Welcome to the NFL, kid!
That's the message New York Giants offensive line coach Bobby Johnson had for rookie center John Michael Schmitz, the team's second-round draft pick who is well on his way to locking down the starting center role for the upcoming season.
As part of his welcome message to the rookie, Johnson revealed that during the draft process, he had one very important question for Schmitz, who was widely regarded as the most NFL-ready center in the draft.
"One of the things I asked him in the draft evaluation process was, 'How do you handle losing an individual battle?" Johnson said. "And he kind of smirked, and I knew what it meant. He's not used to it. And I said, 'Get used to it. It's gonna happen to you. How are you to respond is gonna be the biggest thing.' And I think he's handled it well."
Johnson referred to the big interior defensive linemen Schmitz will have to face every week as "werewolves"--guys that can wreck a game for the offense.
"He's gonna see one every week. I love the Big 10, but they don't have one every week," Johnson said. "He's gonna have one every week."
Schmitz, thus far, has had his hands full in one-on-ones against Lawrence, who has won the bulk of the reps they've had against each other. But the good news is that Schmitz hasn't backed down from the challenge of going one-on-one against the Giants' best defensive lineman.
Johnson has been using the matchup as a teaching opportunity to help Schmitz with his technique and to ensure that when he is beaten, it's about forgetting about the play and moving on to the next.
"I think he understood 'cause I detailed it out further," Johnson said of his chats with Schmitz. "Dexter Lawrence is one of the best in the league. You're gonna be practicing against him every day, and he's gonna win a lot. You're just gonna have to compete. And he goes, 'I got it.' And that's what he's done."
Johnson seemed overall pleased with the progress made by Schmitz since he walked in the Quest Diagnostic Training Center doors as a member of the team.
"I've seen him compete and start to have some success, which is a good thing to see a young player have success against anybody," he said. "So I know he's doing a really good job, and I expect him to continue to develop. He's gonna hit some bumps, and how he responds is gonna be a big thing for him. And I think he's made of the right stuff. He'll respond the right way."
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