read and something I needed to hear. I'll admit that at some of my darker moments of being a Giants fan I have found myself questioning ownership and the direction of the team.
As an example, Mara told a story about a game two days before Christmas in 2012. The Giants were being routed by the Ravens in Baltimore, and Mara found himself in a stadium luxury box with a mix of acquaintances. A woman, a friend of a friend, sat next to him late in the game.
“She asked me, ‘So, tell me, do you have any plans for the holidays?’ ” Mara said, recounting the scene. “And I said: ‘Yeah, I think I’m going to kill myself. Look at how badly we’re playing.’ She looked at me, and you could see she was thinking, You’re a lunatic.
“She didn’t talk to me the rest of the game, which was probably a good thing.”
When the 2013 season ended, Mara said the offense was broken. But he insisted that he did not pick McAdoo or stipulate how the offense should be revamped.
“That’s above my pay grade,” Mara said. “I said, ‘Just bring in the right guy.’ If he has a new system that he thinks is going to work, so be it.”
is one of the reasons I love our ownership group. The anti-Jerruh approach, and damn it works well.
it was a very good read but the charecerization that we are just now Â
Becoming a passing team is bizarre. We have been a throwing team for 5 years. I mean the last title we won we were like 32nd in the league in rushing. Yes we are now going to be a west coast offense team for the first time, but this concept that we were a 3 yards and a cloud of fieldturf team hasn't been the case for years.
“There is risk to what we’ve done,” Mara said. “But it is not irresponsible risk. It’s early. You don’t make permanent evaluations in the preseason. I understand the fans’ apprehension.
“Until we start winning regular-season games, I’m not going to feel better either. There is uncertainty. There are a lot of new faces: Are they going to play together? Is the new offense going to work? You always have that anxiety. But we improved the team on paper. Hopefully, it’ll work out.”
By the end of the season we will know if the Giants did enough to raise the Giants offensive line from one of the worst to at least middle of the pack.
If they accomplished that... then the "risks" they took in the off-season will have panned out.
And if not... 4-5 wins, with most of them coming within the worst division in the NFC.
Becoming a passing team is bizarre. We have been a throwing team for 5 years. I mean the last title we won we were like 32nd in the league in rushing. Yes we are now going to be a west coast offense team for the first time, but this concept that we were a 3 yards and a cloud of fieldturf team hasn't been the case for years.
I do agree with this. It is not like the Giants were running the wishbone for the last 20 years. It may have been better to go with something along the lines of an out dated or too high risk passing attack. I guess that doesn't read as well.
wants a winner....he wants a competitive team.....he wants a team that sniffs the playoffs....so yes, changes had to be made....
But you can't just make changes for the sake of changes.....you have to decide, does this team have enough players, with a few tweeks here and there, to make the playoffs, where as we have all seen, anything can happen....
Or has this team grown old, and lacks the talent, where plug and play doesn't work, and a major rebuild is in order....
Factor into this, a 33 year old qb.....if a rebuild is done, will he still be that qb in a few more seasons?
The tease is, many teams have gone from last to first in one season in the NFL, if all the right moves are made.....that's where a strong front office comes into play, draft wise, free agency wise, and even being able to assess the talent on your own team.....
So, has Reese made "all the right moves"? We don't know....team went 5-0 in preseason, which means nothing.....if they went 0-5, it would mean nothing.....what you are looking for, is your star players to make plays.....you are looking for your team to execute, offensively and defensively....
For 5 games we have seen different offensive strategies from the first team offense, in each game....we have no idea what the coaching staff was trying to accomplish.....
So is it any wonder, Giant fans are not too confident, because of the way this offense has played?
Well, we find out on a Monday night game, of all places....
Based on what we've seen in preseason, it doesn't look good....but it was preseason, and this is why they play the games....I said it before, I don't think they win....of course, I hope I am wrong.....as Giant fans, we don't want to go through another season like last year.....
at the very least, apprehensive about whether or not an offense so dependent on the QB's footwork suits Eli well?
