at left guard last week while Pugh still was at left tackle).
One goal for the linemen was to keep Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby from having a day. They didn’t, as he had three sacks and six solo tackles.
The line, however, was not to blame when Daniel Jones was injured. That was one of those dreaded no-contact injuries.
What about Tommy DeVito?
A week after relieving Tyrod Taylor in the second quarter against the Jets, DeVito again was pressed into emergency duty on Sunday when Jones was injured.
DeVito had a better day in Las Vegas. He completed 15 of 20 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown — his first as an NFL player — though he did throw interceptions on two consecutive plays from scrimmage. He was sacked six times.
“I thought he did some good things,” coach Brian Daboll said. “Obviously, he had two picks. One was off the hands of a receiver.”
On the other, Daboll mostly credited cornerback Amik Robertson for making a good play at the goal line.
“I thought he made some good decisions, stood in there,” Daboll said. “Competed well. We’ll keep working with him.”
DeVito noted the similarity to last week.
“Same deal as last week, really,” he said. “Last week, when Ty went down and was slow to get up. Everyone comes around, says get ready, come take some snaps . . . Got in a couple snaps with John Michael [Schmitz], and we stayed the course.”
Being ready is what is expected of a backup quarterback. There’s a chance that next week DeVito will be the starter.
“That’s part of the sport,” he said. “Injury is the one thing we can never not have happen. I don’t know the extent of it. [Jones] is in my prayers and the whole team’s prayers that he will be back.”
What did Antonio Pierce, the former Giants linebacker and current Raiders interim coach, say after earning his first win?
“We talked about pride and poise and getting back to being ourselves,” he said. “Everything that’s going on is in front of us, not behind us. The team effort you saw today is what we displayed in practice Thursday and Friday.”
Pierce will look to go 2-0 as the Jets visit on Sunday night.
With AP
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.
