Category: New York Giants

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New York Giants: Week Two – The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

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Wow….what a comeback. In what was the ultimate game of two halves the Giants recovered from a 20-0 half time deficit to win 31-28 against the Arizona Cardinals.

The Good

Daniel Jones, despite his slow start, was clinical, carving up the Arizona defence on the first play from scrimmage in the second half, hitting rookie Jalin Hyatt for 58 yards before getting the Giants first touchdown of the season two plays later with a 14-yard scamper.

After that, he was almost flawless, as he became the first QB in history to throw for 250+ yards, rush for 50+, throw multiple touchdowns, rush for a touchdown, and have no turnovers in the second half of a game.

As for Jones’s weapons, there was plenty to appreciate in that second half. Saquon rushed for 63 yards and a touchdown while also having 29 yards and a touchdown on six receptions. Jalin Hyatt was the comeback catalyst in only his second game, as he had the aforementioned 58-yard catch to kick off the half, but he also had an impressive high-point catch for 31 yards later in the game. Waller showed off the skills that got Giants fans excited for his arrival with a six reception, 76-yard showing.

The offensive line also deserves a shoutout, with Bredeson, Glowinski, Ezudu, McKethan, Neal, and Schmitz all contributing to the time Jones was afforded giving up a pressure on 29.5% of his dropbacks, a massive reduction from the 66.7% he was pressured on last week. It was not perfect, with three sacks allowed and some almost drive-stalling penalties, but it was miles ahead of Week 1’s showing.

On the defence, Dexter Lawrence seems to be determined to become a one-man wrecking ball with five total pressures (three hurries and two QB hits). Pinnock, despite missing two tackles, was everywhere again, finishing with 10 tackles, three of them for loss. He did also have an interception chalked off due to defensive pass interference. Tre Hawkins was once again impressive with one tackle, one pass breakup, and zero receptions allowed on two targets.

The Bad

Well, from an offensive perspective, the second half was good, but the first was abysmal. It was a disjointed, sluggish, pass-heavy affair that resulted in five first downs, 81 yards of offence, a horrible interception that saw the ball shoot through Barkley’s hands, and no points on the board. That’s compared to the Josh Dobbs-led Cardinals, who had 16 first downs, 241 yards, and 20 points.

Whereas the offence showed up after the half, the defence took another quarter to look like they cared. Before they were able to shed the shackles, they allowed James Conner to run all over them and made journeyman Josh Dobbs look like Prime MVP season Lamar Jackson.

Shout out to @clt_ny on X for this, but Wink used 12 different DL combinations against Arizona. However, during the 10 snaps with Nacho and DJ Davison on the field, we gave up six rushes for 47 yards and two touchdowns, two passes for 13 yards and a touchdown, a 2-point conversion, and a penalty.

Penalties crept in as well, with Bobby Okereke guilty of two while Xavier McKinney had an inexcusable roughing the passer flagged. After opening with a Matt Prater missed field goal, the Cardinals then scored on their next five drives, four before the half and one after. It was performances like this that condemned the Giants to obtain unwanted records being shown on screen, like being the first team to allow 54 unanswered points to start a season since the 1989 Steelers.

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The Ugly

For the second week in a row, the opposing quarterback was afforded plenty of time, with the Giants pass rush failing to record a sack for the second successive game. With a total of 10 hurries and five quarterback hits, the Giants faltered again and again, but unfortunately, one man under pressure to perform who isn’t is last year’s 6th overall pick, Kayvon Thibodeaux.

According to PFF, he graded 52.4 overall. 49.8 run defence. 51.9 pass rush. 64.7 coverage and failed to record a single tackle despite being on the field for 61 of the 64 snaps the defence had.

Giants legend Carl Banks was quick to defend Thibodeaux, though, pointing out that we don’t know what the coaches are asking him to do, and he does have a point. Looking at the stats, Kayvon dropped back into coverage on 25% of his snaps, which surely isn’t playing to his strengths.

What’s Next

The Giants stay on the west coast this week as a Thursday Night Football showdown against the dominant San Francisco 49ers is up next.

Did you know that since 2012, the two teams have played six times with the teams alternating wins, with the last winners being the 49ers, who triumphed in the 2020 COVID season 36-9 at MetLife Stadium?

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New York Giants: Week One – The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

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I’d like to say the less said about that game, the better, but that wouldn’t really work when you’re writing an article about it. I guess we might as well get straight into it.

The Good

The game is over? It’s only week one? We can’t be worse this season?

All valid points, but to be fair to some of the players on the field, there are a few that do deserve slight praise.

Micah McFadden continued to tackle hard throughout the game when it looked like others were too shellshocked to get out of their own heads. According to PFF, the sophomore player finished with seven solo tackles, two assisted tackles, and four stops.

Dexter Lawrence had a quieter game than expected but did still finish the game with four pressures (two hurries and two quarterback hits), three solo tackles, one assisted tackle, and three stops. He was also the Giants highest-graded defender in both pass-rushing and run defence.

Rookie wise Tae Banks didn’t allow a reception the two times he was targeted and looked solid until his exit with cramps. Fellow rookie cornerback Tre Hawkins III also had an okay showing despite the contentious pass interference penalty that was called against him, and finally, defensive tackle Jordon Riley looked good in his limited snaps, showing off his power and speed to record a nice tackle for loss.

The Bad

Let’s start with the trio of plays that mentally stunned the Giants players into the catatonic black hole that they never seemed to be able to shake off. Firstly, it was a false start from the normally reliable Andrew Thomas that disrupted the run-heavy opening possession that saw the Giants make it to the red zone. Then rookie centre John Michael Schmitz’s snap shot out of his hand in the torrential rain, causing it to pass Daniel Jones, who recovered it for a nine-yard loss. The trio was then completed as Joshua Ezudu’s inability to choose one of two rushers on the field goal try saw Graham Gano’s kick blocked and returned for the first of many Dallas scores.

One player who definitely never recovered was Daniel Jones, who struggled for the remainder of the game, throwing two interceptions, one of which was a rebound out of Saquon Barkley’s hands into the arms of Dallas cornerback DaRon Bland, who ran it in for the pick six. There is the argument that Jones wasn’t helped by the offensive line, but even when he was finally afforded decent protection, he did nothing of note.

Defensively, it wasn’t much better either, as the Giants pass rush and run defence spluttered through the game. Wink Martindale is known for his affinity for exotic blitzes and schemes, but the Giants defence was unable to record a sack against the Cowboys for the third game in a row. This is despite the Giants attempts to get more depth at the defensive tackle position and having both Kayvon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari injury-free.

