Offensive Tackle Andrew Thomas
Q: (Head Coach) Dabs (Brian Daboll) joked with us earlier that he took a picture of the first team offensive line. Was that discussed as you guys were going through walk-throughs?
ANDREW THOMAS: Yeah, he did that on the walk-through today. It was kind of funny. We joked on (center) John Michael (Schmitz Jr.) a little bit just because he's young and missed some time. It's great to have everybody back. We need these reps. I think we have seven or eight practices before the first game so we need every rep we can get.
Q: Is there enough time to get the continuity you'd like with the first group?
ANDREW THOMAS: I think so. I think we have a good group. A lot of veterans which I think that helps with the group. And then (center) John Michael (Schmitz Jr.) it's his second year, in this system so just making the Mike points, I think he's going to do a good job for us.
Q: Did you notice that you guys hadn't been together at all?
ANDREW THOMAS: I noticed, yeah (laughs).
Q: What stands out when you get these guys as a group, I guess what was different today?
ANDREW THOMAS: Honestly, not much difference. I think that's a credit to all the guys in the room that we have. The nature of the business, guys are going to go down and we need people to come in and be able to run the ship as it was going before. So, like I said, we have some veteran guys, (that have) played a lot of ball in this league, so I think we're going to have a good group up front.
Q: When you mentioned the number of veterans that are up there, how much easier does that make when you guys are trying to gel quick?
ANDREW THOMAS: I think it makes a huge difference. (Guard) GV (Greg Van Roten) and (tackle) Jermaine (Eluemunor), they were with (Offensive Line Coach) Carm (Carmen Bricillo) in a similar system in (Las) Vegas, so I think that helps a lot. And (guard Jon) Runyan (Jr.) has obviously played a lot of ball for Green Bay. I think it's just a matter of being on the same page as far as language. But the schemes… Everybody, they've seen every play there is. So, I think we're going be okay.
Q: Is there anything tangible that you can look at? You've been in the room for a while now. Unfortunately, we've talked about it time and again, not to go back, but you know when you look around and things don't feel right. That guys are scrambling, guys are young, they don't understand what's going on… Is there anything tangible that you can point to that you know, 'All right, we're at ease even if this guy's not here or that guy's not here'?
ANDREW THOMAS: I think they did a good job in the offseason. Adding in guys, some older guys and just with some of the younger guys that we have, they've made a lot of progress this offseason with the new staff, with (Offensive Line Coach) Carm (Carmen Bricillo). I think he's done a good job for us, so I'm excited for this year.
Q: Is this the most confident you are heading into a season for your position group?
ANDREW THOMAS: Yeah, but it's easy to be confident now. We'll see once we get into the season, because that's when you'll really be tested. But I think we have a group of guys that will battle to get to the right person, no M-E, stuff like that, not beating ourselves. Hopefully we can be dominant.
Q: At what point do you start looking at the (Minnesota) Vikings defense or have you already?
ANDREW THOMAS: So, in the offseason, I do a little bit of scouting myself just to see the rushers I'm going against. But as a group, I think we'll probably start up this week just going into depth of their fronts, their schemes, and things of that nature. I don't know how far they got into game planning but, hopefully, we'll get a good look at them soon.
Q: You've played with (quarterback) Daniel (Jones) all summer, but he's only had a half of the preseason. Does he still need work, or is he ready?
ANDREW THOMAS: I think we all need work. I don't think you can ever be satisfied. And obviously he's coming off an injury, missing time. But I think he's going to be prepared. He does the most work out of anybody. I think he's going to be ready to go.
Q: What have you noticed in (center) John Michael (Schmitz Jr.) coming back this year?
ANDREW THOMAS: He's missed a little time being injured but I think his confidence has definitely grown. He's going against (defensive lineman) Dex (Dexter Lawrence) every day, so I don't think it gets much harder than that. I think he's going to be ready.
Q: With the offense overall, how do you get a feel of the speed that's been added and maybe Daniel (Jones)'s comfort as training camp has gone along?
ANDREW THOMAS: Yeah, it looks a little different than last year. We added some guys on the outside, like you said, that are explosive and made some changes up front. We're excited to see what we're going to do this year.
Q: At the risk of asking a dumb question, and it would not be my first… When you're huddled up and the play is being called and everything else, do you react any differently based on the play call?
ANDREW THOMAS: As far as like whether it's run or pass or who the ball's going to…
Q: With the receiver position, I'm sorry, I meant to say that part.
ANDREW THOMAS: For me, honestly, when the pass is called, I'm just worried about where the MIike point is, where we're sorting to and then my individual technique. If we do our jobs up front, then we have plenty of playmakers, and I trust (quarterback) DJ (Daniel Jones) to get the ball to them. I definitely get excited.
Q: You were very open last year, when last year ended, about, you wanted to come back, be healthy, stay healthy. When you come out of the summer, the way you did, again, by my count, I don't know if you missed one rep in camp, does that add to your confidence or are you one of those, 'Now it's all about tomorrow. It's not about what happened the last couple of weeks.' Does that matter for you in the grand scheme of things?
ANDREW THOMAS: It definitely matters. In OTAs, I missed some time and didn't get to do some of the live periods. For an offensive lineman, you take every rep… it's the best thing you can have. You can do all the training you want in the off season, but until the bullets are flying, you don't know if your technique is working. So, to not miss any practices, this training camp, is huge for me.
Q: Just to double check his math, did you miss any reps?
ANDREW THOMAS: I think it was one team period that (Head Coach) Dabs (Brian Daboll) pulled a few of the veteran guys out but none due to injury.
Q: You were captain last year, right?
ANDREW THOMAS: Yeah.
Q: So how much different is it now, this year, where a lot of those guys that were here last year are gone, some bigger voices. Who has stepped up into those leader roles?
ANDREW THOMAS: I think for one, this year there is less captains. So, I think that holds a little bit more weight. Guys respect you a lot more. We brought a lot of other veteran guys along, even if they're not captains, that have done a good job on both sides of the ball, just being leaders and trying to get everybody on the same page.
