THE STORYLINE:
While it sounds like a loser’s lament, the 2-5 New York Giants should be 5-2. Five ridiculous turnovers against the Saints and stupid coaching/game management decisions against the Cowboys and Broncos turned victories into defeats. Given the difficult schedule and changing of the guard to a rookie quarterback, in most instances, these painful hiccups would be more tolerable. In fact, national pundits and others have opined that the team is clearly getting better and to do anything drastic with regime change would be a mistake.
That argument would carry more weight with me if these losses were not directly related to borderline moronic roster and gameday decisions. And as many others have correctly pointed out, the decision-makers don’t learn from their mistakes, even when the same errors were made only a few games earlier. Simply put, the general manager and head coach don’t engender a lot of faith.
So what’s the right path? Do the Giants bring everyone back? Make some perfunctory tweaks here and there? Or clean house? How much of this will be complicated by John Mara’s serious health issues?
It’s far less likely that Joe Schoen will be shown the door. The team has invested a ton of time and resources into Schoen’s operation, and some, including Mara, are probably easily convinced that the changes are bearing fruit. However, there have been some major draft and free agent whiffs, not to mention the Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley fiascos. And reporters have recently revealed that Schoen has more input on gameday roster decisions than most general managers. One would assume that also applies to the 53-man roster as well. Does he override his coach on the kickers and draft picks who don’t produce? In particular, the handling of the kickers has haunted the team for a couple of years now. That’s on him.
Brian Daboll is clearly in more trouble, but the franchise may not want to move on from him because of how intimately tied he is to Jaxson Dart. And love or hate Daboll, he appears to be the driving force in convincing the team to select Dart. However, he is 0-for-2 on defensive coordinator hirings (unless they were forced on him). His game management decisions have been highly questionable, to say the least. And more importantly, he’s 20-36-1 as a head coach and has been inept against NFC East opponents.
Where the media and fanbase stand on this will largely be determined by the next ten games. But who matters most here is obviously John Mara. Can he or will he be swayed by more losses like the Cowboys, Saints, and Broncos? Enter a Philadelphia Eagles team that was humiliated by the Giants a couple of weeks ago and looking for revenge against a Giants team missing key defensive starters.
THE INJURY REPORT:
- QB Jaxson Dart (ankle – probable)
- WR Darius Slayton (hamstring – probable)
- TE Daniel Bellinger (neck – probable)
- OC John Michael Schmitz (concussion – probable)
- RT Jermaine Eluemunor (knee – probable)
- DT D.J. Davidson (ankle – questionable)
- DL/OLB Chauncey Golston (neck – out)
- OLB Brian Burns (hip – questionable)
- ILB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (hamstring)
- ILB Swayze Bozeman (ankle – probable)
- CB Paulson Adebo (knee – out)
- S Jevon Holland (knee – doubtful)
- PK Graham Gano (groin – questionable)
GIANTS ON OFFENSE:
Unquestionably the best news for Giants fans in years has been the early emergence of Jaxson Dart. There will still be ups and downs (like his 4th quarter interception against Denver), but he’s been incredibly productive against good opponents despite playing with the worst receiving group in the NFL. Almost as importantly, the energy and confidence he brings to the offense is palpable. If nothing else, Dart makes the rest of the season interesting. Pray he stays healthy.
A close second in the impact department is Cam Skattebo, who still may not be getting enough attention. Yes, his numbers are respectable, but it’s the swagger and physicality he is bringing to the table that were desperately lacking. Again, pray he stays healthy. The 1-2 punch with Tyrone Tracy finally bore fruit last Sunday. I like the idea of Skattebo punishing the defense and then bringing in the quicker Tracy once they are worn down.
Lost in the chaos of the past few weeks has been the improved play of the offensive line and the emergence of the tight ends. I am still astonished the Giants have been able to move the ball and score with the wide receivers they have. Indeed, Wan’Dale Robinson was the only receiver to catch a pass last week, and yet the Giants still scored five touchdowns. I have a hard time seeing that continue.
As for the Eagles, they will be far tougher this time around with their best defensive player, DL Jalen Carter, back in the line-up as well as CB Quinyon Mitchell. The Philadelphia defense was embarrassed by Dart and the Giants two weeks ago. I don’t expect the same results.
GIANTS ON DEFENSE:
Shane Bowen is clearly over his head. Worse, he’s not learning from his mistakes. I’m one of the last people to shout for in-season firings, but Bowen should have been fired last Monday for making the same late-game mistake against Denver that he did against Dallas. He’s either stupid or a coward, or both. The players know it too. They don’t even hide their distaste for the man. I’ve claimed for months that if Daboll is fired, his inability to pick or attract a decent defensive coordinator will be his undoing.
What makes all of this even more painful is the fact that the Giants have good players on defense who are being wasted. Guys like Brian Burns, Abdul Carter, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Dexter Lawrence, among others. They are sweating and bleeding for a nincompoop.
That’s not to say there are personnel issues. Tae Banks is clearly a liability at this point. And while I’ve been high on Andru Phillips, the downs in his up-and-down game are killing the Giants right now. Tyler Nubin has not lived up to expectations. All of this makes the absence of Paulson Adebo and Jevon Holland makes this all more problematic on Sunday.
The Giants did a number on Saquon Barkley in the last game, holding him to under 60 yards. That’s not likely to be repeated.
GIANTS ON SPECIAL TEAMS:
You just have to laugh at how the Giants handle their kickers at this point. Dummies.
QUOTES:
Shane Bowen on the defense: “I have to do a better job making sure these guys understand the situation, what it is, understand the call, and how we’re going to execute it.”
THE FINAL WORD:
If it wasn’t for Dart and Skattebo, I think this would be a blowout. And the Giants would be unwatchable. Even with them, it’s hard to see a Giants victory here given recent gut punches, the issue at receiver, and the injuries.