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The Ugly

Giants fans everywhere were fed positive noise prior to the offseason as Evan Neal was shown in private coaching sessions with former Bengal Willie Anderson; however, it doesn’t seem to have fixed anything as he and fellow right-sided offensive lineman Mark Glowinski, who got a 1.0 PFF pass blocking grade, were constantly guilty of poor footwork and blocking technique.

To put it simply, it was an all-you-can eat buffet for the Cowboys defensive front, as they generated four of the five sacks, two of the three quarterback hits, and 11 of the 19 hurries via that right side alone.

What’s Next

Up next for the Giants is a trip to the West Coast to face the Joshua Dobbs-led Arizona Cardinals, who lost a narrow game to the Giants divisional rivals, the Washington Commanders.

Dobbs, who struggled against the Commanders, threw for 132 yards, was sacked three times, and had a couple of fumbles.

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PICK SIX – Week 1

Welcome to our new series where two of the Full 10 Yards crew, Shaun Blundell and Sean Tyler, pick six (see what we’ve done there?!) talking points from the previous week’s slate to highlight and dissect. And with Week 1 of the new season now in the books, let’s jump straight in!

Drop three, pick six

Well, wouldn’t you just know it? Our opening talking point from the first game of the season – the Thursday night curtain-raiser between the upstart Lions and the defending champion Chiefs – was inspired by a pick six from Lions rookie safety Brian Branch. I don’t want to do Detroit a disservice – it was a great play and the Lions deserved the W – but it soon became apparent that the Chiefs were missing TE Travis Kelce (knee injury), not least because of the offensive weapons it left Patrick Mahomes with.

Skyy Moore dropped two targets, rookie wideout Rashee Rice dropped one and even RB Jerick McKinnon joined the party, but the major culprit was Kadarius Toney, with three drops. The butter-fingered receiver’s worst miss was in the third quarter when the ball ricocheted off his hands to Branch, who ran it back for a 50-yard score to tie the game at 14-14. Later in the quarter, Toney dropped a third down pass, forcing Kansas City to settle for a field goal, and his final whoopsy, with 2:25 remaining and the Chiefs trailing by one, saw a slingshot come through his grasp and away. A catch would have set up a game-winning FG try.

After the 21-20 loss, Toney deleted his Twitter/X account to avoid the inevitable flak for his ‘zero net gain’ stat line (one catch for 1 receiving yard, one carry for -1 rushing yards). Despite his 29.7 PFF grade, the lowest given to a receiver since 2018, his QB still had his back. Mahomes said of Toney “I have trust that he is going to be the guy that I go to in those crucial moments.” Let’s see if that’s true next week. [ST]

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Bang, bang, bang for your buck

When we talk about players celebrating a hat-trick, the focus is usually centered on someone on the offensive side of the ball. The Atlanta Falcons, however, relied on a star performance from their marquee summer acquisition to spark them to a 24-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers. Jessie Bates III, take a bow.

Fresh from an eye-popping four-year, $64 million deal in free agency, Bates wasted little time in starting to repay some of the faith his new team has placed upon him. He twice picked off rookie quarterback Bryce Young. 

The first was a classic interception from a safety. Watching the eyes of the quarterback and closing quickly on the ball, Bates beat former Falcon Hayden Hurst to the ball as he was crossing over the middle. It set the Falcons up in the red zone and four plays later, they had the lead. The second was almost a carbon copy. With a crossing route from the right-hand side of the Panthers formation, Bates again jumped the route beating Terrance Marshall to the ball. This time, it led to a field goal.

The trifecta was capped off on the next Panthers possession. Miles Sanders had seemingly ripped off a nice chunk of yardage only for Bates to punch the ball out and be credited with a forced fumble. The Falcons would recover and score a touchdown on the ensuing drive. One game, three turnovers and 17 points from those turnovers. Not a bad debut at all, sir! [SB]

**STOP PRESS** On Monday Night Football last night, the New York Jets went one better. Safety Jordan Whitehead played lights out, picking off the Bills’ Josh Allen THREE times as the Jets squeaked out a 22-16 OT win. What with that, a game-winning 65-yard punt return TD by rookie Xavier Gipson and Aaron Rodgers’ Achilles injury after just four plays, it’s a shame all five Hard Knocks episodes are now in the can.

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Tua and Tyreek rewrite records

Other than my own Bengals, the game that most intrigued me this week was the Dolphins vs the Chargers: two AFC teams with high hopes underpinned by notes of fragility and under-achievement. It turned out to be an absolute barnstormer, with Miami prevailing in a wild, come-from-behind 36-34 win, thanks in no small way to the lethal combo of Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill.

The Chargers played their part for sure but there’s no disgrace in coming up short against a Dolphins team intent on winning a shootout (their 16 explosive plays were the most by any team since 2014). In his first appearance since a Week 17 concussion, Tua silenced his doubters to the tune of 28 completions for 466 yards and 3 TDs. Two of those tuddies went to Hill – including a clutch game-winner with 1:45 left on the clock – as he amassed a staggering 215 yards from just 11 receptions. 

Rewriting the Super Bowl-era record books, Hill now has three games of 200+ yards and 2+ receiving TDs – a new NFL high – while Tua’s 466 yards were the most ever against the Chargers and the third-highest of any QB in Week 1. 

Ever-humble HC Mike McDaniel summed it all up afterwards by saying “That’s kind of what I expected to happen with the work that he (Tua) has done.” I feel “expected” may be a tad rich but Miami’s QB has certainly laid down a gauntlet to the rest of the league. [ST]

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Riddle me this

Welcome back Calvin Ridley! An almost-forgotten move due to its timing was the shrewd business the Jaguars pulled off by acquiring the former Falcons receiver. Fresh off his return from suspension following gambling misdemeanours, Ridley picked up right where he left off. 

He led the Jags in targets (11), receptions (8) and yards (101) along with a trip to pay dirt. It had been a whopping 686 days between regular season games for the receiver but he showed all of his class with some crisp route running and his elusiveness, tacking on plenty of yards after the catch.

