He has put his left hand on the ground on every Giants offensive play this season and has used his right hand to snap the ball to the quarterback.
Covering all 12 games, totaling 811 snaps.
So when John Michael Schmitz was asked what his motivation was for the final five games of a lost season, forgive him for not thinking about the question for too long, exactly.
As a starting center, his main concern is making the playoffs, not worrying about the big-picture scenario.
“We know this isn't the record we want, but we're going to go out there and compete and continue to improve on the fundamentals and the details, especially as an O-line unit, and not be complacent and continue to improve. ” Schmitz told the Post. “Just keep working and finish the season on a strong note.”
Schmitz needs to be a central figure in the ongoing rebuild of the offensive line.
The unit performed at an acceptable level through the first six games until left tackle Andrew Thomas went down with a season-ending foot injury.
It's been a mix-and-match at the tackle position ever since.
Schmitz was an iron man, as was left guard John Runyan Jr. and right guard Greg Van Roten, and all three played every snap.
“For the first half of the season, we had five guys. We were just starting to get a feel for each other's play and getting used to each other,” Schmitz said.
Is Schmitz part of the solution moving forward?
He is a second-round draft pick in 2023, and his progress will be watched closely.
In 25 games, he was given just one holding penalty. He's not a dominant player in any aspect of his game, and Pro Football Focus doesn't rate him favorably, ranking him 40th out of 60 centers in 2024.
Schmitz and his teammates factor nothing into PFF's ratings because only the coaches and players know the exact allocation of each play.
Asked if he thought he had improved since his rookie season, Schmitz said, “I do.” “Overall, I think we’ve definitely gotten a lot better just getting up to the line of scrimmage and making calls and setting the table and getting our O-line up front. Making sure everyone is going in the right direction and making sure we get the next move. The right people make the right combination of calls. ”
QB Tim Boyle was fired because Tommy DeVito remained the Giants' second quarterback.
Other roster moves: DT DJ Davidson placed on injured reserve. DL Casey Rogers and DL Elijah Garcia were signed from the practice squad. T Tire Phillips and CB Greg Stroman were promoted from the practice squad.
Injuries could force the Giants to use backup guard Josh Ezeudu and Aaron Stinney as their starting offensive tackles.
Other options include practice squad members Joshua Miles, Tire Phillips and Marcellus Johnson.
Darren Rizzi, the pride of Hillsdale, N.J., and later Bill Parcells' hometown of Oradell, N.J., was hired as the Saints' interim head coach when Dennis Allen was fired after going 2-7.
Rizzi has 2 wins and 1 loss since taking over.
Giants head coach Brian Daboll knows him well, having worked together with the Dolphins. “So we became pretty close,” Daboll said. “Obviously, he's a New Jersey guy, a bargain Catholic. I have a lot of respect for him. He's been a good friend here for probably close to the last 15 years. Great football coach, great special Team coach, and he's done a great job since he's been there.”
