The New York Football Giants finally decided to clean house last year after years of losing and ineptitude. Wait a second, that’s not what they did at all! Instead, they stuck a John Harbaugh band-aid on an organization that still has lousy ownership and a GM that does not understand the fundamentals of what it takes to win in the NFL. Let’s dive in!
NFC West
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In
- John Harbaugh, Tremaine Edmunds, Isaiah Likely, Jordan Stout, Greg Newsome, Darnell Mooney, Arvell Reese, Francis Mauigoa
The big addition is obviously punter Jordan Stout. Kidding, it’s his new and former coach Harbaugh. This will be the 11th season since Tom Caughlin was fired and the Giants are hoping that after Ben McAdoo, Steve Spagnuolo, Pat Shurmur, Joe Judge, Brian Daboll, and Mike Kafka that THIS TIME, they got it right. Did they? Well, Harbaugh sure as hell isn’t worse! Over his 18 seasons coaching the Ravens, they were regularly in the playoffs (12 out of 18 seasons) and won Super Bowl 47. Getting in hasn’t been the problem, it’s been winning once they get there since that Super Bowl. Despite having regular MVP contender Lamar Jackson under center, they’ve only been to 1 AFC Championship. That’s picking nits though for a Giants team that has been one of the worst teams in football for a long time.
The big additions are the rookies, Reese and Mauigoa. The Giants are finally starting to hit on draft picks after years of disappointment. Adding around the trenches is just good planning. Of course, they always seem to add in the trenches and it doesn’t seem to work out. Reese though should be a stud and he adds to a stacked pass rush that already includes Brian Burns, Abdul Carter, and the for some reason not traded Kayvon Thibodeaux. Mauigoa though was traded for Dexter Lawrence and might not be big enough to play tackle. He needs to either be an elite guard or more than serviceable tackle for this trade to be considered a win.
Out
Lawrence is a big loss and they are replacing him with DJ Reader. While Reader was a solid signing on the cheap, he is also 32 and responsible for holding down the middle of the defense. If he can’t, teams are going to torch the all pass rush all the time Giants.
At least this year, there is no QB controversy to start the season. Why the Giants signed Russell Wilson last year is anyone’s guess, but that won’t hang over the start of this season. Instead, this is Jaxson Dart‘s team from the jump. I don’t know what to make of him at all. On one hand, he’s got balls and loves to show it by throwing his body into trouble an the Giants clearly played better with him last year than anyone else. On the other, he’s going to get himself killed. He does not seem to understand that he isn’t bigger than, faster than, or more athletic than the walls he is throwing himself into anymore. If he can stop doing that and not sacrifice what makes him him, then the Giants may have something for the future.
Prediction
The Giants were much better last year than their record indicates. Not only were they a brutal 1-9 in 1-score games but they also beat the Eagles and Chargers and completely blundered away the Broncos game. At the same time, they did lose 9 in a row at one point and only got to 4 wins because they played the Raiders (who understood the #1 pick assignment) and the Cowboys who had given up. Harbaugh should help all of that. Assuming WR Malik Nabers is eventually at full strength and Dart doesn’t get himself killed, the Giants should be sneakily in the playoff race for longer than you’d think. If he gets blown up though, the Giants are toast.
8-9, just miss the playoffs.
Photo: Elbert Hampton, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
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