The Jags as a whole stuttered to a win over what many presume will be a Colts team in rebuild mode. The offensive line had some issues and the run game was pedestrian at best. Maybe they should just let Trevor Lawrence air it out more? A great stat from Next Gen Stats summed it up perfectly: “Trevor Lawrence’s 18-yard TD pass to Zay Jones was one of three completions of 20+ air yards on the day. On passes over 10 air yards, Lawrence finished 8 of 11 for 147 yards and 2 TDs (+27.8% completion percentage over expected).”

Expect the Jags to get better as the season progresses. [SB]

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Dawgs unleashed

It has been a relatively quiet off season in Cleveland. After years of headline making for different reasons in years gone by, the Browns have fallen under the radar somewhat. In a division that has seen two star quarterbacks re-signed and resetting the market in the process, many tip Cleveland to occupy the AFC North cellar once again. Ja’Marr Chase may have lit the touchpaper ahead of kick-off with some ill-advised comments but Jim Schwartz and his unit served up a huge dose of humble pie to not just Chase, but to the entire Bengals offense.

The Browns brought the heat to Joe Burrow all day. The tone was set on the first play of the game with Za’Darius Smith getting his hands on the quarterback. The Browns would go on to record 10 QB hits and four tackles for loss, and were credited with two sacks. The second of those inevitably came from Myles Garrett who, along with his mates up front, had a field day against a sloppy Cincy offense.

Increased pressure up front was backed up by stellar play in the secondary. Tee Higgins was held to zero catches from eight targets. Their longest completed pass of the day went for just 12 yards to Chase, on the Bengals’ opening drive. That was on a third down play, and the Bengals would only complete one more third down from 14 attempts the rest of the way. Despite his fiery words, Chase couldn’t back it up and was held to a lacklustre 39 yards.

There is plenty for the Browns to sort out on offense but defensively, this was an unbelievably brilliant start to the campaign. [SB]

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Giants belittled by Cowboys D

At first glance, a 40-point win against the Giants in Sunday’s late game suggests that the Cowboys offense was cooking. Sure, Tony Pollard rushed well (82 yards, 2 TDs) but Dak Prescott completed just 13 of 24 passes for 143 yards and no TDs. So be in no doubt, the 40-0 drubbing of their divisional rivals was all about special teams and defense. Admittedly, Big Blue’s offense isn’t all that but take nothing away from Dallas DC Dan Quinn, who engineered the largest shutout win in franchise history.

His charges had Giants QB Daniel Jones under the cosh all night. They sacked him seven times, with Dorance Armstrong and Osa Odighizuwa bagging two each. Micah Parsons also got one to stall New York’s opening drive and that set the tone for the rest of the evening, with seven different Dallas players also posting tackles for loss. Brian Daboll’s team also coughed up three turnovers, including a blocked FG returned 58 yards for six by CB Noah Igbinoghene. Dallas led the league with 33 takeaways last season and carried on in a similar vein, with DaRon Bland’s 22-yard interception return TD giving the Cowboys a 16-0 lead in the first quarter (even though their offense had completed just one drive). Even Stephon Gilmore got an interception in his first outing in Cowboys colours.

As Parsons said after the game, “I think we made the statement that I’ve been trying to make: we’re the best defense in the NFL.” It’s only Week 1 and there’s a long way to go but so far, we’ve seen nothing to suggest that he’s wrong. [ST]

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Five Things: The New York Giants Preseason 2023

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With the draft, preseason and cutdowns taking place since my last article, I think it’s time we take stock of the Giants prior to the beginning of the season later this week. Here are five things that have happened since then:

Saquon’s Contract

With Daniel Jones signing his mega contract back on March 10th, the focus then turned to Saquon Barkley, who had just been tagged. Not a problem; they’ll figure out something long-term and it’ll all be fine, except it wasn’t.

As the offseason progressed, it was clear that the Giants and Barkley were still quite far apart in their negotiations, leading to Barkley’s decision to skip OTAs until a deal was reached. Unfortunately, as the deadline approached, there were murmurs that negotiations hadn’t progressed to an acceptable level, and despite the two parties only being “a couple of million apart” a long-term deal was not reached.

With no longer-term deal now achievable until next offseason, the risk of Barkley sitting out games became a real possibility before Joe Schoen and Barkley’s representatives were able to agree on a new one-year, $11 million deal. With the deal done, Saquon reported to training camp and was a full participant in all camp activities, apart from the preseason games.

Rookie Classes Preseason

Joe Schoen had a stellar second draft as Giants general manager, as all seven of his 2023 picks have made the 53-man roster. Here is how they each fared:

Round 1: Deonte Banks, Cornerback

Banks may have had a rough start in training camp, but he’s become more comfortable with the schemes and system. He’s also been impressive in his two preseason outings, not allowing a single reception on four targets, solidifying himself as a starting corner this season.

Round 2: John Michael Schmitz Jr., Center

After quickly building rapport with Giants quarterback Jones, Schmitz has been one of the better players on the interior of the offensive line. Like Banks, he only played in two games, but unfortunately, there were mixed results. Again, he will be the starter at his position.

Round 3: Jalin Hyatt, Wide Receiver

After flashing some highlight plays in training camp, the preseason games have been a bit different. Game one saw him finish with -4 yards on one reception, whereas in game two, he had four receptions on five targets for 35 yards and a touchdown.

Round 5: Eric Gray, Running Back

Gray has pushed hard to carve out a spot on the Giants roster. He briefly appeared at his natural position, finishing the preseason with seven rushes for 11 yards and a touchdown while adding four receptions for 48 yards. He’s predominantly been on returning duties, which is where his role will likely be this season.

Round 6: Tre Hawkins III, Cornerback

One of the surprise standouts in camp, Hawkins, may have surpassed even his own lofty ambitions. He’s even been given first-team reps, pushing veteran Adoree Jackson out to the slot corner position. Other than one missed tackle, he’s been very impressive throughout the preseason games.

Round 7: Jordon Riley, Defensive Tackle

Another rookie who grasped his opportunity with both hands Riley has taken starter reps during the preseason and has been a monster, disrupting the opponent’s offensive line and earning four stops.

Round 7: Gervarrius Owens, Safety

In a crowded room, Owens was able to outplay veteran Bobby McCain and earn his spot. He’s appeared in all three preseason games, recording nine tackles, three pressures, and only one reception on four targets.

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Another Couple of Trades

Another couple of areas that needed some depth, or, in the context of linebacker, potentially starter help, were also addressed. On the 24th of August, the Giants acquired linebacker Isaiah Simmons from the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for a 7th round draft selection in 2024, and then on the 29th, the Giants sent a 2025 6th round selection to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for defensive end Carlos ‘Boogie’ Basham and a 2025 7th rounder.

