The New York Giants offensive line has had so many combinations due to injury that, at this point, one needs a scorecard to keep up with who's in and who's out.
But one thing that can be said, at least regarding the last couple of weeks, which includes the Giants' win over the Washinton Commanders Sunday, is that the offensive line, while not perfect, appears to have settled down somewhat into a more cohesive unit.
That can likely be attributed to the presence of veteran Justin Pugh, who has brought leadership and a sense of calmness to the Giants offensive line room.
Of particular interest is the communication between the different o-line combinations. The Giants, again, while not perfect, haven't been disastrous with Pugh in the lineup. While he refuses to take credit for being the catalyst behind that, he did reveal one thing he has been stressing to his teammates, which he believes has helped with the communication.
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"Just overdoing communication," he said after the game. "Doing it to the point where it's annoying doing it. When we're sitting at dinner, doing it, when we're sitting in the lunch room, it starts off the field, and that's something that I truly believe in."
Pugh explained that the offensive linemen who are scheduled to play together and their backups sit together wherever they go in the facility to where someone might call out a signal, and the others will have to react to it. Someone might call out something about a play in the classroom, and the other guys are also expected to know what's happening.
By overdoing that communication, Pugh believes it's helped ease an otherwise rocky situation and made the offensive line more effective.
"If you love the guy next to you and you know his story, it's gonna make it easier to communicate and work with him," he said. "You are gonna help him do his job a little bit, but then do yours. And if you have five guys operating like that, it makes a great offensive line."
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