Star Giants offensive tackle Andrew Thomas blocks out some time for a Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby:
Q: The team’s new marketing slogan is: BE GIANT.
A: A lot of tough guys, physically dominant guys come through this organization, played for this organization, and the mindset that they had was to dominate, it wasn’t like so much about finesse, and that’s the mentality that we want to have, especially going against Dallas. I think it comes down to the front seven on both sides. They have a good offensive line, a good defensive line, and I feel the same way about us. Whoever wins that battle ultimately wins that game.
Q: What does it mean to you that this organization has entrusted you (five-year, $117.5 million extension) to be the blindside protector for its quarterback for seven years?
A: This is a historic franchise that has some very talented, legendary guys play for this team to wear that Giants uniform, so it means a lot that they have faith in me, but it’s also so much is given much is required, so my mindset is to not be satisfied with a new contract, but it’s almost find a new hunger to be better, to be the best tackle that I could be for my team. It takes it to another level ’cause I’m now not just focusing on myself, I’m focusing on being a leader for the offensive line and for the offense, for the team, and not just worry about myself, more so bringing guys with me as well.
Q: Money won’t spoil you?
A: No.
Q: Kayvon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari as pass rushers?
A: I would just say: dynamic duo. They’re both talented, they rush differently, but they both make plays in their respective ways, and I think this year, especially with the guys that we have on the interior pushing the pocket, they’re gonna have a lot of success this year. Kayvon is going into his second year, you learn a lot after that first year, and obviously, Azeez missed a lot last year, and he had a really good rookie year, so I’m excited to see them both play.
Q: What drives you now?
A: People always ask me about my rookie year and proving people wrong and the doubters and stuff like that, and I always say like the thing that got me through that was just focusing on being the best player I could be, not focusing on what’s going on around me. Obviously, there’s more accolades now, that people believe or whatever you want to call it, but my mentality is the same. I’m still running my own race, still trying to get better each and every day ’cause I feel like the sky’s the limit, but I just have to work to get there.
Q: Does it bother you not making the NFL Top 100 list?
A: Every year, I used to watch it, but it’s just a reminder that I gotta work harder. Obviously, I’m not there yet this year, so just motivation to continue to get better, and prove myself.
Q: Your Instagram posts over the years — let’s start with: “There will be Haters, there will be Doubters, there will be Non-Believers, and then there will be You, proving them wrong.”
A: Early in my career, I dealt with a lot of adversity, just not performing to the way I wanted to, and there was a lot of non-believers. That quote to me just meant to continue to work until you start to see success and then people basically have to eat their words almost.
Q: “I’d rather be lonely on the way to the top and have company on the way down.”
A: It just meant continue to work regardless of what’s going on outside of me. Same kinda thing with the naysayers and stuff like that, I’m just focusing on myself and the people that believe in me regardless up or down. That’s who I keep next to me.
Q: “I’m ’gon break this curse of living in poverty for my whole family. I’m taking advantage. I’m ’gon raise my son to be better than me, he gonna be a success instead of a savage.”
A: That’s a lyric from a rapper. Don’t get me wrong, my parents did a great job doing the best with what they had, but didn’t have a whole lot growing up, so for me, it’s just giving my kids the opportunity to do anything they want based on what I do on the field.
Q: How difficult was it?
A: My parents fought hard and gave my sister and I everything that they could, but we had some tough times, my dad had got sick, so it was just my mom working. Some times were tough. Nothing terrible, but I know that there were things that they may have wanted to get us, and do for us that we just couldn’t have. Obviously, I loved the game of football, but I was also aware of the fact that it could change my life and my family’s life financially, so that was also another driving force.
Q: What happened with your father?
A: He had a stroke my freshman year in college [at Georgia], and he couldn’t work … just struggles being in and out of the hospital and things like that … dealing with diabetes and stuff like that. It was not easy on our family, but mom did what she could, and my sister and I contributed what we could, and we made it work.
Q: “Just know that I was once considered a dreamer, then I paid my dues and turned so many doubters into believers.”
A: I remember when I first started playing football and I wasn’t the best, I remember going into high school, people would say like, “If so-and-so had your size, it would be this and that,” and it was just my mentality even when I was going to Georgia, there were people saying that I wouldn’t play, I wasn’t the highest-ranked lineman or whatever, they were saying I wasn’t ready, so it’s just a mindset that I’m gonna continue to do what I need to do to be successful.
Q: “Cold heart never get cold feet when the pressure come.”
A: Another rap lyric, but it just means that, especially at my position, like we have to perform when the hardest times come, when it’s third-and-long and it’s for the game, you gotta perform and do your job. You can’t let the pressure get to you.
