The Plight of the Fan (New York Giants Edition)
By Ed Roberts
On February 5th, the entire sports world watched the New York Giants defeat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI. This marked the 2nd time in 4 years that Coughlin and co. outsmarted Belichick. This feat gives both Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning, an instant hall of fame bid.
This is the apex of a football season for a fan. The Super Bowl is the ultimate prize and nothing can top the day, well, except the parade down the Canyon of Heroes. The parade took place on February 7th, two days after the win. The emotional high that a fan experiences during a Super Bowl run is unlike anything else. Four consecutive wins and a parade to boot? It can’t get any better than that.
What is soon to follow is known as a crash. Most diehard football fans live and die with the team throughout the season. A loss can be soul crushing and a win can be as joyous as having your first child (depends on the individual of course). But, what about the offseason when everything is seemingly taken away?
While the Giants paraded down to City Hall, the media already began speculating as to where the possible landing spots of free agents would be. The Giants could not even bask in glory for two whole days without someone metaphorically raining on their parade.
The Giants have 20+ free agents in this year’s crop. They also have the never content Osi Umenyiora to worry about. Reese sure does have a lot on his plate, but do you expect any less for a G.M.? Do not let anyone fool you, the front office loves having problems like this. They just won the Super Bowl, so naturally every player is going to get a boost in worth. Victor Cruz has already asked for a pay raise, Mario Manningham looks destined for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and it is going to be a hassle for players to restructure to get under the cap.
With all of this information getting leaked to the fans, hysteria will ensue. Last offseason, Jerry Reese was criticized for letting Kevin Boss and Steve Smith bolt via free agency. As the year progressed, Reese looked like a genius for these moves. Does the praise last long? Absolutely not. The minute Reese lets a beloved player walk this year is the minute the hate mail will flood in.
As a writer, I implore the fans to just hold out on judgment until at least Week 3. I know we all want to be general managers, but there is a reason we are reading about players and they are out there actually signing the players.
Have faith in Reese. I know we got hit with Linsanity as soon as the Super Bowl ended and the Rangers suddenly became relevant again, but this offseason we are in the spotlight.
Sit back, enjoy the draft, watch some NFL network and ESPN, and try not to let the offseason make you crash as hard this year. I know I sure won’t.
For more news, updates, and analysis follow me on Twitter (@ERobertsNY)