Friday night’s preseason opener against the Detroit Lions was a first for many New York Giants. You might say it was the start of a new era for the Giants’ offensive line as rookie John Michael Schmitz made his debut at center.
The line, manned by mainly backups, was inconsistent most of the game and some could say it got downright ugly at times.
But that is to be expected head coach Brian Daboll said after the game. Overall, it was a good start in his eyes.
“I thought for the most part they did a good job,” Daboll said of the interior line during his Saturday briefing.
Two other prospective starters — Ben Bredeson and Joshua Ezeudu — played major snaps at guard. The threesome had never played next to one another before. Hey, you gotta start somewhere.
“They protected inside out. I thought (center) John Michael (Schmitz Jr.) did as well. The three of them communicated well with one another. They got some movement at the line of scrimmage inside there. It was a first game, a typical first game, but those guys worked well together,” Daboll said.
John Michael Schmitz in his NFL debut:
🍎 19 Pass Block Snaps
🍎 Zero Pressures Allowed pic.twitter.com/qRjTmbhJxN— PFF College (@PFF_College) August 12, 2023
Schmitz, who started and played 53 percent (31) of the snaps on Friday night, received further praise from Daboll.
“He did a good job of communicating with his linemates and down the line of scrimmage, and with the snap, it was good. It was actually pretty loud at times in there,” Daboll said. “So, for his first outing at center for us, I was pleased with the progress that he’s made throughout camp, and I was pleased with his first game, and we’ve got to build on from that.”
The Giants hope Schmitz does build on this performance. That is his plan, too.
“You know I’m pretty hard on myself,” Schmitz said in an interview after the game. “I would just say I just did a good job communicating out there, I know I can do better. And just being a leader up front and making sure everyone’s on the same page.
“It’s a competition every day. You just can’t be complacent with what you are with where you’re at. You just gotta keep getting better every day and compete with one another, especially on the O-line where you have five playing as one and give us the best chance to win.”
That’s the goal. The group is off to a bit of a rocky start but again, you gotta start somewhere.
