Giants Have A lot of Holes To Fill

A year ago, the New York Giants were off to Minnesota to play the Vikings in the Wild Card round. They went on to win that game - their first postseason victory since 2011. And even though they were blown out by the Philadelphia Eagles in the Divisional round the following week, the feeling around 1 MetLife Stadium Drive was that the future was bright.

Well, we all know what happened. The 2023 season got off on the wrong foot and very quickly got away from the Giants. Injuries, poor execution on the field and questionable coaching decisions, all contributed to a 6-11 record that, once again, left Giants fans justifiably frustrated and wondering whether the current regime was up to the task of turning this thing around.

With this franchise now on its fourth head coach since Tom Coughlin was relieved of his duties following the 2015 season, it was highly unlikely that John Mara was going to fire Brian Daboll, especially given he won Coach of the Year in 2022. But, clearly, some changes had to be made. And made they were.

Gone are special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey, offensive line coach Bobby Johnson, outside linebackers coach Drew Wilkins and defensive assistant Kevin Wilkins. Based on the press conference Daboll and GM Joe Schoen held on Monday, the plan was to keep defensive coordinator Wink Martindale and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka on, but Martindale apparently didn't take too kindly to his assistants being fired, so he resigned in a huff.

My take on Martindale's departure is mixed. While he had his good points, it's worth noting that his former team, the Baltimore Ravens, haven't exactly suffered since he left. This year, the Ravens allowed the fewest points in the NFL; the year before they allowed the fourth fewest. Buddy Ryan, he wasn't. The Giants should have little problem replacing him.

It's on the other side of the ball where things become more dicey. Pick a position: quarterback, offensive line, wide receiver, tight end, running back, all have profound questions that will demand answers in order to avoid another calamitous performance in 2024.

Thanks to their season finale win over the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife, the Giants will pick sixth in next year's draft. Regardless of whether the Chicago Bears decide to trade or keep their number one pick, a top quarterback prospect will fall into Schoen's lap. Washington's Michael Penix, Jr distinguished himself in the national title game against Michigan. While no Caleb Williams, he'd be an interesting choice for a franchise that still hasn't fully lived down taking Daniel Jones with the sixth pick in 2019.

If Schoen believes that Jones has what it takes to lead this team, or, more to the point, if Mara "convinces" him he has what it takes, he may opt to go for a wide receiver or an offensive lineman.  God knows the Giants can use help at both. And if they decide not to franchise tag Saquon Barkley, they will need help at that position, as well.

Bottom line: Plenty of holes to fill, plenty of decisions to make. I don't relish the spot Schoen and Daboll find themselves in. But that's what you get when you underperform expectations the way the Giants did in 2023. Mara knows it takes time to rebuild; his father went through a similar rebuild in the 1980s. But he is also acutely aware that the fan base is restless and running out of patience.

Which makes this the most consequential offseason possibly in franchise history.

What a Difference a Year Makes

The most abused word in the English language is the word if. This is especially true when it comes to sports teams. After watching the New York Giants lose to the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium Sunday, the word if was thrown around so much, had it been a small animal, the ASPCA would've been called in.

If either Tyrod Taylor or Tommy Devito didn't have a collective minus 9 yards passing on the day; if Graham Gano had converted on just one of his two missed field goals; if Brian Daboll had gone for it on 4th and 1 from the Jets 17 with 28 seconds left in regulation up 10-7; if Kayvon Thibodeaux had not stopped the clock with 17 seconds left by jumping offsides; if Wink Martindale had elected to drop eight defenders into coverage instead of trying to rush Zach Wilson, then maybe, just maybe, the Giants might've snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, instead of the other way around. 

But, alas, they couldn't. Against a Jets team that went 2 for 15 on third down, the Jints found a way to one up them, going 2 for 19. And one of those first downs came courtesy of a roughing penalty. Indeed, it was only because of penalties like that, the running of Saquon Barkley and the defensive play of Thibodeaux, who had three sacks on the day - 8.5 on the season - that the Giants managed to get the ball across the 50 yard line at all. Barkley rushed for 128 yards, including a 34-yard run on the opening drive of the second half; and Thibodeaux stripped the ball from Wilson on the Jets opening drive of the game, giving the Giants the ball at the Jets 26 yard line.

And yet all they could muster was a lousy 10 points. That they were seconds away from pulling off an improbable win just goes to show you how snake bit this team truly is. They are nothing if consistent. 

For the third week in a row, Martindale's defense put the Giants in a position to win. They held the Buffalo Bills to 14 points; the Washington Commanders to 7; and the Jets to 13. Last season, they would've gone 3-0; this season, they went 1-2.

After the game, Daboll took responsibility for his decision to go for the field goal rather than the first down. Fans may question the call, but it was the correct one. Considering how bad the Giants were on 3rd down, converting a 4th and 1 would hardly have been a slam dunk. Besides, if your field goal kicker can't make a 35 yard field goal then what's he doing on the team? The fact is had Gano simply done his job, the Jets would've needed to go the length of the field to score the winning touchdown with less than 20 seconds left in regulation.

What a difference a year makes. The 2022 Giants were a resilient football team that found ways to win the close games. The 2023 Giants are the polar opposite; they invent new ways to lose the close games. It's hard to fathom just how fundamentally flawed they are, especially on offense. It doesn't matter who's quarterbacking them, with the exception of that second half against the Cardinals, they have been one of the worst red-zone teams in the NFL. Ironically, the only team worse than Big Blue in the red zone is the Jets, the team that beat them on Sunday.

Oh, death, where is thy sting?

So now that what little hope the Giants had of salvaging this train wreck of a season is gone, the only question that remains is how big of a selloff will they have? The first domino to fall is Leonard Williams. The underperforming defensive end was dealt to the Seattle Seahawks for a 2024 second rounder and a 2025 fifth rounder. Joe Schoen was able to get the return he got because the Giants picked up the bulk of Williams remaining contract. I would not be at all surprised if Adoree Jackson is the next one out the door. It was his pass interference penalty in OT that set up the Jets winning field goal. Both players are in the final year of their respective contracts and neither is expected to return next season. As for Barkley, I seriously doubt he gets traded. John Mara loves him, and let's be honest: without him, this team would probably be 0-8.

If there is a silver lining here, it's that the Giants, as of now, have the 4th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Not quite how the fanbase envisioned things going when the season started. But then I'm sure the passengers on the Titanic didn't envision a collision with an iceberg ruining their voyage across the Atlantic either.

Shit happens, you know.