Giants are in an odd situation. We will have a very high draft pick with the opportunity to draft a franchise quarterback. We also have a current franchise quarterback, and we have a lot of talented players on our team that are in their primes(Harrison, Collins, Tomlinson, OV, Jenkins, Beckham, Sheppard, Engram). Our roster is not that of a 1-2 win team when healthy. We won 11 games last year and In September we were on the brink of beating the Eagles, the best team in the NFL this year. So let's say we go all in on a new franchise quarteback, do we keep Eli and make another run for it with this group? Do we trade Eli and add some high price free agents to make a run for it? Or are we hesitant to invest money because we really don't know what we are?
Looking at our roster now compared to what it was in '14 and '15, it really is amazing that Coughlin was able to get us to 6 wins those years with the likes of Rueben Randle, Larry Donnell and Will Beatty playing prominent roles on offense and a defense that often started Mark Herzlich and Spencer Paysinger, Cullen Jenkins and Craig Dahl on Defense.
My personal ideal scenario would be to fire McAdoo and Reese, hire McDaniels, trade Eli, trade down in the draft and pick up some extra picks, and draft Mayfield in the 10-15 range; with several additional picks fortifying our roster.
...without an effective offensive line.
That means a minimum of three brand new starters.
The difference between a winning team and losing team is smaller than most think.
It all has to fall the right way...and that is not likely to happen in one year. Can it...yes.
Trading down if you have a top 3 pick, not keen on that. In top 3 you can get a franchise player that makes a different or the next 10 years or more.
Mayfield? Reluctant to go with quarterback who never plays under center.
Pugh to left guard. Sign him to a 5 year 50 million dollar contract
Let Richburg walk. He’s awful. Go out and either draft a top center in college or sign a big time young veteran center
Fluker to right guard. Give him 3 years 12 million
Flowers to right tackle his natural position
First round pick. Barkley or Guice RB
Next year, even with some improvements, we will be somewhere in the middle. 8-8 or 9-7 and missing the playoffs.
LT
LG
OC
RG
RT
RB
WR
LB (all 3)
FS
CB (2?)
Both Philly and Dallas are clearly better and should be next year. I think the best we can hope for is a 3rd place finish in '18.
A lot will have to do with the return of Beckham. If he can perform at his normal level by week 5 or so, it will help. The Giants also need to add a significant RB, probably in the draft, that can get some big plays on the ground.
And the defense has to rebound which I expect they will do.
No matter what happens in the first round, I expect Eli Manning to be the starter week 1 and the team to be a tough out.
LT
LG
OC
RG
RT
RB
WR
LB (all 3)
FS
CB (2?)
Both Philly and Dallas are clearly better and should be next year. I think the best we can hope for is a 3rd place finish in '18.
LT - Wrong, Flowers has now proven himself, he should be the LT going forward.
LG - Fair, but you can always find a serviceable OG.
OC - We'll see. They could bring back Jones relatively cheap, and he's done a good job, possibly Richburg if healthy.
RG - John Jerry is still under contract. That's not a terrible thing, either. He's better than his critics say but of course not an All-Pro.
RT - Could be Wheeler, at worst we still have Bobby Hart on the cheap.
RB - Definitely need an impact player here.
WR - Not a need at all. Roger Lewis and Tavarres King are both fine. Giants could even move Engram out to WR if they wanted, with Adams and Ellison in the fold. But the big 3 weapons of OBJ, Engram, and Shep means they don't really NEED to emphasize another WR to play opposite. We have enough. In fact, the guys in house right now are playing pretty well, in the aforementioned Lewis and King, not to mention Rudolph.
LB (all 3) - Goodson is this team's middle linebacker for the future. They do need to re-sign or replace Casillas, same with Kennard.
FS - For better or worse, Darian Thompson. Andrew Adams also under contract for next season. Not a need at all.
CB (2?) - Jenkins will be on this team next year, so will Apple. DRC MAY be gone, sure. But they will be in need of 1 corner more than likely, not two.
The sky is not falling with the roster. RB, a corner, couple of linebackers, maybe an OG or two. Depth signings.
Nothing that is going to be that difficult to address in free agency and with the draft.
LT
LG
OC
RG
RT
RB
WR
LB (all 3)
FS
CB (2?)
Both Philly and Dallas are clearly better and should be next year. I think the best we can hope for is a 3rd place finish in '18.
That list of 12/13 could be knocked down to 7/8 by pulling back 1 OL, 1CB, 1WR, 1RB,1 LB or some other combination of your choice.
That said, that's still 7/8 of the right FAs, picks, coaching, bounces, HEALTH to come together to be contenders.
The above is possible, given the '18 schedule, to be competitive, and maybe a fake 11-5 again.
That's a lot for 1 offseason, and, as much as I'm an Eli fanboy, generally, an older Eli adjusting to a new OL and getting his confidence in them restored. That's a real lot.
If they go QB at #1 the whole dynamic is even tougher.
So...+1.
The front office and coaching staffs need to be gutted. Cleaned out. Complete overhaul.
We have had no season. Our season, the business season, starts after the final whistle in week 17.
First win is firing the front office and coaching staff. Second win is finding their replacements. Third win is cleaning out the locker room of players that don't want to be here. Fourth win is finding some players in free agency that fill holes and don't break the bank. Fifth win is the draft.
Impossible to predict what this team will be next year. However, there is way too much to overcome for the Giants to be a contender. The victory in 2018 is finding out if you have a core or if this team will have to further gut itself.
If they trade down and pick well, they could be set up for long term success. 5 picks in the first two rounds could fix the OL and front 7 on defense. Add a few FAs like Bostic/Zach Brown and Swanson and this team is right back in the mix.
Standing pat and not taking a QB could work as well. Chubb our of NC State is the cleanest prospect in the draft and would have a huge impact on improving the defense. Would allow the Giants to start phasing out JPP. Would require hitting on mid to late rounders for OL and LB help.
After the end of ‘16 no one had the Eagles as a potential SB threat for ‘17. Most didn’t even have them as a threat for the division (I did) leading into ‘17. The Giants have talent in certain areas and can rebound nicely with a smart off-season. All of the sheep saying blow up the roster is simply reactionary nonsense.
It can go many ways....
Pugh to left guard. Sign him to a 5 year 50 million dollar contract
Let Richburg walk. He’s awful. Go out and either draft a top center in college or sign a big time young veteran center
Fluker to right guard. Give him 3 years 12 million
Flowers to right tackle his natural position
First round pick. Barkley or Guice RB
Expects too much from Wheeler. FA would be sounder. Agree otherwise.
Wheeler, Fluker, Jones? Seriously?
Draft a few more defensive players next, like a LB and DB.
...wouldn't touch him unless he signed a discounted and incentivized contract.
He's part of the problem... not the solution with all his aches and pains. He screws up continuity and he needs to be off this team.
Reese Can't but someone else might. And I believe flowers is a good player next year and fluker and jones can be serviceable.
Will require a few fa and or picks but just because reese screwed this up another gm won't.
They need 3-4 starters but new scheme on o and new coach will work wonders.
They need a stud lb and a couple of o line first. Another pass rusher. And a back that is a bell cow.
Qb will be addressed due to Eli age but that along with extra wr and db is a luxury compared to the other spots.