New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh said the decision to start Bryan Hudson at center against the Arizona Cardinals came down to missed practice, a lack of rest, and a backup who was already prepared to handle the job.
John Michael Schmitz had missed a couple of days of practice. He was in the building at MetLife Stadium on Sunday and took backup reps in warmups, with Jake Haener working behind him, but he did not get the start. Hudson had taken the first-team snaps on Friday and stayed with the starters through pregame. Jameis Winston took his warm-up snaps from Hudson.
"JMS had missed a couple days of practice, and Huddy had been doing so well," Harbaugh told reporters. "We kind of felt like he's got the reps. He's made the calls, and we were
kind of thinking about starting to work him in a little bit here and there, even some extra line stuff, if possible. And it just made sense."
Harbaugh tied the week away from the facility to Schmitz's family. Schmitz arrived wearing a hat that read "Dad."
"JMS, he'd been up; his wife had the baby. He didn't have a lot of rest," Harbaugh said. "It just made sense, and I think it paid off. It's not a long-term thing. I mean, we just have two centers we really like."
That is a narrower explanation than the week suggested on its own. Schmitz, a 2023 second-round pick, has been a frequent point of concern on an interior the Giants have tried to stabilize.
Hudson had already drawn praise in camp for stepping into first-team work when injuries hit the position. Sunday was the first time the staff handed him the job in a game. Harbaugh said the move worked. He also said the Giants are not treating it as a permanent change.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Giants' John Harbaugh on change at center: 'Not a long-term thing'
