The Giants had a short leash on Mark Glowinski after a career-worst start in his second season in New York.
During the 40-0 blowout loss against the Cowboys in Week 1, Glowinski committed nine allowed pressures.
He was subsequently benched for two weeks but later regained his starting position after injuries decimated the offensive line.
He then made the most of his regained starting spot, tallying 79 pass-blocking snaps, one pressure allowed and zero sacks collectively against the Bills and Commanders.
Glowinski credits his turnaround to preparation.
“Just trying to improve each week based on practice, just the things that I do in practice,” he said about his personal improvement. “Make sure that I put myself in a position to feel comfortable when it comes to game day.
“All I was really working on was the plays and the fundamentals, and things like that. I think that’s what kinda helped me get through. Just focusing on the small details of things and what I can do to help the group. As I did that, my availability was there.”
The nine-year guard held the burden of the nightmare season opener among the offensive line and Glowinski admittedly pulled on past experiences to help him navigate the difficult time.
“I’ve gone through similar things and or have seen other players [who] have dealt with things like that,” he said after Friday’s practice. “I was just continuing to improve on the things that I know I need to work on and stay ready, and prepare the same way that I would regardless if I was playing or not.”
During the start of his career with the Seahawks, Glowinski spent his first and third seasons in the NFL primarily in a backup role — starting one of 10 games in 2015 and two of 10 games in 2017. Glowinski started all 16 regular season games in 2016.
In his career, he holds 94 starts of 117 game appearances.
“Mark [has] been nothing but a pro,” said Giants offensive line coach Bobby Johnson on Friday. “He and I go way back and he’s been nothing but professional. Obviously, [he] had a rough first game and I told him what I expected from him, what he needed to do, and he’s done nothing but pushed himself to the limit to do those things.
“So, I think it’s just a testament to him as a person, as a pro, his character, he’s been nothing but a positive in the room, even when things weren’t going his way.”
Johnson was the assistant offensive lineman coach for the Colts in 2018 — Glowinski’s first season in Indianapolis — and he noted Glowinski’s “high level of urgency” as a leader among the offensive linemen from what he has seen in practice.
“They’re pushing the envelope and [Glowinski is] leading that by going, ‘Hey, if I want to play again, I got to do everything better than everybody else.’ And I think he’s pushing the guys around him to do the same,” Johnson said.
Glowinski is in the second year of his three-year $18.3 million contract with the Giants, and it’s the last season he has guaranteed money, which makes him a possible salary cap casualty at the end of the season.