I have never predicted this would be a playoff season for the Giants, but I do think they will surprise quite a few people. I'm not completely polyanish on this team, but I am not chicken little either.
Make no mistake, this team is flawed in some key areas. Talent wise they are better than last year, but the 6-10 record last year as the product of a weak second half schedule, the arrival of OBJ, the resurgence of Eli, and Coughlin's ability to keep a non-playoff team playing hard. I don't think the front office will fire this coaching staff if the Giants fail to make the playoffs. I think if the season turns into a dumpster fire (6-10 or worse) then Coughlin and company will be pushed out. I think 8-8 (or better of course) would be looked at as positive growth by the front office because they know the following.
1. John Mara knows this is a talent depleted roster. He knows injuries and bad draft picks have handcuffed this coaching staff over the past 4 years. I don't think he is at the point of firing Reese (cause its not all his fault) but I don't think he is laying all the blame at Coughlin's feet either.
2. If Eli repeats last year's production or improves it, the front office will lean toward keeping the Eli, MacAdoo and Sullivan trio together. I know Eli has had a subpar preseason, but if you look at his historical preseason stats, he always does. In fact, his 52% preseason completion percentage is on the higher end of his usual preseason production. Not to mention he's thrown less than 40 passes thus far. I'm not saying we as fans should like what we see, but there is not enough evidence (yet) to say Eli is going to regress. Also, I like Ryan Nassib just fine, and even though he has put points on the board (not like last year though) remember 50% of the time he is playing against defenders who are unlikely to make a pro roster, no one is game planning to stop him, he has completed 53% of his passes, and he has completed as many passes as Eli has attempted. Not really a fair comparison between the two at this point.
3. The Cowboys and the Eagles are clearly the class of the division, and for the Giants to beat them they will have to outscore them. (Sounds obvious, but you know what I mean) The front office knows this. They know that quite paradoxically, the Giants vs Philly or Dallas is a David vs Goliath matchup and this isn't the Old Testament. Philly appears to have a dominant offense, and will put up points at will. Dallas will impose their will at the line of scrimmage and may have significantly improved their pass rush. If the Giants can achieve a split with the two division rivals (heck, realistically I'd be happy if we were 1-3 against these guys)it will be because of coaching, game plan, and execution. You can quote me. If Coughlin and company sweep Washington, and compete at a high level against Dallas and Philly they will be back. I know many will disagree with this point, but Dallas and Philly are primed to make a run, and the Giants are not. If the Giants a 3-3 or hopefully 4-2 in the division. I just don't see the front office blowing up coaching staff. It will be a sign of progress over last year.
4. The Giants also play the AFC East this year, and in years past we all believed it was a sign of a Super Bowl run. Well this year, I'm not so sure. New England is New England, and I think the Giants will rise tot he challenge, but they will need to play at a high level to have a shot. Buffalo and Miami are not the push overs they used to be, and the Jets will bring a solid defense to the fight. If the Giants go 2-2 against the AFC East, I think that is a positive.
So with those things in mind, I think Coughlin and company believe their priorities are to:
1. Compete within the division with a chance to win it. You have to think Dallas and Philly will bloody each other, and will probably split. Both appear to be good enough to go 5-1 in the division. I'm not saying Washington couldn't get a surprise win or two in the division (hopefully not against the GMEN) but they are still a bad team with an unsettled QB situation and a poor defense. Coughlin has to be thinking (although he will never say it) sweep Washington, split with Philly and Dallas, be 4-2 in the division and you have a good shot at a winning record.
2. Win the games you are supposed to win. This means (in addition to Washington) you beat Atlanta, San Francisco, Tampa Bay, the Jets, and Miami (yeah I'm not sold on Tannehill). If you compete within your division, you are now around 8 or 9 wins.
3. Find a few things you do well on offense and run it til they stop it. I think we all know that means get the ball to OBJ, Shane Vereen, and Cruz (get well Victor). I know the Giants want to find a power running game (don't we all) but if by week 4 it's not there, you have to go with your strengths.
4. Get ahead of teams early, (again passing game) force the other team to come from behind and be one dimensional. Let Spags do what he does best, find ways to apply pressure. This will help a defense that is just not ready to hold up its end of the deal yet.
5. Once you have that lead, hopefully you have enough of a running game to kill clock in the 4th quarter. We shall see.
6. Win the field position battle. This is why special teams have to get better, and it is also way Weatherford is in a battle with the strong legged Malone.
