New York’s giant woes, or should I say the New York Giants’ woes. New York football is currently not in a good place, especially when it comes to the Giants. The G-Men have started 1-6 and are in last place in the NFC East. This is surprising to many football fan. This is a team with two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback Eli Manning, top NFL wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr, and RB Saquon Barkley who very well may be the top offensive rookie in his class.
Hope was also sparked for Giants fans after the numerous key offseason pickups they made. These pickups included top offensive tackle Nate Solder, cornerback Teddy Williams, offensive guard Patrick Omameh, and outside linebacker Kareem Martin. This comes without mentioning drafting RB Saquon Barkley with the second pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. With an offseason like this, the Giants HAD to be primed for a playoff spot right? Well not so much.
Addressing the On-Field Issues
The New York Giants have had their fair share of issues this season which have led them to their 1-6 start. First, let’s start with the offensive line. Offensive line play has been absolutely atrocious. The big guys up front have allowed 24 sacks this season, fifth-most in the league. They’ve also totaled only 586 rushing yards, the sixth fewest in the league. That’s even more disappointing when considering they have a top back in the backfield.
Blame can not all fall on them, however. Eli Manning is a part of the problem as well. The stats show Manning as an above average quarterback this season. He has a higher completion percentage than Tom Brady and the seventh most passing yards in the league. But, if you look beyond the stats, it’s much more than that.
This is just film from the Giants’ 23-20 week 7 loss against the Falcons. Here you can already see how the stats don’t even show the full story. Yes, Eli arguably had his best game of the season, but if you take a closer look, Eli is missing wide open throws. The Giants in this game are settling for short passes or having the ball forced into tight spaces. This is all while having wide-open receivers on almost every play. But once again, the blame can’t all be put on Eli or the offensive line, as off-field issues may have a place in the Giants’ disappointing season.
Addressing Off-Field Issues
The Giants’ off-field issues start and end with one player, and that’s Odell Beckham Jr. All of that comes after he signed his five-year $95 million extension with the New York Giants. In a sit-down interview back in early October, Beckham described how he felt about his role with the team. It included how he felt about his utilization and also mentioned how he doesn’t get as many targets as other top receivers. This was coming into a game against the Carolina Panthers which the Giants would lose.
Star players are often frustrated with their situation, but if it’s a constant problem how can the team get better? He’s fourth in receiving yards, yet he’s only found the end-zone twice. The issue here is how Beckham is handling the team’s struggles, also stating how he “doesn’t know” if there’s a quarterback issue. The way Beckham has gone about basically calling out the team is unprofessional and throws off the team. This is contributing to their awful start. What’s worse? This is coming from a player who just got (in my opinion) an undeserved pay raise.
With Odell’s unhappiness, the Giants’ current state, Eli’s horrible play, and the offensive line’s struggles to play up to expectations, what solutions or changes can the Giants’ make to perhaps save their season, and be a better team next season?
What the Giants Could Do
For the offensive line, there’s not really much the Giants could do this season. For next season, players entering free agency include C Ryan Kalil, G Mike Iupati, G Andy Levitre, and RT Jared Veldheer. They’re all older but have a lot of talent. Considering factors such as cap space and roster size, taking one or all of these players would make a huge impact for the G-Men.
Eli Manning was the next problem on this list. The best thing to do is to move on from him. Eli is slowing down, and the Giants better get his replacement before it bites them in the rear end. It’s looking as if the Giants are on their way to the top of the draft order again. Fortunately, there are some intriguing quarterbacks available. Oregon QB Justin Herbert and Missouri QB Drew Lock both have the skills needed to be an NFL Quarterback. The question is if the Giants’ record will even be terrible enough to snag one of these young prospects.
Of course, there’s still the rest of this season. The Giants could do one of two things. They could either keep Eli Manning as there quarterback or chase a certain free agent anthem-kneeling quarterback. Tyrod Taylor also remains on the market if the Giants’ want to make a move before the October 30 deadline.
In Conclusion
There’s not much to say about Odell Beckham Jr. He simply needs the ball thrown to him, and his skill will do the rest of the talking. Are the Giants’ heading towards yet another disappointing season? Will the Giants’ turn their record around and finish with an ideal 10-6 record for a playoff spot? Is Eli going to turn his play around? Time will only tell.