Injuries and defensive collapses forced the New York Giants to curb the enthusiasm brought about by the rises of their young offensive stars.
Turn out the lights, the party’s over.
With a little help from Willie Nelson, former NFL quarterback and narrator Don Meredith would routinely herald closing time before it was cool on the original editions of Monday Night Football. Alas for all but one football’s 32 finest, it’s over before the desired Vince Lombardi Trophy hoist, as the season, or at least the championship-contending portion of it, has come to an end.
With that in mind, TeamFB7 goes over the season that was for the fallen, looking at what was, what is, and what could be. First up in this series of the damned is the New York Giants.
Team: New York Giants
Record: 2-10 (and counting)
Date of Playoff Death: Nov. 23
Last Playoff Appearance: 2022
What Went Wrong
The City that Never Sleeps (that, yes, the Giants don’t play in) became The City That Never Stops.
The Giants have held fourth quarter leads in half of their 10 losses to date, which essentially doomed them to become the first team eliminated. Perhaps anyone could understand falling to Brandon Aubrey’s Arlington antics in Week 2 against the Dallas Cowboys, but some particularly embarrassing happenings — not least of which was a particularly grotesque come-from-ahead loss in Denver that saw a three-possession fourth quarter lead evaporate and then some — have led to the Giants making piecemeal changes among management (though general manager Joe Schoen has maintained his post).
This was despite some hefty investments thrown into the unit, including recent third overall pick Abdul Carter. The Penn State alum has been able to generate pressure but doesn’t have a full sack to his name yet. One might be willing to play the long game on Carter, especially with his solid advanced numbers. But considering the considerable hype he built upon his arrival (some of it self-generated through his attempts to take the digits of franchise legends Phil Simms and Lawrence Taylor), it’s hard not to view his debut as a disappointment.
Elsewhere, the Giants took a risk on former New Orleans defensive standout Paulson Adebo, but he likewise has dealt with injuries this season, as have first-round choices Deonte Banks, Dexter Lawrence, and Kayvon Thibodeaux. The lack of progress (further highlighted by the struggles of day two secondary picks like Cor’dale Flott and Dru Phillips, as well as free agent add Jevon Holland) led the Giants to prematurely ditch defensive coordinator Shane Bowen, who was let go after another letdown in Detroit last Sunday.
Bowen’s metropolitan lifespan barely bested his boss, as head coach Brian Daboll was fired after a similar collapse in Chicago two weeks prior. The good vibes Daboll brought in 2022 (featuring the Giants lone playoff victory since their triumph in Super Bowl XLVI) feel like ancient history. Some felt that Daboll covered himself in the security blanket that was newly minted franchise quarterback Jaxson Dart but even that couldn’t save him, and the Giants will now look for a new conductor for the Dart era.
One also has to wonder where the Giants would be if Daboll opted to go with Dart (or even animated veteran Jameis Winston) from the start instead of listless veteran Russell Wilson. But even with Dart on the field, Daboll continued to face criticism for running excessive designed quarterback runs that indirectly led to a stay in concussion protocol. Only time will tell if Dart takes the field in the final five weeks under the watch of offensive coordinator/interim head coach Mika Kafka.
Silver Linings
— The Giants are seemingly set with their offensive battery for the future, as Dart, top receiver Malik Nabers, and running back Cam Skattebo have generated a significant amount of hype despite their limited time together. Keeping them healthy will be the primary focus going forward: Dart’s mobile abilities will only matter if he can use them safely while Skattebo’s fury has to find some form of healthy reckless abandon.
— Whereas the fledgling pass rush has left plenty to be desired over the past few seasons, the Giants struck gold in Brian Burns, one of the few big-budget moves of the Joe Schoen era. The newly minted $141 million man is currently chasing Myles Garrett for the NFL sacks lead, setting a career-best with 13 to date. With Schoen staying, it stands to reason a good number of his selections will be sticking around too. Burns figures to be a strong veteran leader in not only the major pass rush categories but on the metropolitan mentality spectrum as well.
Looking Ahead
Notable Free Agents: OT Jermaine Eluemunor, CB Cor’dale Flott, G Evan Neal, LS Casey Kreiter, WR Wan’dale Robinson, G Greg Van Roten, QB Russell Wilson
Potential Cap Cuts: G Jon Runyan Jr. ($9.25 million), LB Bobby Okereke ($9 million), T James Hudson ($5.5 million), RB Devin Singletary ($5.25 million), K Graham Gano ($4.5 million)
There are some obvious future departures on the Giants’ ledgers: Neal, 2022’s seventh overall pick, already had his fifth-year option declined and he has spent this entire season on injured reserve. That could lead to larger makeover on the offensive line as it prepares for a Dart/Skattebo backfield, which likely won’t feature Wilson in any form after he was demoted to third-string earlier this year.
One of the more intriguing options has to be Robinson, fresh off a career-best outing in the aforementioned Detroit disaster. A second-round pick in 2022, Robinson probably deserves some credit for the mere act of creating longevity amid the revolving doors of the modern Giants offense. The 5-8 threat has since brushed off concerns about his size and turned himself into a reliable slot option. One that could prove invaluable midst Dart’s progress.
As the first team eliminated, the Giants are essentially guaranteed a high draft pick in this year’s selection, which carry a certain spotlight; while such a status clearly suggests that pick can be used (Ohio State standouts Caleb Downs or Arvell Reese could prove intriguing on defense, Utah’s Spencer Fano is probably the best blocking option), having their (presumed) franchise quarterback could allow them to take advantage of the passing logjam (New Orleans, Las Vegas, the Jets, even fringe candidates like Arizona and Cleveland) behind them.
Is There Hope?
As the Giants’ Jetsian run of futility has stretched into the 2020s, a series of false starts and follies have ensued.
It’s bad enough, for example, that they let Saquon Barkley walk to the hated Philadelphia Eagles, but now they have to watch the rusher stage a potential return to the Super Bowl — which could well come against former franchise thrower Daniel Jones, now leading the resurgent Indianapolis Colts. Tommy DeVito’s Linsanity-style run might’ve kept blue spirits bright but few, if any, assumed he was the long-term solution.
But the Dart-Nabers-Skattebo triumvirate, as well as the long-term addition of Burns, is a more legitimate form of hope that the Giants have had. With Daboll gone and Schoen staying, New York’s next order of business turns to who’s going to be the next head coach: should they find a mind that can simplify Dart and Skattebo’s exhilarating recklessness or get a defensive boss that can find ways to plug an anemic unit? Either way, there’s legitimate lasting hope in spots on the Giants roster, but unless they can harness it, Big Blue blues will continue to stand as the Jerseyan norm.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags