Ten weeks have already past and the NFL season is now well underway. At the beginning of the season, there were many reasons for Giants fans to be optimistic. The Giants currently sit in last place in the NFC East with a 3-7 record and no chance of making the playoffs.
Week one of the NFL season, Giant fans were excited, confident and optimistic. Those feelings in the span of less than months are gone as far as this season goes, so much so that many fans want to see the Giants tank the rest of their season in hopes of obtaining a high draft pick. The Giants record is not due to bad luck, it is caused by many reasons starting with the offense. Over the offseason starting from the NFL draft, the Giants made a lot of moves in an attempt to improve their roster or to hold on to their key pieces.
In the last number of years one of the main criticisms of the G-Men was that their offensive line could not block for running backs or protect Eli Manning.
To supposedly fix this problem, the Giants signed long time Patriot and Left Tackle Nate Solder to help protect Eli Manning’s blind side.In addition, the Giants drafted with their second pick in the draft, Will Hernandez, an offensive guard out of UTEP. Hernandez, a solid prospect was drafted to also help Eli, and to also help run block for fellow rookie phenom, Saquon Barkley. Star wideout, Odell Beckham Jr, also signed a new contract making him the highest paid wide receiver in NFL history. Odell’s talent is undeniable, but quite often he is criticized for being too emotional on the field, which sometimes hurts the rest of the team.
With Beckham, Barkley, Sterling Shepard and Evan Engram, it had seemed in the offseason that they would have one of the most lethal offenses in the NFL. However, the horrid play from Manning and struggles from the supposedly better offensive line has prevented the Giants offense from reaching its full capabilities.
Now, the Giants find themselves in a tough situation as Eli Manning is seemingly no longer able to carry New York to the playoffs. For many, this is a tough pill to swallow as Eli has been a big part of two Super Bowl-winning teams, and has been under center since 2004. New York over the last number of years have drafted Quarterbacks that could become the next in line, but none of them seem to be viable options. Ryan Nassib and Davis Webb are both no longer with the team and current rookie, Kyle Lauletta is not believed to get the nod in the future. This essentially means likely this year or next the next franchise quarterback will have to come through the draft. As poor as the offense has looked, the defense hasn’t been much better. They are in the bottom third of the NFL overall as a defense, and it is not going to improve.
Big Blue’s defense has let up at least 20 points to the opposition every week to this point and an average of over 26 points given up per game. This simply will not win a team many games, especially with the struggles that the offense has been having.
Going into the season New York seemed to be a potential playoff threat and possibly win the NFC East. Now with a 1-6 record, those hopes are over and the team’s front office are now trading away key players such as top defensive tackle, Damon Harrison, and former first round pick, Eli Apple.
These moves signal that the focus is no longer on this season but in years to come. A sad reality that leaves fans shaking their heads but hopeful that sooner rather than later the franchise can make a major turnaround or drastic changes will likely be made. Hopefully for fans, this turnaround will not take too long.