Shuffled line faces test in Seattle noise
Everything the Giants try seems to work these days, so why wouldn’t they attempt something that sounds like a recipe for disaster?
After seven straight games starting the same five offensive linemen, the Giants are about to replace the injured duo of left guard Ben Bredeson and right tackle Evan Neal with rookie Joshua Ezeudu and post-training camp addition Tyre Phillips, respectively. At the Seahawks’ home of Lumen Field — considered one of the NFL’s loudest stadiums — no less.
“One of the things I owe to the players is to not make it a bigger deal than it really is,” offensive line coach Bobby Johnson said, “so that’s how we’re going to handle it. I have the utmost confidence in everybody we put out there. I’d be lying if I said there were no challenges, but this is what you prepare for.”
The line that finished the last game — Andrew Thomas, Ezeudu, Jon Feliciano, Mark Glowinski and Phillips, left to right — practiced together all week. So, there is more familiarity than when the Giants have made in-game changes this season, like rotating Ezeudu and Bredeson in Week 1 or shifting Bredeson to center for an injured Feliciano.
“To see those guys come in and us continue to move the ball and protect the quarterback was a good feeling,” Thomas said. “It’s not easy to do.”
It will be the 14th career start for Phillips, who leapfrogged Devery Hamilton as the swing tackle while also learning the jumbo tight end package.
“I think Tyre has earned it,” head coach Brian Daboll said. “He’s picked up our system, done a good job on [scout] teams, and we thought he was the next guy up. He did a good job.”
Nick Gates is expected to be active for the first time in 409 days, since he suffered a broken leg that required seven surgeries. He will be a backup guard and center, but it is unclear whether the Giants will use him in rotation or just as a traditional if-needed reserve.
“It’s remarkable that he’s even still playing,” Johnson said. “He’s come to work every day with a great attitude even though the odds were against him. And now that he’s finally gotten a chance to start practicing and now that he’s in a position to actually play, you can see not only a huge relief, but you see a hunger in the guy every time we give him a rep in practice like, ‘I’ve worked my butt off to get through all of this to get a chance.’ ”
The Giants, who used 20 different five-man combinations from 2018-21, finally were benefiting from continuity, even if the line is ranked just No. 26 in the league by Pro Football Focus. The Seahawks’ defensive pressure rate (27.1 percent) ranks No. 27 in the league, but the fan-generated noise that makes offensive linemen susceptible to false starts and missed audibles is like adding another defender.
“The emphasis is over-communication and understanding our plan for different situations when the clock winds down,” Thomas said. “Everybody needs to be locked in so we don’t have too much confusion out there. Seattle has been playing really well, so it’s going to be constant that we are going to have to deal with the noise, but that’s just part of the game.”