New York Giants - State of the Franchise

2017 Record: 3-13

Last Playoff Appearance: 2016

Coach: Pat Shurmer

GM: Dave Gettleman

2017 Performance

2017 saw one of the worst years in the Giants franchise since 1983, finishing the season with a 3-13 win/loss record. There were many elements of the team blamed for the awful season. Eli Manning, their offensive line, their lack of receivers etc. But, truth be told, there was not one reason why this team put in one of the worst performances for over 30 years.

Let’s start with the worst, the offensive line. 2017 saw the following players starting on the line:

LT – Erek Flowers

LG – John Jerry/Justin Pugh

C – Brett Jones/Weston Richburg

RG – DJ Fluker/Jon Halapio

RT – Bobby Hart/Chad Wheeler

The Giants line in 2017 boasted 3 1st round picks. So how did they perform so badly? The fact of the matter is, the line simply did not gel, and I believe this also stemmed from the locker room also. There was so much unrest last season with the Giants organisation as a whole, that it was hard to understand what the root cause of their problems were.

The line simply could not protect Eli. Manning was rushed on nearly every important drive, he had no time to throw in the pocket and as resilient as Manning is (one of the most resilient players in the league) this was always going to take its toll.

The line was 26th in the league in rushing yards gained, they were 28th in rushing touchdowns and 31st in points scored. So, put that in laymans terms, the line could not open holes for the running back to gain any kind of momentum. The same can be said for protection. Eli was sacked 31 times in 15 games behind the offensive line, for a loss of 181 yards. That’s the worst it’s been since 2013 for Manning and the Giants.

The Giants receiving corps was so depleted after week 5 that they effectively had none worth mentioning. Jerell Adams was the only receiver to play in all 16 games and was only targeted 11 times for 8 receptions and a total of 92 yards. Can you tell me who Adams is?

Week 5 saw the Giants have their worst fears realised. In the match-up against the Los Angeles Chargers, Odell Beckham went up for a contested catch, and was sandwiched between two Chargers which resulted in a broken ankle. During the same game, the newly acquired Jet, Brandon Marshall and the ex-Dallas Cowboys receiver Dwayne Harris both went down with season ending injuries. This left the Giants with Sterling Shepard to pick up the slack for their number 1 receiver plus others. The impact this has on a team is that the QB has less familiar faces to target, faces he knows will run the routes a certain way or will get separation in any particular coverage and jump for that high contested ball. When that familiarity goes, so does the production.

The running game has really been non-existent in New York for many years now. But, from a fans perspective, I believe Orleans Darkwa did all he could last season with very little around him to help. We have discussed the line, and their inability to make holes for the RB. Considering this, Darkwa still managed to rush for 751 yards and 5 touchdowns. We as fans, couldn’t off asked for more from Darkwa and he was a workhorse, appearing in 15 games.

In 2016 the Giants made some investments to the defence, paying high prices for Olivier Vernon and Damon Harrison. Going into 2017 and on the back of a great run for the Giants defense in 2016, the fans carried with them the idea that the defense would pick up where the offense would struggle. But, as you know if the offense do not provide and cannot keep drives alive, the defense ends up on the field longer, and those big guys are not designed to run. Inevitably they became worn down game by game, and ultimately as the season went on, this got worse.

Vernon did miss 4 games with an ankle injury during the regular season and this would off had an impact, however small. Linebacker has been a problem for the Giants for a few years now, and there are no stand-out stars on the roster. The Giants have added Lorenzo Carter during the draft who we will mention later on in this piece. Corners returning this year, with some certainty will be Eli Apple (although he will have a lot to do on and off the field to secure his future with the team, a talented guy with an immature character), Ross Cockrell and Janoris-Jenkins.

Safety continues to be one of the Giants strongest defensive positions with Landon Collins continuing to build and get better. Last year Collins was the workhorse of that defense and struggled to keep up on his own, as it did feel he was being leant on to pick up the slack of others who should have been performing.

2018 Roster Moves

During the off-season, the Giants were one of the most active teams. The Giants signed 10 new players during free agency. Some of these signings addressing pressing needs for the Giants, most importantly at LT with the signing of Nate Solder.

The players:

1. William Gay – FS – from Pittsburgh Steelers

2. Cody Latimer – WR – from Denver Broncos

3. Kareem Martin – ILB – from Arizona Cardinals

4. Josh Mauro – DE – from Arizona Cardinals

5. Patrick Omameh – OG – from Jacksonville Jaguars

6. Nate Solder – OT – from New England Patriots

7. Jonathan Stewart – RB – from Carolina Panthers

8. Michael Thomas – SS – from Miami Dolphins

9. BW Webb – DB – from Cleveland Browns

10. Teddy Williams DB – from Carolina Panthers

2018 Draft Picks

1. Saquon Barkley – RB – 1 st Round, 2nd pick

2. Will Hernandez – OG – 2nd Round, 34th Pick

3. Lorenzo Carter – OLB – 3rd Round, 66th Pick

4. BJ Hill – DT – 3rd Round, 69th Pick

5. Kyle Lauletta – QB – 4th Round, 108th Pick

6. RJ McIntosh – DT – 5th Round, 139th Pick

Much has been said about the Giants draft pick with them arguably picking the best player in the draft, Saquon Barkley. As mentioned above, the Giants have not had a running game, since Barber. Barkley offers them a duel threat on offence with his receiving skills just as on point as his rushing ability. He provides Manning with a weapon that will confuse the opposing defense and shatter them using his size and power.

Will Hernandez was one of the highest rated offensive lineman in the 2018 draft. The Giants made their move in the 2nd. Hernandez provides size and strength coupled with athleticism which is a rare combination in offensive lineman. He is added to the roster, and is a starter for me.

Lorenzo Carter is a stand out outside linebacker. He will provide the Giants with versatility at that position and the ability to move him around and play difference coverages will no doubt make him a starter for the 2018 campaign.

2018 Starters

QB – Eli Manning

RB1 – Saquon Barkley

RB2 – Jonathan Stewart

WR1 – Odell Beckham Jr

WR2 – Sterling Shepard

WR3 – Roger Lewis

TE – Evan Engram

LT – Nate Solder

LG – Will Hernandez

C – Jon Halapio

RG – John Greco

RT – Erek Flowers

DE – Dalvin Tomlinson

NT – Damon Harrison

ILB – Alec Ogletree

OLB – Olivier Vernon

CB – Janoris Jenkins

FS – Darian Thompson

SS – Landon Collins

K – Aldrick Rosas

2018 Outlook

The outlook for 2018 looks better. We have addressed the important issues from last season. New Left Tackle, a superstar running back. Our receivers are healthy, we have drafted well. Manning will have a new sense of purpose with all the weapons around him for the start of 2018.

I’ve seen some of OBJ’s workout videos, and I will tell you know. He looks like a beast, back to his old self making insane catches look easy.

Im not going to rabbit on, I believe the Giants will perform 10x better than they did last year, and as a fan, I am excited to see what happens.