Giants LT Andrew Thomas a ‘game-time decision’ vs. Cardinals

Giants left tackle Andrew Thomas is listed as questionable and will be a game-time decision for Sunday’s must-win road game against the Arizona Cardinals.

Thomas participated a little bit in the team period of Friday’s practice for the first time this week, and he plans to test his hamstring pre-game at State Farm Stadium.

“It’ll probably be a game-time decision,” Thomas said at his locker. “Right now I’m just taking a day to see how it feels. But it’s been feeling better. Today I did a little bit of the team periods, and it actually wasn’t bad.”

Edge rusher Azeez Ojulari (hamstring) and wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson (knee), meanwhile, are doubtful to play. Ojulari got hurt in Wednesday’s practice doing a one-on-one drill against the O-linemen. Robinson looks close to a return and might make his season debut next Thursday night in San Francisco.

Those are the only three Giants players with injury designations for Week 2.

Tight end Darren Waller curiously was limited for a second straight day, so he did not put in a full practice all week despite Wednesday’s off day. But he is good to go for the game.

The rest of the Giants’ injured players were upgraded to full participation and are also available: corners Deonte Banks (calf) and CB Cor’Dale Flott (hamstring), kicker Graham Gano (right ankle), wideout Sterling Shepard (rest), linebacker Cam Brown (ankle), safety Gervarrius Owens (hamstring) and tackle Matt Peart (elbow).

Practice squad corner Amani Oruwariye also returned to practice for the first time since Wednesday’s stinger in his neck got him rushed to the hospital.

Thomas’ status deserves to be tracked closely. The offensive line was terrible with him on the field in Week 1 against the Dallas Cowboys, and it would be even worse this Sunday without him.

Josh Ezeudu is likely poised to step in either for Thomas at left tackle or for Mark Glowinski at right guard, depending on whether Thomas plays. Guard Marcus McKethan is also on deck for a potential opportunity if Thomas is out.

There is nowhere to go but up from what the Giants’ offensive line put on film against Dallas, allowing seven sacks of Daniel Jones and 12 more quarterback hits.

“We saw mistakes, I’ll leave it at that. We saw mistakes,” offensive line coach Bobby Johnson said of what the game film showed. “I try to look at it personally as a coach as what can I do different[ly] to help the guys prepare.”

Thomas said when he tests his hamstring pre-game, what he needs to feel comfortable with is “just the ability to be able to run off the ball. So if it feels good running and moving around, then I would play.”

The Cardinals’ pass rush plays with a ton of energy, Johnson said. So they’ll need to be ready to handle a relentless group, even if Arizona doesn’t boast big names up front.

“The mentality we have is to continue to attack the process and not be focused on the results,” Thomas said. “Obviously that’s not what you want as an offensive line group. We didn’t play the way we wanted to. But the only way to get better is to focus on the technique and not try to change everything.”

MCGAUGHEY, KAFKA MUM ON WEEK 1

Special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey frustratingly would not explain or talk about the blocked field goal that changed the entire game in the first quarter of last week’s 40-0 loss to the Cowboys.

“They made a play, and we are on to Arizona,” McGaughey said Thursday. “I kind of turned the page on that on Monday afternoon and yeah. I mean [there are] a lot of different things we’d like to have back, [and] it’s definitely one of them.”

Asked to describe Ezeudu’s apparent blocking mistake, McGaughey said: “I’ve turned the page on that. I’m done with it and it’s over and we learn from it. We’ll get better.”

Asked if he generally wants players blocking closer to the ball, he repeated: “Like I said, I’m done talking about it and we are moving on to Arizona.”

Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka tried to spin everything forward, as well, after the Giants failed to score a point in the opener.

“Those are things that are, for us, in the past a little bit,” he said. “So we’re working to improve those things each and every week. This week’s the start of it, kind of built on a couple of good days, so looking forward to today, as well.”

Earth-shattering stuff, fellas.

CARDINALS INJURY REPORT

Defensive lineman L.J. Collier (biceps) and linebacker Josh Woods (ankle) are out for Sunday. Safety Budda Baker (hamstring), offensive lineman Kelvin Beachum (hand) and defensive lineman Leki Fotu (shoulder) are questionable. Baker, the Cardinals’ best player, was added to the report on Friday. Running back James Conner (calf) was a full participant and doesn’t carry an injury designation.