My best guess is that the Giants' O will struggle quit a bit this year, largely because of the huge changes asked of Eli for this system to perform well. I think we may have overly high expectations at this point for 2014, unless the D carries the O through the first 3/4 of the season.
In my opinion, moving to a WC offense was not only unwarranted, it will be shown to be a mistake. The Giants failed to score last year because the Giants had no tight end, no running backs, and Nicks was playing not to get hurt. Sure, the offensive line was a disaster, but the loss of Bennett at TE, thinking that David Wilson could play halfback, and not dealing with Nicks' contract is what doomed the Giants offense. Turning to an offensive scheme to which Eli is not suited is not the way to correct these issues, in my opinion. Eli lacks a quick release and doesn't have outstanding velocity, which is what a WC offense requires. Eli can throw deep with accuracy, which is why he flourished in Gilbride's offense, but I don't think he'll succeed playing McAdoo's. I hope I'm wrong, but this is how I see it.
The Gilbride Offense was predicated on the quarterback and wide receivers not only seeing the defense in the same way, but also having the receivers react in a way that is anticipated by the quarterback. This takes time, thus the seven step drops and the constant scanning of the field. There is nothing prettier that Eli releasing the ball before the receiver has even made a cut, then receiver knowing where the ball will be placed and going for it. You disrupt that timing and it, or not see things the same way, and things get ugly fast.
Defenses stacked the box to take away the run game and go after the quarterback. The offensive line failures led to first and second down being some combination of an incomplete pass and a run for one or two yards, so now the offense is in third and long and here comes the defense with their ears pinned back. And the offense had no answer.
Now I think two things were in play that caused such a dramatic and precipitous decline in offensive production: One being the much talked about decline in o-line play, but the second is the lack of chemistry in the passing game. And that I believe is a direct result of not having put in the necessary time to keep practicing the routes and corrections, which coincides with the new CBA and the reduction in practices allowed. Injuries don't help, but not seeing and reacting the same way would not only kill the effectiveness of the passing game but also result in a lot of INTs when Eli is throwing to a spot and the receiver thinks the ball will be somewhere else.
Thus the change. This offensive should give a little relief to an o-line still trying to develop their own chemistry, and quicker timeline for Eli and the receivers to develop theirs. Maybe, just maybe, what we've seen of the new offense is in fact the plays that need a little more work and that the “bread and butter” is locked in already.
If the Giants can dodge the injury bug that bit them hard last year, this chemistry experiment might actually be fun to watch.
Does Eli not have a quick release or throw with good velocity???
So the west coast offense that works with dozens of qbs before 2014 won't work with Eli?? Really?? The same QB who nearly everyone had ranked as a top 3 QB in April of 04 and one that carried his collegiate team all four years, then went on to win 3 NFC east titles, 2 Super Bowl titles, earn 3 pro bowls and make plays big and small, down field or dumping off to the TE and HB---- cannot function in what many consider to be the most QB friendly system ever constructed???
If Eli sucks from now on the system will have nothing to do with it. Eli was the system before 2013. How soon we forget....
that Mara is a true fan as well as owner. He feels the same way after a win/loss as we do.
WCO: I don't think so. The Giants haven't looked at all like a WCO to me. Heavy run game isn't WCO. Lots of short passes? Nope. I don't know why all these reporters say McAdoo is installing a WCO. I never heard McAdoo say he was going to run a WCO.
It portrays the Giants decision makers as thoughtful leaders. It is not easy for an old organization to make such a big change, but I understand and concur with why they did it and hope along with John Mara that it works out well soon.
“She asked me, ‘So, tell me, do you have any plans for the holidays?’ ” Mara said, recounting the scene. “And I said: ‘Yeah, I think I’m going to kill myself. Look at how badly we’re playing.’ She looked at me, and you could see she was thinking, You’re a lunatic.
“She didn’t talk to me the rest of the game, which was probably a good thing.”
Pretty much felt the same way...
“That’s above my pay grade,” Mara said. “I said, ‘Just bring in the right guy.’ If he has a new system that he thinks is going to work, so be it.”
is one of the reasons I love our ownership group. The anti-Jerruh approach, and damn it works well.