Simmons, who was a 2020 first-round pick, started his career in outstanding form, resulting in his selection to the All-Rookie team. Since then, he has struggled to nail down a position, and in 2022 alone, he split snaps between slot corner and inside linebacker but also had snaps at outside linebacker, wide cornerback, and both safety positions. With the Cardinals covering $5.4 million of his $6.5 million cap hit this year, this is another one of those low-risk, high-reward moves that Joe Schoen is becoming known for.

Basham was a sixth-round selection by the Bills in 2021, a move that Basham attributes to current Giants GM Schoen. In his introductory presser, Boogie said, “Schoen was one of the first scouts that contacted me, talked to me in the process, and he was like, ‘I really want you in Buffalo.’ I knew it was going to happen eventually; I just had that bond with him before he left Buffalo”. In 23 career games, he has recorded 37 tackles (20 solo, five for a loss), one fumble recovery, eight QB hits, 4.5 sacks, and one interception.

O-Line Worries

Another year and another offseason where we are talking about the offensive line. This year, the worries stem from the rotating guard position, where it seems that no one wants to take control of the starting spots, and the horrific depth behind tackles Andrew Thomas and Evan Neal.

During the preseason, the Giants give opportunities to Mark Glowinski (2 games), Ben Bredeson (3), Josh Ezudu (3), Shane Lemieux (3), Sean Harlow (3), and Marcus McKethan (1), with all but Bredeson scoring below a 62 PFF grade. While some have performed well in pass blocking, interior run blocking is almost nonexistent, stifling the efforts of the running backs.

Right, onto the backup tackles… With the Giants needing a solid swing tackle option, Wyatt Davis, Matt Peart, Korey Cunningham, and Julién Davenport all saw ample time to show their credentials, but none of them were even acceptable. Seven of the nine sacks and 25 of the 44 pressures the Giants gave up came from these four players, meaning we’ll likely have to pray that neither Thomas nor Neal have issues unless we can pick up a cut player on waivers since Peart and McKethan stuck around.

Cutdowns

With the rules on cutdowns changing this season, many players have had longer to make an impression; however, the Giants still had to trim the roster down to the final 53 players. Here are the unfortunate players that are no longer with the Giants:

Waived

LB Darrian Beavers, DE Ryder Anderson, DE Kobe Smith, S Alex Cook, CB Gemon Green, TE Ryan Jones, OLB Tomon Fox, LB Ray Wilborn, LB Dyonte Johnson, OL Tyre Phillips, QB Tommy DeVito, LS Cam Lyons, WR Kalil Pimpleton, OLB Habakkuk Baldonado, RB Jasaun Corbin, WR Collin Johnson, RB James Robinson, DL Kevin Atkins, DL Donovan Jeter and CB Darren Evans.

Terminated (Vested Veteran)

CB Amani Oruwariye, WR Cole Beasley, WR David Sills, OC Sean Harlow, OLB Oshane Ximines, WR Jamison Crowder, WR Jaydon Mickens, DL Brandin Bryant, OL Julien Davenport, OT Korey Cunningham and OLB Tashawn Bower

Practice Squad

The Giants have however re-signed the following to their practice squad: Ryder Anderson, Alex Cook, Tomon Fox, Oshane Ximines, Cole Beasley, Dyontae Johnson, Amani Oruwariye, Ryan Jones, Darrian Beavers, and Tommy DeVito.

They’ve also added running back Taiwan Jones, cornerback Kaleb Hayes, wide receiver Dennis Houston, tight end Tyree Jackson, guard Jalen Mayfield, and tackle Jaylon Thomas.

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Five Things: The New York Giants Offseason 2023

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The 2023 season is now a month old, and, in that time, there have been plenty of comings, re-signings and goings. Now with the NFL draft quickly approaching us, it’s time to look at the five things that have stood out.

Danny Dollar Dollar

3:56 pm EST on the 4th of March.

With four minutes to go until the franchise tag deadline and after three and a half weeks of painstaking negotiations, the Giants finally ended up agreeing with Daniel Jones’s new agents on a new $160 million, four-year contract based on a picky swear and a hug.

The initial reaction to the contract itself was intriguing, as it was easy to argue that both sides (Athletes First and the Giants) had come away with big wins. Athletes First were able to secure a guaranteed $84 million in the first two years, getting Jones his $40 million plus AAV, but the contract shifts in year three as it dips to an AAV of $37.5 million with none of it guaranteed unless Jones is on the roster on the fifth day of the 2025 league year.

Looking forward, getting the deal over the line prior to the deadline allowed the Giants to not only bring back Saquon Barkley, as he was given the franchise tag at a more palatable number of $10.09 million than Jones’s franchise tag hit of $32 million, but overall, it gave the Giants front office much more flexibility in the free agency market without having to panic negotiate to free up cap space.

Big Splashes

Speaking of free agency, it didn’t take long for Joe Schoen to start looking at upgrading some of the Giants’ Achilles heels from last year, and without the shackles of last year’s Gettleman-caused cap restrictions, he was able to cast his net wider.

His first big splash was to sign ex-Indianapolis Colt linebacker Bobby Okereke to a four-year, $40 million deal, with $22 million of that guaranteed. The 27-year-old Okereke had 16 starts in 2022, recording a career-high 151 total tackles, two forced fumbles, and a 79.3 PFF rating as a run defender.

The second big free agent signing came two days later as another ex-Colt made the switch to East Rutherford in wide receiver Parris Campbell, who has just come off his best season as a pro. Campbell, who had struggled with injuries in his first few years in the league, played 17 games last year, recording 623 yards on 63 receptions. His contract with the Giants is a 1-year, $3-million deal with up to $1.7 million in per-game roster bonuses.

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Shock Trade

Sandwiched between the two deals above was arguably the most shocking and potentially best value move the Giants have made so far this offseason.

With most of the insiders suggesting that a standout wide receiver should be the Giants’ number one priority, they ended up trading for Darren Waller from the Las Vegas Raiders, who arguably on his day can give you that number one target in the same way the Kansas City Chiefs use Travis Kelce. Ironically, the cost to acquire Waller was the third-round pick (number 100 overall) that the Giants received as part of the Kadarius Toney trade to the Chiefs.

