My favorite team in the NFL, the New York Giants, has had a disastrous season. Currently, they are 2-10, and eliminated from the playoffs. Our head coach, Brian Daboll, was fired, and our defensive coordinator, Shane Bowen, was also fired. The Giants have arguably the worst run defense in the NFL, and have blown five double-digit fourth-quarter leads. Arguably, they should be 7-5 right now, fighting for the playoffs. Instead, they are 2-10, looking to get the top draft pick.
The Giant’s failures are due to numerous factors. Dumb coaching decisions, poor play, and injuries. It is clear that the Giants’ coaching staff cannot manage the clock in the fourth quarter. You can look at any of their five blown leads, but this was especially shown against the Broncos. Up 19 with around five minutes left, you would think we have that in the bag. But no. We could not sustain any drive and continued to let Bo Nix prance down the field, however he was so pleased. I just do not understand how the team could perform so strongly in the opening quarters, and then completely collapse in the 4th. Every coach knows: run the ball, chew the clock, win the game. The Giant’s however, cannot do this. Not to mention the defense, despite playing well all game, they seem to completely collapse in the end. Giving up the most 4th quarter points than any other team, it is unbelievable how this team completely forgets how to play football late in games. It drives me crazy!
Injuries have derailed the team throughout the season. Malik Nabers, Cam Skattebo, Jaxson Dart, Micah McFadden, Kayvon Thibodeaux, etc., have all missed significant time. It’s hard to win when all of your best players don’t play. Despite this, however, other people have stepped up, keeping us close in games. It’s in the 4th quarter, though, that we miss these impact guys. The guys who will step up in close-game situations, or games where we need a guy to control the situation. We are lacking this, though, which is clearly shown in our record.
At this point, it is time to look forward to the draft. The unfortunate thing is, though, we really do not have any glaring needs. We have our franchise QB in Jaxson Dart, a solid o-line, a strong wide receiver core, good running backs, a great defensive front-seven, and a young cornerback core. So, I’m really unsure of how we are going to use this pick. Maybe we trade down and try to get more picks in the future. Or, we go with the best available player in a depth move. The Giant’s future is unsure, especially with the draft and our coaching staff.
With the Giants’ firing their head coach and defensive coordinator, this offseason will be crucial in finding the right guy. For the past few years, we have been cycling through mediocre coaches, all failing to turn the Giants into a real contender. Also, will the Giants fire our general manager, Joe Schoen? All of these questions arise this offseason, all needing strong answers, as the Giants cannot go another five years of losing. Overall, I do not know when the Giants are going to be good again, if I am being completely honest. I just hope it happens soon, as I am TIRED of watching this losing team take the field every Sunday.
