A Google search for “endangered species” doesn’t bring up any photos of past Giants offensive line coaches, but their mugshots would be case in point: Professional longevity at this position with this team is going to change every year.
Sometimes visible, sometimes not.
The newcomer is Carmen Bricillo, the Giants’ eighth offensive line coach in the past decade.
Consider the obstacles Andrew Thomas had to overcome to become one of the top left tackles in the NFL.
He’s been with the franchise for four seasons, and Bricillo is his fifth position coach. Just when Thomas thought he’d calmed down with one voice in his ear, that voice fades away and another one takes over.
The Giants’ offensive line, which ranks as one of the league’s worst units each year, had its worst performance in 2023, allowing a franchise-record 85 sacks. The only other team to allow more sacks in a season was the 1986 Eagles (104).
No wonder co-owner John Mara, when asked about the perpetually pitiful state of the team’s offensive line, responded, “You know what, it’s ridiculous.”
Joe Judge hired Marc Colombo to fix the offensive line in 2020, but Colombo had an emotional conflict with Judge and was unable to finish the season, with assistant Dave DeGuglielmo taking over.
That task fell to Rob Sale in 2021. Brian Daboll took over in 2023, bringing in Bobby Johnson from Buffalo.
The affable Johnson also struggled with last year’s slump, leading Daboll to fire one of his fellow coaches.
Next up to bat is Bricillo, 47, who has been an NFL assistant coach since 2019 and ran the offensive line for the Patriots (2020-21, where he learned from legendary offensive line guru Dante Scarnecchia) and Raiders (2022-23).
Coach Bricillo knows what he’s getting into, but he doesn’t dwell on last year’s historically awful performance with players he’s only just getting to know.
“We’re not living in a glass house in this position,” Bricillo said. “There are things we want to improve as a team. It’s really a clean slate. We’re looking at moving forward and what we can do to do that.”
Looking at the Giants’ lineup this spring, three starting pitchers are returning and the two rookies are free agent signings John Runyan Jr. and Jermaine El-Montana.
Thomas will anchor at left tackle, Runyan at right guard, El-Emunor at left guard and Evan Neal will return at right tackle. John Michael Schmitz returns for his second season under center.
Runyan, 26, will be the Packers’ starting left guard in 2023 and El Emnor, 29, was the Raiders’ starting right tackle the past two years. Bricillo beamed when talking about El Emnor, as the two spent the past two years together in Las Vegas.
“They help me out,” Schmitz said of Runyan and El Emnoor on either side of the floor, “They help me understand certain situations, what to look out for, what they’re seeing on the footage. They have more experience, so sometimes they see things differently than what I see.”
Third-year player Josh Ezeudu has been practicing at guard and tackle, and so far, there are no issues adjusting to the starting lineup.
“For me, I might be a little concerned if he’s not ready later in training camp,” Bricillo said.
The 2023 Raiders allowed 40 sacks under Bricillo, while only 11 teams allowed fewer, and in 2022 they were ninth in the league with 35. The Giants will do everything in their power to get those numbers.
“I think Karm is a teacher, a good coach and a good teammate,” Daboll said. “He has a good understanding of how we do things. He’s made some adjustments to improve where we are now.”
Also new is James Ferentz, who was hired as assistant offensive line coach. Ferentz recently retired after an eight-year NFL career and was with Bricillo in New England.
The make-or-break player in this group is Neal, the seventh overall pick in the 2022 draft.
The 6-foot-7, 340-pound giant appeared in 13 games as a rookie but endured uneven training and a regressed performance after seven games in 2023 that led to him needing ankle surgery.
Neil is heading for “breakdown” and needs a dramatic reversal of fortune.
The Giants plan to keep Neal at right tackle and have no current plans to move him to the inside guard position. If he is unable to fill that role, El Emnor will likely become the starter at right tackle.
Bricillo called the offensive line “a developmental position by nature” and said of Neal something former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel once said about evaluating players.
“One of the things he always said was, ‘Don’t judge a player when he’s young, don’t judge a player when he’s injured,'” Bricillo said. “That’s my No. 1 priority when I look at a situation.”
Coach Bricillo said there’s “a lot to like” about his team, and how that translates will determine much of this season.