The 6-foot, 6-inch, 255-pound veteran has 298 receptions for 3,572 yards and 19 touchdowns in his career so far, and despite only appearing in nine games last season, he still managed nine 20-plus yard catches, which was only bested by Darius Slayton on the Giants roster.

The contract the Giants inherited had no dead money hits after 2023; however, after restructuring his deal to free up cap room, there are now hits if he were to be released after either of the 2023 or 2024 seasons.

Focusing on Depth and Familiarity

After a season spent either signing the best players they could to vet-minimum deals or having to resort to either practise squad poaching or street signings, Schoen and his team were able to focus on finding better depth pieces as well as keeping the better performers from last year.

There was a spate of re-signings prior to the start of free agency, with exclusive rights free agents Lawrence Cager (TE), Wyatt Davis (G), Jack Anderson (G), and surprise 2022 standout Isaiah Hodgins (WR) all signing new deals. They were then rejoined by Casey Kreiter (LS), Jamie Gillan (PT), Sterling Shepard (WR), Matt Brieda (RB), Jihad Ward (DE), and Darius Slayton (WR).

On the new signing front, the Giants have added Jeff Smith (WR), Rakeem Nunes-Roches (DT), Leonard Johnson (CB), Bobby McCain (S), Jamison Crowder (WR), Amani Oruwariye (CB), Tommy Sweeney (TE), and J.C. Hassenauer (C).

Farewells

As is the norm with free agency, there are inevitably going to be players who move on, either by signing with another team or being released/cut.

The one that will likely affect the Giants the most will be losing one of last season’s defensive captains and the man who led all Giants players in tackles, Julian Love. Love, who will be suiting up for the Seattle Seahawks next season was drafted by the Giants back in 2019, became a bit of a Swiss army knife during his time in blue and even took up calling the defensive plays when fellow safety Xavier McKinney was injured last year.

Other than Love, the G-Men have seen former center/guard Nick Gates, who recovered from his horrific leg injury to play last season, sign a contract with divisional rivals the Washington Commanders; Jon Feliciano, who is the Giants only other recognised centre left for the San Francisco 49ers after most expected his re-signing to be a matter of time; and wide receiver/special teamer Richie James Jr. move on to sign with the Kansas City Chiefs.

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Will Burrow’s deal reset the QB market?

Before we get completely deluged by Draft content, quarterback contracts are still a talking point in the NFL. There’s Aaron Rodgers’ pending move from Green Bay to “Gang Green”, with the finer details still being thrashed out. Then there’s Lamar Jackson, who wants out from Baltimore but no one seems to be rushing to acquire his services – not yet at least. And there are the contracts for Year 3 QBs that are up for extensions.

Having played three years in the league, the likes of Joe Burrow, the Chargers’ Justin Herbert, Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts of the Eagles are now eligible to sort out long-term deals. The first to do so might get the best deal, as each new contract tends to gazump the last, pushing the benchmark ever higher. Yet regardless of whether his contract gets signed before or after the others, the widely held consensus is that Burrow might reset the QB market with the biggest deal ever seen in the NFL.

We know from the Bengals bigwigs the process is already in motion ahead of Burrow’s fifth-year option deadline. At the owners’ meeting in Kansas last week, Cincinnati’s Executive Vice President Katie Blackburn stated that nothing was imminent but confirmed that talks had started. The Bengals will want to know his long-term salary cap hit sooner than later, as they also have other mouths to feed, not least wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. As Director of Player Personnel Duke Tobin stated at the NFL Combine, “Sooner is better. Maybe it’s the first piece to come, maybe it’s the last. But we’ll work towards it. We’re not going to rush the process. It’s of vital importance to us. It’s important to Joe, and we’ll work to get it accomplished.”

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There’s no doubt that Joe Burrow has earned the right to a huge deal. His rookie year was curtailed by a nasty ACL injury (the Bengals were 2-7-1 at the time) but a year later, he steered them to their first Super Bowl appearance since 1988. And in 2022, despite an emergency appendectomy during the offseason, he led Cincy’s return to the AFC Championship game and ended a 12-4 campaign with a 35 TD:12 INT ratio and a 68.3% completion rate. Over the past two seasons, only the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes, now-retired Tom Brady and Justin Herbert have logged more passing yards, and he trailed only Mahomes and Buffalo’s Josh Allen for passing touchdowns. Having set his team’s single-season passing yard and touchdown records, he is definitely in line to land a huge contract.

So what else tells us that he’s in line for a mega-payday? Well, despite the (increasingly inaccurate and outdated) reputation for being cheapskates, the Bengals traditionally pay their QBs handsomely. Andy Dalton signed a six-year, $115m extension in 2014. Before him, Carson Palmer penned an extension worth $118m over nine years. Going back yet further to 1990, Boomer Esiason became the second-highest paid player in the league with a six-year, $16m deal (those were the days, eh?). So the precedent is there: owner Mike Brown isn’t afraid to open his wallet when it comes to his quarterbacks.

The ever-rising salary cap is another factor here. It climbed to $224.8m for the forthcoming 2023 season, up nearly $20m on 2022, and that level of increase is widely expected to continue for the rest of the decade. So if the pot of money keeps getting bigger, Cincinnati should be able to dig deeper to keep the likes of Burrow happy.

All this contract shenanigans doesn’t happen in a vacuum so we can’t ignore the current QB market either. In recent weeks, we’ve seen Seattle’s Geno Smith pen a three-year, $105m deal ($35m/year) and Daniel Jones sign a four-year, $160m contract ($40m/year) with the Giants. At the top of the current list, Aaron Rodgers is the only NFL quarterback with an average salary over $50m a year. Sure, Mahomes signed the biggest total contract ($450m over 10 years) but he still trails Rodgers ($50.2m), Russell Wilson in Denver ($49m), Arizona’s Kyler Murray ($46.1m) and Deshaun Watson in Cleveland ($46m) when it comes to annual salary.

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To recap, there’s a strong argument for believing that Joey B is about to recalibrate the QB market. His performances over the last two years warrant it. The Bengals always pay their QBs. The size of other recent deals is on the rise, as is the salary cap. Everything suggests he’s in line to receive for a historic pile of moolah. How historic? Well, Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson states, “I’ve had a chance to talk to people now, and they’re already saying Burrow is going to get $55m. He might even get $6om.” Cap expert Andre Perotta suggested eight years/£408m ($51m/year). And most recently, Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus projected a four-year deal worth $214m, which works out at a benchmark-setting annual salary of $53.5m.