Not saying this is what will happen, but I do think it is how the Coaches are approaching the season. Stay close, make smart decisions, play to your strengths.
In the meantime, from a personnel perspective, I bring Jake Long back in for another visit. Newhouse has held RT down for the last few weeks, but if Long can go, he could make the right side of the OL a strength in the run game. Right now it is a liability. I'm sure Reese will keep an eye on the waiver wire for any DBs that shake lose. I don't think much can be done to improve the DL from where it is right now (good DL just don't get cut unless they are old and expensive). I have not looked yet to see who the top DL prospects in college, but at this point I think we all expect the Giants to address the front 7 in the draft.
At this point, I am not prepared to say anything about our team. Perhaps I will say just one thing...our special teams continue to stink and there is only one constant and that is Tom Quinn. Tom Quinn will cost TC his job, in my view.
I see our offense being the same as last year if not better, especially if we can get some consistency going on the offensive line. At some point Beatty will be back and it will be interesting to see if Beatty goes to right tackle or Flowers does. In the meantime, we need someone to hold down the fort and Newhouse is not that guy.
Defensively, we were 28th last year, I believe. We can't be much worse...I see the defense in tough early but hopefully improving as the season goes along. The O will have to carry the ship early on.
There are so many instances of teams killing it in pre-season and then stinking in the regular season that you would need many, many pages to list them all. About the only thing I am sure of right now is that our special teams continue to suck.
Other than that...I will wait until the regular season before I make any final decisions on this team.
No excuses. He's going to have to prove he's the best Qb in the NFL and carry this team to the playoffs sorry D and all. He's gets credit for the 1st two SB's when we had an outstanding D that got us there. What about with a not so good D. It's all on him this year. Let's see if he gets it done.
Stay healthy? I can see 8-8. Maybe better. I don't know. It's really hard to be optimistic when I see a team that right now looks THINNER at Safety than it did in 2009!
How many more injuries can the OL or the Defensive Backfield handle?
I see a long season of high scoring games, with the Giants on the short end of most of them. :(
The key, to it all for us is to be able to run the ball and stop the run. With that said, we will also have to generate a pass rush, which appears nonexistent. Specials I think are a work in progress due to new faces and rookies trying to learn how to play specials. We might find more starters playing specials initially until the new guys show they can get the job done.
Philly competed last year with a very strong ST, opportunistic defense and offense. Could the Giants go that route? Highly unlikely IMO, as Quinn has never had a high performing squad.
No excuses. He's going to have to prove he's the best Qb in the NFL and carry this team to the playoffs sorry D and all. He's gets credit for the 1st two SB's when we had an outstanding D that got us there. What about with a not so good D. It's all on him this year. Let's see if he gets it done.
in 2011 the Giants had the 32nd ranked rushing attack and the 29th overall defense. He should have been in the MVP conversation that season.Hes carried a team before, all the way. the 2011 team wins maybe 3 games without him.
sounds like you listen to what everyone says and dont actually watch the games. good for you.
2. win the turnover battle
3. stay healthy
4. avoid preventable mental errors (penalties and drops).
the giants success will hinge on those four factors.
1. if they can get the running game going, it will open up the passing game. if they can't and eli is forced into second and third and long situations, it's going to cause problems in the passing game. on the flip side, if they can stop the run, they will force teams into second and third and long situations where spags can bring some creative blitzes.
2. win the turnover battle - it's one of the biggest correlating factors to wins. cause turnovers and you improve your chances of winning. give up a lot of turnovers and you are more likely to lose. don't make dumb throws. protect the football when you are running and/or sacked. try and strip the ball from returners/backs/receivers/QBs of our opponents.
3. stay healthy - there are some key guys who are not practicing/playing right now. we need them back. we also need to prevent recurrences or other players from suffering injuries, especially clusters at positions
4. don't take an unnecessary unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, delay of game, 12 men on the field or a dumb late hit on a QB. Catch the ball when it's thrown to you instead of worrying about your move after the catch or taking a big hit. drops are silent killers.
If you are a critic, you think he's a gunslinger and if you are a fan, you look at him as a clutch performer.
The one thing everyone can agree on is that he isn't a game manager who minimizes risk until the D can get back on the field.
With this D would you ever do that? Jesus.
No excuses. He's going to have to prove he's the best Qb in the NFL and carry this team to the playoffs sorry D and all. He's gets credit for the 1st two SB's when we had an outstanding D that got us there. What about with a not so good D. It's all on him this year. Let's see if he gets it done.