The alert would be sounded.
“Bingo, bingo, bingo!’’
The center had noticed something that he needed to convey, quickly and succinctly, to the players lined up next to him, the right and left guard.
Maybe the center noticed the hand of a defensive player looked light, as if it was not going to get stuck in the ground and instead was going to be on the move.
Maybe the center saw the defensive tackle who normally lined up in his face moved off the ball.
He’s the looper, the center decided.
“Bingo alert, all right, something’s up,’’ the center explained.
This is the way it worked for the Giants in halcyon days, when their offensive line was a rock-solid group of five and Shaun O’Hara was simpatico with the players to his immediate right (Chris Snee) and left (Rich Seubert).
Fast-forward to today, with the Giants going with a rookie at center, John Michael Schmitz, and a pick-a-prize sweepstakes with the starting guard spots.
Three games into the season, the interior of the Giants’ offensive line has struggled, and Schmitz, the second-round pick, has had his share of difficult moments.
This should come as a surprise to no one.
“I don’t know of any rookie that would have played well against Dallas in his first start and on the road in San Francisco, that’s a tough draw as well,” O’Hara told The Post on Wednesday. “I think he’s played two of the best defenses in the league right now. I thought he did a pretty good job with a lot of it. There are some plays he sure would like to have back. I don’t see anything that’s alarming like ‘Oh my gosh, this guy’s not going to cut it.’ There’s nothing pointing to that.”
O’Hara and his linemates were key contributors to the upset victory over the previously unbeaten Patriots in Super Bowl XLII and he now is an analyst for NFL Network and also works on the Giants’ in-house shows and podcasts.
He studied Schmitz in college at Minnesota and has taken a look at every one of his 188 snaps in his first three NFL games.
Thus far it has often been a slog for Schmitz.
He grades out as the No. 36 center in the league, according to Pro Football Focus, slightly higher as a run blocker and lower as a pass blocker.
There has been Mark Glowinski and Marcus McKethan at right guard and Ben Bredeson, Glowinski and Shane Lemieux at left guard.
It is expected to be Bredeson (out of concussion protocol) on the left side and McKethan — making only his third NFL start — at right guard for Monday night’s game against the Seahawks at MetLife Stadium.
In other words, it has been ever-changing around Schmitz at a position where continuity is king.
“You’ve got to be able to adjust,’” the all-business Schmitz said. “You never know what’s going to happen. You’ve got to be ready to just go out there, whoever the five that are out there, and go and compete.”
The luxury of playing alongside seasoned veterans to lean on is not part of Schmitz’ indoctrination.
There were silent counts to navigate in Glendale, Ariz., and Santa Clara, Calif., no practice time in pads before facing the 49ers on a short week and getting-to-know-you on-the-job training.
Predictably, there were breakdowns, both physical and mental, with Schmitz and the guards.
“There’s a lot to absorb,” O’Hara said. “I think the combo blocks, when you’re not used to working with the guy to your right and left and that’s changing week-to-week, you’re really kind of limited. We used to have code words with Richie and Snee, if we saw a twist, if we saw a different alignment and we thought a twist was coming up we would have an alert, a little call to let each other know a twist is coming, kind of get back. There was some awareness there.
“I don’t know that they’re on that level yet. Right now they’re just trying to get the basics down. It makes it tough, all it takes is one guy to kind of not be on the same page and now you’re on different levels and that’s what ends up happening.”
O’Hara certainly likes the looks of the 6-foot-4, 320-pound Schmitz, calling him “freaking thick” and, thinking back to his playing days, adding “I wish I had some of his anchor.”
There is enough to like and reasons for what has not been as impressive from Schmitz.
“I don’t look at him and go, ‘Oh boy, he’s struggling,’ ” O’Hara said, “and I don’t put a lot of stock in PFF’s grades because they’re all subjective. I’ve been pretty impressed with him as a rookie.”