But yet… There’s just something niggling away at the back of my mind that says “nope, he’s not going to top the list”. So why am I thinking that?

Well, for one, I’ve seen that Spotrac projects Burrow to earn around $44m/year, based on his current market value. I actually think that undersells him a bit, but I can still see something under the magic 50-mark being possible.

My sense is that Burrow is a shrewd chap. I’m not expecting the lad who attended high school in Athens, Ohio, to offer Cincinnati a home-town discount and leave millions on the table. But like TB12 before him, he could be open to a more team-friendly deal – one that helps the Bengals retain Chase and Higgins (a free agent after next season), as well as Logan Wilson, DJ Reader and others with contract negotiations on the horizon. By his own admission, Burrow sees his Super Bowl window as his “entire career”, he wants to stay a Bengal and wants HC Zac Taylor to be there for the duration too.

Ja’Marr Chase himself said, “At the end of the day, I don’t think Joe is really too worried about how much money he’s going to make because he’s already making a tremendous amount. But it’ll all work out. I think Joe knows how he wants to set up his contract to keep some of his weapons around him. And I think that’s the biggest part for him.” These sentiments were echoed by Tobin, who told The Athletic that Burrow is aware of how his contract will impact the rest of the team. “I think Joe understands better than most people. That’s what makes him a great player. Joe sees the big picture.”

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Heaven only knows what the numbers will be but the quotes from Chase and Tobin give me faith that on-field success outweighs hard cash. He can still “get his bag”, as they say, but not at the expense of the rest of the roster. First and foremost, #9 wants to win games, division titles, conference crowns and Super Bowls. I’m not suggesting his next deal follows in the footsteps of Tom Brady, whose biggest-ever contract was his two-year, $50m deal with the Buccaneers. After all, Burrow deserves to be paid what he’s worth – but there are ways and means to do so that suit both team and player.

Like an incentive-based deal, for example. With the Bills, Josh Allen chose to sign a below-market deal of $43m/year, but it was incentive-based, reducing the cap hit. Mahomes’ deal is also loaded with annual incentives, including $1.25m a year for reaching the Super Bowl and $1.25m for winning the league MVP title (so far, so good!). Something similar might work for Joey B; after all, he thinks his team will be contenders for years to come if he can keep the band together. Being locked in for a decade like Mahomes might not be ideal but a long(ish) contract also makes sense. It’ll mean other quarterbacks will eventually pass him in annual salary, making it increasingly good value for the team over time, and it’ll give them some wiggle room should more accounting gymnastics be required.

So after all this to-ing and fro-ing, where am I landing? I’m thinking six years (the same as Allen, less than Mahomes), which is long enough to allow time for some mid-contract restructuring. And I’m thinking $288 million (a fair way behind Mahomes in total contract value but above everyone else) could swing it, which equates to $48 million/year (more than Mahomes, Allen, Watson and Murray but below Rodgers and Wilson). Enough to set you, your kids and your grandkids up (very comfortably) for life, but not a figure that sets new precedents.

I’m sure it can be done with a bit of give and take on both sides. Let’s see if it comes to pass.

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The fallout of the NFL’s “abusive” TNF-flex proposal

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Thursday Night Football has often been a controversial topic, and now the league office is attempting to increase the amount of Thursday Night action we will see.

When the annual league meeting concluded on Wednesday, March 29 in Arizona, fans learned of Commissioner Roger Goodell’s proposal to increase the allowance of each team’s Thursday Night Football (TNF) appearances from one game a season to two, as well as proposing the potential to flex games to a TNF slot. 

The announcement was met with a considerable amount of defiance from players and owners alike. From Patrick Mahomes to Giants owner John Mara, the opposition to the proposal has been firm. 

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Last offseason the league announced they had signed an 11-year $11 billion deal to show TNF games on their streaming platform exclusively.

The move wasn’t popular with the “legacy” broadcasters (FOX, CBS, ESPN and NBC) and sources suggested that they were quietly hoping that Amazon Prime would “fall flat on its face”. 

Despite a 28% fall in average viewership from TNF broadcasts in previous seasons (a fall to 9.6 million from the previous seasons’ 13.4 million viewer average), Amazon Prime did draw in a younger audience, according to reports. 

The quality of football on show in the season’s early games left a lot to be desired with games like a week five field goal-fest between the Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts ending 9-12 at Mile High. 

Nonetheless, primetime football under the lights always has appeal to the NFL whatever the results due to the commercial revenue generated in primetime windows.

Through the years we’ve consistently heard claims from Commissioner Goodell and league executives claiming that player safety is paramount, but in the wake of decisions like this, it appears that it is paramount until the allure of more money comes to the fore. 

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In the last week, we’ve seen San Francisco 49ers tight end, George Kittle, saying: “I’m in multiple car accidents every Sunday”, due to the violent nature of the NFL. 

Speaking on Theo Von’s podcast, Kittle said he has to dedicate a significant amount of time to his “brutal” recovery in the week following a Sunday game. 

Kittle added: “If I’m not doing football, I’m doing recovery.”

While making his annual appearance at Wrestlemania this weekend, the four-time Pro Bowler said: “Thursday to Friday is when I start to feel like myself again.”

The 2019 All-Pro tight end suggested: “If you’re going to add another game, just add another bye, then there will be 19 weeks, so more football, more money to be made. 

“I bet if the NFL were to put out a vote now, I don’t think any player would complain about that.” 

While the owners voted to allow two TNF games a season, the vote on a decision to be able to flex games to a TNF window was upheld, and the topic will be revisited in May. 

Brian Rolapp, NFL executive vice president and chief media and business officer said: “We’re interested in making sure that we get exposure for all of our clubs.

“We also believe that these national windows are for clubs that are playing well, we want to put the best teams in the best windows.” 

Giants owner, John Mara, called the idea to be able to flex games to Thursday “abusive”, the plans would see flexed games be announced 15 days before the scheduled Thursday kickoff. 

“At some point, can we please give some consideration to the people who are coming to our games?”, Mara said. 

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Commissioner Goodell refused Mara’s suggestion that the plans were abusive: “There isn’t anybody in any of our organisations that doesn’t put our fans first. 

“Providing the best matchups for our fans is what we do, that’s part of what our schedule has always focused on, flex has been part of that.” 

In the wake of the proposal, reigning NFL and Super Bowl MVP, Patrick Mahomes took to Twitter and posted a simple ‘facepalm’ emoji, quite succinctly summarising his feelings on the topic. 

