The Giants have been bad for so long, will they finally make the playoffs?
The New York Football Giants
When you look at the history of the NFL, the Giants are one of the most prominent teams. They have won four super bowls, have numerous Hall of Famers, and even a pair of super Bowls wins this century. Which most teams really cannot say for themselves. But ever since their last playoff appearance in 2016, the Giants have been infamously bad. I mean, tied for the worst record in football since levels of bad.
But Why Are They So Bad?
There are a few reasons for this, so let’s focus on just one. Dave Gettleman. Gettleman joined the Giants in 2018 after Jerry Reese struggled to make the playoffs besides the two super bowl runs in 2007 and 2011. Gettleman had a resume that glowed due to the 2015 panthers team that went to the super bowl and had Cam Newton win the MVP. He was seen as that team’s architect and was hired to turn the Giants back into contenders and a decent franchise.
But Gettleman did no such building in New York. He largely angered the team’s fanbase and ownership. One of the most prominent examples of this was the signing, then trading, of Odell Beckham Jr. to the Browns. He gave OBJ a record-breaking contract (at the time) that featured 40 million dollars guaranteed. He got one year out of him, then sent him to Cleveland for only one first-rounder. It was also discovered later that he didn’t let other teams know OBJ was available for trade before finalizing the deal. He also famously said, “We didn’t sign Odell to trade him.”
The following example pains me, but drafting Saquon Barkley at two has dramatically affected the team. Of course, there is no guarantee if you take Josh Allen or Quenton Nelson, they will turn into who they are now, but looking back at it, he likely shouldn’t have taken Barkley that high. Barkley was selected in a last-ditch attempt to sell tickets and give Eli Manning a final run with a young, dynamic playmaker by his side. But sadly, Barkley has had an injury-riddled career due to a poor offensive line and not being used correctly.
The final example I’ll give to show this is the Alec Ogletree trade. At the time, it seemed to have been a decent trade. But now, looking back on it, it was abysmal. He was consistently one of the worst players on the field during his tenure with the Giants. The one redemption he had while with the Giants was his five-interception season in 2018. But this masked how bad he was, as he only had a 50.6 PFF ranking that entire season. It was pure luck for those interceptions, and he could not do anything else well the whole season.
Can This Be Fixed?
Well, luckily, Giants fans have something to look forward to. The Giants (mostly) cleared house this off-season and brought in new GM Joe Schoen, new head coach Brian Daboll, and new offensive coordinator Mike Kafka. Schoen was the GM that built the best offense and defense in the NFL last year over in Buffalo. At the same time, Daboll was the offensive coordinator and played a massive role in the development of Josh Allen. These two have experience dealing with a quarterback who has the potential to be great but couldn’t put it all together.
Daniel Jones is also similar, in the sense of having incredible potential but not being able to put it all together. Mike Kafka comes over from being the Chiefs quarterback coach to work with Jones, and that is a match made in heaven. Kafka has worked with one of the league’s best in Patrick Mahomes for the past few years, so hopefully, a little will rub off on Jones.
Aside from that, the Giants also drafted Kayvon Thibodeaux and Evan Neal. Two players with incredibly high ceilings, filling massive holes for the Giants almost immediately.
It won’t happen this year, but the Giants could return to the playoffs in a few years. Though things are looking up for the G-Men, the league needs to be on the lookout. This new staff could be building something very special in the big apple.
