I would like to make this thread a suggestion thread more so than strictly an opinion piece. Please feel free to add opinions, ideas, thoughts or disagreements.
So it looks as if Coughlin will return as head coach which I am absolutely fine with. He is still the right man for the job. I fully expect Gilbride to return as well; I feel that Gilbride and Coughlin are tied together and as long as we have one, we will have the other. It would have been nice to shake things up and go with a different approach offensively, but it doesn’t look as if that is the case.
Since Gilbride is probably staying, I feel that he needs to simplify the offense. Enough of the audibles, enough of the delay of game penalties, enough of the option routes and enough of the shotgun draws. His plays have become very predictable and it is inefficient for the offense to constantly throw plays away and be working on 2nd and 3rd and longs. I think it is time for a ball control offense with high-percentage passes. Sure, this offense still needs to take shots downfield, but timing routes with effectiveness is a better way to run the offense. That starts with the QB and keeping him upright. With that in mind…
The fatal flaw of this offense is obviously the line. This will be the toughest fix in my opinion. Pugh looks like a keeper; I really like this kid. His improvement game by game was outstanding and he is versatile and a schematic fit. Great work ethic too. The real question with Pugh is where does he play? Will he and Beatty switch sides? Will he move inside to OG? Pugh is a technician and not a prototypical road-grader, power RT. Reese has said that Beatty and Pugh will be his bookends of the future but a change would not surprise me at all.
The biggest individual issue on the line is Beatty. His contract is an albatross and now what will the team do with him? As I said above, will they put him at RT and move Pugh to LT? Do you cut him and take the cap hit? Ask him to restructure after only one year? Moving to OG is not an option for Beatty. Not sure how realistic these targets are but Brandon Albert, Michael Oher and Rodger Saffold would all be great targets via free agency. If I had to guess, I would think that Beatty and Pugh will be the OT’s.
Beatty might be the biggest individual problem, but the interior offensive line as a whole is in shambles. Snee has been a warrior but he needs to retire. His body has failed him. Boothe and Diehl are both free agents and they should not be brought back. Maybe a guy like Reynolds, Goodin, Herman or Mosley can develop but they can’t be counted on. The team may have some decent developmental projects at OG, but they can’t gamble. John Jerry, Jon Asomoah and Zane Beadles would be some good targets through free agency and I think a free agent guard is much more realistic than a free agent OT.
Center is also an issue and Baas should be cut due to the same issues as Snee. Cordle was serviceable but he is no longer a factor due to the knee injury. I’ve never been a big fan of Boothe and I would not re-sign him. Reynolds is too much of an unknown to count on him. Obviously Alex Mack would be wonderful, but I doubt that happens due to price. Maybe a guy like Brian De La Puente or Evan Dietrich-Smith would be serviceable.
I think that the team needs to go after a big, physical TE who can help with blocking and be a big target in the middle of the field and Brandon Pettigrew fits the bill. Enough of the patchwork at TE and year-to year fixes. Pettigrew can help keep the QB upright and be a threat in the passing game; just what the doctor ordered. Scott Chandler might be another option.
A veteran RB as well as a WR to replace Nicks will be necessary. Jeremy Maclin or Emmanuel Sanders might make sense as compliments to Cruz and Randle. Donald Brown or Ben Tate would be good veteran options at RB.
The lifeblood of an NFL roster is the draft, but I expect activity via free agency. This team should have plenty of cap space to play with which is imperative because there are a lot of holes to fill.
I still wish the system would change. I really hoping we make a change. If not then whenever Coughlin gets the hell out of here I can expect a new system. I am sick and tired of WR and ball going different ways.
Same thing with Nassib... if he becomes a good QB, he's worth having even if (hopefully) he never gets a snap until Eli retires. Besides... its not like Giants took him with a top pick.
Beatty is having a bad season, but overall he's serviceable at worst IMO. Cutting him before 2015 would be a big cap blow for the Giants and they wont do it unless the absolutely have to which isnt the case now.
Our biggest OL issue is not the OTs, its the interior, both OGs and OC. Improve that and Beatty looks better. Add to that a TE that can block, even better.
Did Giants overpay for Beatty, possibly, but too early to tell. Regardless what other options did they have? Could they have afforded to let him walk? Who plays LT?
Will Mara give Coughlin an unconditional vote of confidence, or will he hedge even a little bit, or will he refuse to talk about it at all at present?
I assure you that he is very unhappy about the way this season went and very unhappy with the play of the offense the last two weeks.
I'm not a fan of KG by any means, but I think Giants let TC and his crew play out the final year of TC's contract. Then they decide. There definitely has been coaching issues, but they also have plenty of talent issues as well.
But the longterm problem is that the marriage of Gilbride's run and shoot principles in the passing game with Coughlin's establish-the-run mentality has never really worked consistently. It leads to the offense veering back and forth between ultra conservative and wide open. Run the ball off tackle on firs and second down and then throw a 60 yard bomb. When the Offense does click, it can be explosive but never consistently so. Last week: driving down the field in the first half with the passing game and then 8 yards of total offense on the first four possessions in the second half. It's Jeckyll and Hyde
But going into next season, Giants must address OL. They are stuck with Beatty for at lest one more year but I would love to see them take an OT in the first round. Pugh looks like he can be an all-pro at RT. I'd leave him there as long as possible. I'd also take an G/C in the second or third round. Just gt the OL set so they can evolve and grow together. I'd also sign a Locklear type of backup at OT.
