Geoff Schwartz: ‘I Don’t Know If I’ll Be 100% This Season’ [AUDIO]

With the severe injury to left tackle Will Beatty, the Giants need right guard Geoff Schwartz to be back and better than ever after missing the majority of last season. On 104.5 The Team ESPN Radio, the veteran lineman tempered expectations, in a way. 

"I don’t know if this season I will truly get to 100%," said Schwartz, with Armen and Levack. "I think I’m close now. But you start training camp at 100%, ideally, and then you go downhill. You don’t end the season at 100%. It’s not like you get healthier as the season goes on.

"I’ll probably play this season not at 100% and I know that. I’ll do it. It’s my job. I’m ready for it. I’m ready to play. I want to play. I’m not going to be at 100% probably the whole season but I’ll be just fine. I’m not worried about it. I’ve played many seasons not at 100%.

"Any NFL player will tell you that they’re 100% week one. It just doesn’t happen that way. You get dinged up, your body gets sore. It’s a game played by players who can overcome a little bit of soreness and tiredness to be able to play on Sundays."

Schwartz only played two games last year, bookended by a toe injury the first 11 weeks and then an eventual ankle injury that led to surgery in the off-season. The Giants first game of the year is against the Dallas Cowboys on September 13th.

"[That game against the Giants] will be a good barometer for me but in training camp we go through the joint practice against the Bengals and I think that will give me a good indications early on where I’m at and where I want to be. That will be a good marker for me."

The soon-to-be 29-year old likes the progression he has made so far this off-season, most recently at Giants mandatory mini-camp.

"I was telling my wife that I did a lot more reps in this mini-camp than I thought I would. That gives me more confidence going into this next six weeks of training. I did a little bit more, I wasn’t as sore as I thought I would be. I was able to bounce back in a manner that was more of like I should be.

"I was excited to get these couple of practices in. It does give me in that when we start training camp I’ll be at close to 100% as I can."

Giants offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz joins Armen and Levack every Tuesday at 5:15pm ET on 'Your Home for New York Sports', 104.5 The Team.