Q: “The same boiling water that softens the potato hardens the egg. It’s about what you’re made of, not the circumstances.”
A: That’s just talking about the things that affect you around you that make you the man you are today. All your tough times that you go through, that molds you into the man you are.
Q: “Come and take a walk in my shoes if you can, prolly won’t stand a chance.”
A: It’s another rap lyric. It just basically means like a lot of people have opinions, but it’s only a few people that can do the things that we do every day, that understand the mental grind, the physical grind, that it takes to play this game.
Q: “Success is not final, failure is not fatal, it’s the courage to continue that counts.”
A: I think that was after a tough loss, and the mindset is like you prepare every week to win, but obviously, you don’t always win, so it’s the will to continue to fight, to continue to push to get better that counts the most.
Q: “There’s no greater feeling than moving a man from point A to Point B against his will.”
A: That’s an offensive lineman’s job, in the run game, somebody that doesn’t want to be moved, they’re trying to get to the ball and you’re using your technique, your willpower, to move him out of the hole. That’s the best feeling you can get.
Q: “You will never reach your goals if you stop and throw a stone at every dog that barks at you.”
A: Yeah, that goes back to when I was talking about you have naysayers, you have people that don’t believe, like you won’t get better at your craft or whatever you’re trying to accomplish if you’re focusing on arguing with people or trying to prove people wrong. All you gotta do is focus on yourself and what you do will speak louder than anything else you could say.
Q: “Seek respect not attention, it lasts longer.”
A: You ask me about social media or tweeting or whatever whatever, I’m just focusing on speaking with my play, and that’s how I go.
Q: “Losses turn to lessons, I can never see myself falling off.”
A: Another rap lyric. You learn from past mistakes, and you get better from ’em.
Q: “Life is a wheel of fortune and it’s my turn to spin it.”
A: Just another rap lyric. It just means that you get an opportunity, you take advantage of it.
Q: “Momma just be patient.”
A: Just talking about the different times that I had growing up and financially and stuff, just basically telling my family just to wait on it like I’m gonna take care of ’em.
Q: “Mamba mentality.”
A: That’s something that I think every athlete strives to have, is that killer mentality. That’s something I’m still working on ’cause obviously Kobe [Bryant] was one of the greatest having that mindset to attack, and that’s what you want to have as a player.
Q: “Don’t chase money, chase your gift. When you perfect your gift, money will chase you. I’m a doggone ATM machine.”
A: That’s a quote from E.T. [Eric Thomas], he does a lot of motivational speaking. That’s just basically chase your dream, work on your craft, and if you get really good at that, it’ll pay.
Q: “Flu game like I’m MJ (2017)”
A: I was sick that game.
Q: How sick were you?
A: I just had strep throat and a running fever, and yeah, that was it.
Q: “The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision (2018).”
A: That’s just like making sure that you know where you’re heading, having your head on straight, having tunnel vision to whatever you’re trying to go to.
Q: “Throw me to the wolves and I’ll come back leading the pack.”
A: I think that was after a loss against Alabama. Obviously, they were a top-ranked team, obviously, we didn’t win, but my mindset was like you’re going against the best of the best, I’m gonna prove myself and show who I am.
Q: Are you the best-dressed guy on this team?
A: I wouldn’t say I’m the best-dressed, I’m still working on that, but I would say for the big guys, I dress pretty nicely.
Q: Has that always been a source of pride for you?
A: Honestly, not really. When I was younger, it was tough to find stuff that fit. I remember my mom used to buy sizes bigger than they were ’cause she knew I would outgrow it. So when I was younger, I was just worried about whatever I could fit into, and then once I got a little more money and access to different sizes or, like, custom pieces, stuff like that, then took a little bit more pride into it.
Q: You describe your style as sleek.
A: My legs are different sizes than what you normally see in a store or normally see for guys that size … or like my shoulder-to-waist ratio is different than what you might see in a suit jacket, so when you have a custom tailor, they can fit it nicely to you where it looks sleek, it looks firm. Even though I’m a bigger guy, you can wear skin- or tight-fitting clothing, but it still feels comfortable for me to walk around with it.
Q: Who else would you say dresses well in the locker room?
A: I would say Tyrod [Taylor] is up there pretty high … Saquon [Barkley], Leo[nard Williams], Xavier [McKinney].
Q: “If you don’t know, now you know.”
A: That was after the playoff game against Minnesota. And honestly, that wasn’t just about me, that was more so about the team … naysayers, people didn’t think we would even have a winning record or we’ll make the playoffs whatever, and we won the first playoff game in a little while [11 years], so that was basically what that meant, basically saying that we’re here, but we still have a lot more to accomplish.