“Until we start winning regular-season games, I’m not going to feel better either. There is uncertainty. There are a lot of new faces: Are they going to play together? Is the new offense going to work? You always have that anxiety. But we improved the team on paper. Hopefully, it’ll work out.”
...the risk boils down to this.
By the end of the season we will know if the Giants did enough to raise the Giants offensive line from one of the worst to at least middle of the pack.
If they accomplished that... then the "risks" they took in the off-season will have panned out.
And if not... 4-5 wins, with most of them coming within the worst division in the NFC.
...taking Odell Beckham over Zack Martin was one of those "risks".
We'll see how that plays out.
But you can't just make changes for the sake of changes.....you have to decide, does this team have enough players, with a few tweeks here and there, to make the playoffs, where as we have all seen, anything can happen....
Or has this team grown old, and lacks the talent, where plug and play doesn't work, and a major rebuild is in order....
Factor into this, a 33 year old qb.....if a rebuild is done, will he still be that qb in a few more seasons?
The tease is, many teams have gone from last to first in one season in the NFL, if all the right moves are made.....that's where a strong front office comes into play, draft wise, free agency wise, and even being able to assess the talent on your own team.....
So, has Reese made "all the right moves"? We don't know....team went 5-0 in preseason, which means nothing.....if they went 0-5, it would mean nothing.....what you are looking for, is your star players to make plays.....you are looking for your team to execute, offensively and defensively....
For 5 games we have seen different offensive strategies from the first team offense, in each game....we have no idea what the coaching staff was trying to accomplish.....
So is it any wonder, Giant fans are not too confident, because of the way this offense has played?
Well, we find out on a Monday night game, of all places....
Based on what we've seen in preseason, it doesn't look good....but it was preseason, and this is why they play the games....I said it before, I don't think they win....of course, I hope I am wrong.....as Giant fans, we don't want to go through another season like last year.....
My best guess is that the Giants' O will struggle quit a bit this year, largely because of the huge changes asked of Eli for this system to perform well. I think we may have overly high expectations at this point for 2014, unless the D carries the O through the first 3/4 of the season.
In 2014, Eli is learning the WC offense and TC says it is "risky". And again I say Eli is not a WC QB. It will take time. Time is running out.
This season could be a disaster.
Defenses stacked the box to take away the run game and go after the quarterback. The offensive line failures led to first and second down being some combination of an incomplete pass and a run for one or two yards, so now the offense is in third and long and here comes the defense with their ears pinned back. And the offense had no answer.
Now I think two things were in play that caused such a dramatic and precipitous decline in offensive production: One being the much talked about decline in o-line play, but the second is the lack of chemistry in the passing game. And that I believe is a direct result of not having put in the necessary time to keep practicing the routes and corrections, which coincides with the new CBA and the reduction in practices allowed. Injuries don't help, but not seeing and reacting the same way would not only kill the effectiveness of the passing game but also result in a lot of INTs when Eli is throwing to a spot and the receiver thinks the ball will be somewhere else.
Thus the change. This offensive should give a little relief to an o-line still trying to develop their own chemistry, and quicker timeline for Eli and the receivers to develop theirs. Maybe, just maybe, what we've seen of the new offense is in fact the plays that need a little more work and that the “bread and butter” is locked in already.
If the Giants can dodge the injury bug that bit them hard last year, this chemistry experiment might actually be fun to watch.
So the west coast offense that works with dozens of qbs before 2014 won't work with Eli?? Really?? The same QB who nearly everyone had ranked as a top 3 QB in April of 04 and one that carried his collegiate team all four years, then went on to win 3 NFC east titles, 2 Super Bowl titles, earn 3 pro bowls and make plays big and small, down field or dumping off to the TE and HB---- cannot function in what many consider to be the most QB friendly system ever constructed???
If Eli sucks from now on the system will have nothing to do with it. Eli was the system before 2013. How soon we forget....
WCO: I don't think so. The Giants haven't looked at all like a WCO to me. Heavy run game isn't WCO. Lots of short passes? Nope. I don't know why all these reporters say McAdoo is installing a WCO. I never heard McAdoo say he was going to run a WCO.