Among the most disheartening things to witness from the Week 1 loss had to be NY Giants star left tackle Andrew Thomas injuring his hamstring. The heart and soul of the offensive line, Thomas was moving around gingerly and you could tell he was in a ton of pain.
Thomas, who signed his $117.5 million extension this offseason, missed practice on Wednesday, but was back on the field on a limited basis on Thursday. Thomas is trying to fight through the pain and get himself ready to play on Sunday.
However, it's quite clear that No. 78 is hobbling around and this injury is causing him discomfort. With that said, head man Brian Daboll should step in, make the right call and keep his talented lineman out of action this week. There's no reason to risk Thomas further damaging his bum hammy and potentially making this a long-term issue.
Andrew Thomas is suited up but walking gingerly onto the practice field. Daboll said he’ll be limited.
— Dan Duggan (@DDuggan21) September 14, 2023
Andrew Thomas is still injured for the NY Giants and his status for Week 2 is unknown
Thomas is one of the most important players on this team. Could you imagine if he's rushed out there too early and he hurts himself to the point where he misses extensive action for Big Blue the rest of the way? That'd be the worst-case scenario.
If Thomas is unable to go, then it will be on Matt Peart to protect Daniel Jones' blindside. Peart himself is dealing with an elbow injury, but he's expected to be ready to rock for the weekend action in Arizona. The offensive line play as a whole needs a major bounce-back showing vs. the Cards.
You could say that for the team as a whole. However, Daboll needs to be smart here with his injured players, especially Thomas. Coach Dabes was called out in recent days for not protecting some of his guys late in the blowout loss to Dallas - he can't make that mistake again.
Keep in mind that the Giants have to quickly turn around and take on the 49ers for Thursday Night Football in Week 3. From our chair, Thomas should sit Week 2 out and then take the field in the Bay Area against the 49ers. Let him rest, Mr. Daboll. Keep him off the field vs. the Cardinals.
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