In response to Mahomes’ post, Goodell said: “I don’t think we are putting Amazon over players’ interest, we look at data with respect to injuries and impact on players […] I think we have data that’s very clear, it doesn’t show a higher injury rate.” 

Despite the strong backlash from fans, journalists, owners and players alike it seems the league is adamant in trying to push through a Thursday night flex.

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5 things we learned on Super Wild Card Weekend

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The NFL’s second Super Wild Card Weekend was even better than the first, here are five things we learned in the first round of the playoffs.

1. The Los Angeles Chargers are poorly coached

Saturday night saw the Chargers blow a 27-point lead in spectacular fashion. Their opponent, the Jacksonville Jaguars pulled the score back to 27-7 to close out the first half, before going on to win 31-30.

Awful clock management from the Chargers’ coaching staff after halftime contributed to the loss, only choosing to run a baffling eight times. That allowed the Jags to come back and steal a game that looked so one-sided.

Brandon Staley has since fired his offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, and QB coach Shane Day.  Perhaps these moves are intended to divert attention away from a head coach who has made a number of questionable decisions over the last two years.

2. Josh Allen’s turnovers are a big problem

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Allen’s Buffalo Bills were fortunate not to lose to the Miami Dolphins and their third-string quarterback, Skylar Thompson, in the early game on Sunday. Allen’s three turnover-worthy plays brought the Fins back into a game that had previously been out of reach. 

Interceptions by Dolphins defensive backs Xavien Howard and Jevon Holland resulted in scoring drives, while defensive tackle Zach Sieler recovered a fumble for a touchdown. 

There’s no denying he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the game, but his risk-or-reward treatment of the football almost proved costly on Sunday. During the regular season, Allen not only had the most big-time throws (44), but he also tied for the most TWPs with Geno Smith (29).

3. Brian Daboll is the Coach of the Year

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The NFL Coach of the Year for the 2022 season has to be Brian Daboll. His Giants team has showed so much fight this season, winning multiple games they shouldn’t have been talented enough to do so.

Daniel Jones has been very impressive this season, looking like a top-15 quarterback whilst having a set of practice squad receivers. Not bad for a man whose fifth-year option was declined in the offseason. By all accounts, he’s earned a new deal. That’s down to Daboll.

Wink Martindale was an excellent hire this off-season. He put out an excellent defensive plan to stop Justin Jefferson and the rest of the Vikings’ high-powered offense.

4. Cincinnati has real offensive line problems

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The Cincinnati Bengals are right back to where they were at the start of this season, just a big hit away from their franchise quarterback, Joe Burrow, getting hurt again.

Injuries have decimated the unit after Jonah Williams (knee) added to the growing injury list of La’el Collins (ACL) and Alex Cappa (ankle) on Sunday night.

Ted Karras is the only offensive lineman with a PFF grade of over 60, and one of only two lineman with enough snaps to be ranked by the stats company this season. Look for the Bills defensive line to have a field day on Sunday, similar to what Pittsburgh did in Week One.

5. Tom Brady is done in Tampa Bay

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After his team’s 31-14 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, Brady thanked reporters for their hard work over the season, almost as if he was signalling it was time for a change. He is a free agent this coming offseason.

With how the last 12 months have played out for TB12 and the Buccaneers, it makes sense to move on. Whether or not the greatest player in history retries is a different question; prior to the loss, the general consensus was that he’d return for one more year. 

Over the past 24 hours that looks slightly less likely, especially with the signs of decline he showed on Monday night, making multiple odd decisions in the first half. Whatever happens, I believe it is safe to say Tom Brady will not be in Tampa Bay next season.

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Five Things: Week 18 – New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles

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In what was tipped to be a rebuilding season, the Giants exceeded all expectations and will next head into the playoffs. Before that, though, we had the small task of taking on the Eagles, who had everything to play for. Here are five things that stood out:

Well Deserved

Was this the most entertaining loss to the Eagles ever? With the Giants firmly secured in the No. 6 spot in the playoffs, it made little sense to risk any of the starters, regardless of the fact that this was a divisional game. Due to the risks afforded to starting backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor, it was decided that Davis Webb would be front and under center.

Webb, who first joined the Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2017, re-joined the team as a third-string quarterback this offseason and was finally rewarded for his hard work and dedication to the league.

Admittedly, the first half didn’t go according to plan, with some ugly sequences, including the fake punt and reverse to Cager. The second half, on the other hand, was much better, with Webb scoring a rushing touchdown by running through the Eagles’ Reed Blankenship while also doing something Daniel Jones hasn’t done this year: passing a touchdown to Kenny Golladay.

The 75 Million Dollar Man

We might as well carry on where we left off with the last point and talk about Kenny Golladay. It’s no secret that his decline from reliable contested ball catcher to benchwarmer has been one of the few sour points this season, and due to a combination of a huge cap hit and lack of production, it’s very likely he will be let go in the offseason.

Golladay’s stats for the season prior to Sunday’s matchup were 198 snaps, 10 targets, four receptions, 51 yards, and no touchdowns, not exactly wide receiver one material. Let’s not beat around the bush Sunday’s game wasn’t exactly a breakout performance with a measly two catches on seven targets for 30 yards and a touchdown, but the touchdown itself was a look at what might have been. It’s likely this will be his one and only Giants touchdown, with the catch happening on the last offensive snap of the game and it being unlikely that his performance has threatened the trio of Slayton, James, and Hodgins.

Evan Neal’s Tough Season

It’s been a baptism of fire for the young rookie, and the season itself has likely been full of just as many high points as low points for him. With most of the starters being rested, that wasn’t the case for Neal, who played the entirety of the first half before being replaced by Matt Peart. Despite his limited action, it was unfortunately another rough outing as both Haason Reddick and Brandon Graham were able to get pressure on Davis Webb.

Neal, who missed four games due to an MCL sprain, finished the regular season with 738 snaps across 13 games. 453 of these snaps were in pass-blocking sets, with Neal giving up 22 hurries, 10 quarterback hits, and 7 sacks; that’s a total pressure rate of 8.6%, the highest among rookie tackles (minimum 400 snaps). Bear in mind, however, that we had similar issues with Andrew Thomas, who had a pressure rate of 9.3 in his rookie year, which was the worst in his draft class. Hopefully, Neal follows a similar trajectory.