The draft is much later this year ( May ) giving a good 2 months to sign players prior.
I think Beatty will remain the LT with Pugh staying at RT. There is a chance they keep Baas, just based on his salary alone. The main position of target must be right guard. A true road grader is in order. The other guard position will come from the current roster or the draft. Tight End is the next priority. A pure blocker with a red zone presence is vital. This player should come from FA not the draft. Drafting a WR early is probably what the Giants will do. Running back is a serious question as well. I like Hillis. He is tough, can catch and can pass protect. John Conner should be our FB of the future.
One thing is for sure, there will be a major roster overhaul. As many as 6 new starters on offense alone.
If TC is back then KG is back and that's what it looks like will occur.
The Oline has to be completely overhauled with the exception of Pugh who is solid. Beatty really needs to be replaced but because of his contract he will remain on the roster, however it is important that the Giants draft his replacement to compete for his spot. They have to restructure the entire interior of this Oline.
2 way TE is also a must for this offense. Letting MB go was a mistake.
I understand he was limited by his roster this season, but his play calling must improve. Look at the game last week: he varied his calls and did a good job of confusing the defense.
Most importantly, I really think he has to simplify. Too many audibles which lead to delay of game penalties and too many option routes that lead to miscommunication and turnovers.
And while the OL needs a complete overhaul, a tough SOB of a RB, more than a flashy dancer, is what this offense really needs (i.e. Wilson isn't the answer even if he's healthy). And IMO getting that RB is as important as improving the OL.
As of today, they have two tackles, Beatty and Pugh, and nothing in between. That is where the flexibility of Pugh comes in handy; if the team goes out and signs a tackle, they can easily move Pugh to guard and solidify two positions.
Diehl is obviously done and I personally feel that Boothe isn't a starting caliber offensive linemen. Brewer looks like he can not play at this level. Cordle was serviceable but his injury looks to jeopardize next season.
It would be nice if some of the young guys could step up. I had high hopes for Mosley, but I don't think he should just be handed a starting job. Herman and Goodin both have potential, but it would be insane to just hand them a starting job without an insurance policy.
A guy who impressed me, albeit in a very limited opportunity, was Reynolds. It would be great if he could step in and win a job at center, but it would be too risky to throw him into the starting lineup.
Either way, I think we are looking at AT LEAST two starting linemen through free agency, possible three depending on what young players they like and think can contribute.
Gillbride and Coughlin need to be less predictable. We are not talented enough to impose our will even if the other team knows what is coming. They also need to think about whether we have the
Personnel to run the offense they want to. If the answer is no then do you get the right personnel or change the system.
Beatty is having a bad season, but overall he's serviceable at worst IMO. Cutting him before 2015 would be a big cap blow for the Giants and they wont do it unless the absolutely have to which isnt the case now.
Our biggest OL issue is not the OTs, its the interior, both OGs and OC. Improve that and Beatty looks better. Add to that a TE that can block, even better.
Did Giants overpay for Beatty, possibly, but too early to tell. Regardless what other options did they have? Could they have afforded to let him walk? Who plays LT?
Good to see some optimism. Actually Beatty was drafted in 2009 in the second round and spent four whole years being groomed to take over at left tackle. This was his year to shine and I think that you could characterize his play as disappointing at least. I don't know if it's possible to have a bad year before you ever had a good year. If he keeps allowing his QB to get run over, he'll have to be replaced no matter what his cap number is.
We may all think they are stubborn bastards but no human being with any interest in football can look at our O-line and say we can consistently win games with it. I would be shocked if the first conversation of any "insider" group on the Giants wasn't how we improve the O-line.
Talk all you want about Beatty but the guy is staying mainly due to his contract which buys him at least another year at LT. Pugh is fine at RT, but consideration must be given to moving him to Guard if Giants can find a reliable RT (a RT that can cover both RT and LT would be a nice gift this off-season from Pick #1). My guess is they keep Baas around for another season as well at Center. But I would presume we will have 2 new experienced starting Guards via Free Agency. If Reese can find a versatile RT in the Draft then we have the new line with an extra swing-man at tackle. Then when Baas is cut in 2015 we target a new starting Center in that Draft.
As for reserves, I only see Mosely and Boothe as guys coming back to be backup Guards/Center.
Obviously can't tell about Hermann yet, but I would guess Brewer, Snee, Diehl, Cordle, Goodin, Reynolds will all be cut or don't make it thru camp for various reasons.
Probably a two-year fix on O-line but hopefully most of it coming in year one.
As I've said in the past, contrast that with most other consistently productive offenses, and you'll see that teams like the Pats/Broncos/Eagles leaning heavily on short passing until they get to about the 40-45.
The head scratcher is that time and time again when the offense is struggling, they start focusing on the short to intermediate stuff. This yields high percentage completions and lower INTs, yet it doesn't take long before they revert back to the vertical routes from that situation.
That said…it obviously isn't changing, and Football Outsiders has the Giants O Line at 30th in the league, and no better than 20th in any part of it. That's where the team needs to start.
Finally, nothing really mentioned earlier in this thread about Eli. This cannot be ignored either. There is more happening with him than just some pressure due to a poor O line. His decision making has declined, his accuracy has declined, his mechanics have gotten worse, he is not seeing the field, etc... What is the plan to correct this?