Offensive Tackle Andrew Thomas
Q. I guess to start off with the (quarterback) Daniel Jones news, how are you feeling about that? How do you process something like that happening to your quarterback, your teammate, and friend?
A: Yeah, it's devastating. One of my teammates, one of my good friends, it sucks to hear news like that with injuries like that. Some stuff that you can't control, so just do my best to try to uplift him during the situation, help him out and wish him the best with the recovery.
Q. Were you able to talk with him after the game or after the injury or anything?
A: I talked to him at halftime just for a little bit. Just like a few motivating words, but when I get some more time, because I know a lot of people are probably on him right now but when I get some time I'll probably go over there and check on him.
Q. When you were talking with him at halftime, what was he like and what do you tell him in that situation?
A: Well, it was mid-game, at halftime. I was just checking on him because the doctors were over there actually testing him and I was just trying to uplift him in that time – it wasn't much.
Q. How did you feel like you came out of the game? I think you played every snap. How did you feel like you came out health was? How sure were you that you were going to play or was it really a pregame thing?
A: I knew I was going to play, I want to say it was after Friday's practice, so Saturday morning was when I knew. Then, coming out of the game, I feel good today. Moving around pretty good, I did my lift when we got back, so I'm feeling pretty good.
Q. (Safety) Xavier McKinney said after the game that he doesn't feel like the captains are necessarily being heard by the leadership and even I guess by some of the other non-captain teammates. I'm curious as a captain who is in those captain meetings, do you feel like you are being heard or do you have any idea what Xavier's frustrations might be referencing?
A: Yeah, I would say you have to ask Xavier that. I don't know exactly where he's coming from or where he's feeling that, but for me personally, I think we do a good job just being able to communicate with the staff. Anything we need or any of our frustrations or whatever, any questions we have, I feel like they are pretty open.
Q. Do you feel at all like when you look at the season as a whole, you guys are a little bit snake bit as far as injuries go this year? It just seems like the whole offensive line, Daniel, (running back) Saquon (Barkley), I mean it's just been a crazy year.
A: Yeah, we've had a lot of injuries. It sucks but it's just part of the game, there are a lot of teams that deal with those things, so we've just got to find a way to overcome them. I know it's not easy, but we've got to figure out something.
Q. I mean obviously 2-7 without your quarterback, I mean it seems like it would be easy to give up. How do you avoid that feeling?
A: I would say it's easy if you are not a true competitor. I know the guys in the locker room, I know speaking for myself that we love the game of football, so obviously it's not the greatest situation as far as playoffs, and things down the road but we are just focusing on getting better and putting the best tape we can out for the next game.
Q. Along those lines, as one of the leaders, do you have to be extra vigilant maybe in the locker room as far as making sure guys aren't kind of going off track and getting frustrated, letting it leak into other things?
A: Honestly, I would say the adversity almost brings us together. Now we've got DJ's injury, those type of things that bring us together because we want to play for one another, play for the guys that are hurt. Especially the offensive line group. I think we are used to doing that because that's just how our position is. We have to look out for each other. One guy goes down, it's the next man mentality so I think we'll do a good job of doing that.
Q. From the outside, there is kind of some obvious parallels to the end of the 2021 season when DJ was hurt, and your quarterback situation was in a flux. What was it like just going through that stretch at the end of that season?
A: If I recall, I don't remember exactly what our record was, but I know having your starting quarterback out is never ideal. It was a similar situation – like we had some injuries on the offensive line, some moving parts and that was around when I started to turn around as a player. I feel like, especially for our young guys, every snap you get is an opportunity to get better, so we can use this as a time to get better, hone in our crafts and put the best product on the field.
Q. It's almost like that mindset you had is the one guys need to have like these games aren't meaningless obviously because for you it helped you get to where you are now?
A: Right.
