New York Giants: Cost Of Past Triumphs
In the 2007 season, the New York Giants defeated the 18-0 New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. That gave Tom Coughlin and his tenure as the Giants coach legitimacy. In 2011 the Giants once again bested the Patriots in the Super Bowl. The first Super Bowl gave Coughlin and Jerry Reese credibility; the second Super Bowl made them almost above reproach.
More from GMEN HQ
- Workout clip of Evan Neal training with former All-Pro OT has Giants fans excited
- NFL Draft Schedule of Events: How to Navigate Draft Weekend
- 4 NY Giants who must step their game up in 2023
- This SEC CB at No. 25 overall for the Giants is gaining steam
- When is the NFL Draft?
Just as nothing worth having comes to you easily, nothing worth having comes without a cost. The past two Super Bowl runs are historic moments of glory. Nothing is better than watching your team win it all, that is the payoff for loyal fans. But winning, just like anything else comes at a cost.
The Giants have not made the playoffs since their 2011 Super Bowl. In 2012 the team went 9-7, which is a respectable season. The team would go downhill from there. The GMEN went 7-9 in 2013 and 6-10 in 2014. The Giants have lacked talent at key positions. They have struggled in big games and have had horrendous losing streaks. The product on the field has not been good enough and there is no nice way to say that.
The 2013 season was thought of as an anamoly Afterall the Giants had won two recent Super Bowls. Playing the blame game meant pointing the finger at people with championship rings for their fingers. The Giants kept Coughlin and Reese. They finished 7-9 after losing their first six games, so it looked like Coughlin and company had figured everything out. The Giants were in denial. 2014 could not go that poorly, right?
2014 was an even worse season. Besides the emergence of Odell Beckham Jr. the Giants had nothing going for them. They went 6-10 and suffered a seven game losing streak. The 2014 Giants may have been the worst team in franchise history. They were that bad.
Now the Giants are 5-7 heading into today’s clash with the Miami Dolphins. The best case scenario sees the Giants winning out and making the playoffs with a 9-7 record. Though it is more realistic that the Giants will lose at least one more game this year. Even if the Giants make the playoffs this franchise has to take a look in the mirror.
The time has come to play the blame game. If the Giants don’t make the playoffs for the fourth year in a row, Jerry Reese and Tom Coughlin need to be fired. Reese has failed to build good teams. Coughlin has failed to win games and the pattern of consecutive losses is very troubling.
The cost of the two Super Bowls is it prevented the Giants from making changes a long time ago. The team needs a new direction. It needed it for a while now.