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Defensive Backups

Despite the 22-16 loss, there were plenty of plus points for the Giants’ defense, which contained the Eagles starters for most of the game, only giving up one touchdown and constantly forcing Philadelphia to settle for field goals. Here are a few defenders that stood out:

  • Tomon Fox: Despite his stat sheet only showing four tackles (one for a loss) and three hurries, the undrafted free agent was a constant thorn in Jalen Hurts’ side.
  • Micah McFadden: Impressive throughout the game and finished with seven tackles (one for a loss) and one sack.
  • Dane Belton: A solid showing from the rookie safety, as he finished with six tackles, one pass breakup, and an end zone interception.
  • Jarrad Davis: The veteran made his Giants debut and shone with 10 tackles (one for a loss), 1 quarterback hit, and a half-sack.
  • Nick McCloud: The cornerback was one of a few recent starters that played, but instead he shone in the pass rush this week with five tackles (one for a loss), two quarterback hits, and one and a half sacks.

Minnesota It Is

For the second time this season, the Giants will travel to Minneapolis to take on the Minnesota Vikings on Wildcard Weekend. The first game between the teams back in Week 16 was a tight affair that was decided by a franchise-record 61-yard field goal by Greg Joseph, but there is more riding on this game than just revenge.

The Giants have slowly been getting their injured players back, and after resting most of their starters against the Eagles, they should have not only a well-rested team but a strong one as both Xavier McKinney and Adoree Jackson, who missed the previous meeting, should be back. Adoree’s return will be especially critical as he will follow the regular season leader in both receiving yards and receptions, Justin Jefferson, who torched the Giants secondary for 133 yards in Week 16.

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Five Things: Week 17 – Indianapolis Colts at New York Giants

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The New York Football Giants are in the playoffs! The G-Men dominated the Colts from the get-go and punched their ticket to the playoffs with a convincing 38-10 victory. Here are five things that stood out:

The Curse Has Been Broken

Prior to the Giants’ last playoff game in January 2017 against the Green Bay Packers, the now-infamous boat picture featuring the teams’ wide receivers was released. Since then, it’s felt like a curse has followed this team, but after five straight losing seasons, three head coaches, and some of the most downright uninspiring football many Giants fans have seen, the curse is over.

This wasn’t the only hoodoo to be broken on Sunday, however, as the Giants also put the nail in the coffin on two other scoring stats: the first is that the Giants finally scored over 30 points after failing to do so since an October 2020 loss against Dallas (that’s 43 games ago), and the second is that this is the first time we’ve scored more than 30 points at home since a 36-20 win over the Miami Dolphins in 2019.

So, with a raucous crowd behind them, the Brian Daboll-led Giants broke the curse and secured the sixth seed in the playoffs. They now have the option of resting their starters in the game next week against the current number-one seed Philadelphia Eagles, who ironically do not have the luxury as their defeat to the New Orleans Saints has opened the door for both San Francisco and Dallas to beat them to the punch.

Franchise Quarterback

At the beginning of the season, when it was revealed that the Giants wouldn’t be taking up the fifth-year option in Daniel Jones’s contract, many thought the writing was on the wall for the Duke product, and most of the chatter in the offseason focused on how many weeks Jones would get before Tyrod Taylor would lead the team for the rest of the year. How wrong we all were, and for that, Daniel, we are sorry.

Jones was already posting career numbers prior to the game against the Colts, but his performance in this game was a defining moment for him, with chants of “MVP” ringing around the stadium after he ran in for his second rushing touchdown and a fourth total touchdown. Finishing the game with 177 passing yards, two touchdowns (one to Richie James Jr. and one to Isaiah Hodgins), 91 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns, and a passer rating of 125.2 Jones received a standing ovation from all four corners of the stadium when he was removed from the game on the Giants’ final drive.

The Defensive Front

Although the defence only had two sacks against the Colts, it was yet another stellar performance from the Giants’ defensive line as they finished the game with four quarterback hits, three tackles for loss, and one pass defended. This is despite the fact that for a majority of the game they only had two of their fearsome starting front four as Leonard Williams was limited to 29 of the snaps due to a stinger and Azeez Ojulari, who is recovering from last week’s ankle injury, only had six.

Both of the sacks were phenomenal plays, but they will be remembered for very different reasons. Kayvon Thibodeaux was unblocked as he ploughed through Nick Foles, unfortunately injuring the quarterback. A lot of ire has been cast at the young pass rusher as he started to do snow angels next to the injured Foles. It’s my belief that Kayvon had no idea that Foles was badly hurt, and this was backed up by his post-match comments. Dexter Lawrence’s sack, however, will be remembered for how he abused Quenton Nelson, the highest-paid guard in the league, and used him as a weapon to sack Sam Ehlinger in the third quarter.

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Landon Turns Back Time

It’s been a tough few years for Landon Collins. After being drafted by the Giants in 2015, Collins would be named to the all-rookie team, a first-team all-pro in 2016, and a pro bowler for three straight years between 2016 and 2018. The Giants, however, would let him go as an unrestricted free agent after 2018, and after three injury-ridden years in Washington derailed his promising start, he started this season without a team. Collins rejoined the Giants in October, albeit on the practise squad, and was promoted to the active roster on December 22nd.

On Sunday, with the Giants up 14-3 late in the 2nd quarter and the Colts driving near midfield, Collins cut in front of a Nick Foles pass intended for Parris Campbell and returned it to the house for the Giants’ first pick-six of the season. Collins, whose last pick-six was back in 2016 against the then-St. Louis Rams in London, is still only 28 and could be a valuable veteran presence for the Giants for both the rest of the season and beyond.

Coaching Excellence

As mentioned earlier in this article, the Giants have fired three head coaches since their last appearance in the postseason, and during that time, we’ve also gone through four offensive coordinators, three defensive coordinators, and two general managers. The difference now, though, is that we finally have a complete coaching and back-office setup that seems set up for the future, and once we shake off the cap shackles brought on by the Dave Gettleman era, this Giants team could return to the days of competing for the NFC East division every year.

As far as the present goes, we can look forward to a playoff berth that we can be proud of regardless of the outcome, and despite us having a young roster, many of whom have never experienced the playoffs before, we have a coaching staff that has been moulded by them. Brian Daboll was the Patriots’ offensive coordinator for much of their AFC dominance, as well as the Bills’ offensive coordinator in recent years. Wink Martindale coached in four playoff games while in Baltimore, allowing only 20 points per game, and Mike Kafka was the QB coach at Kansas for the past few years, including their Super Bowl victory in 2020.