New York Giants: 5 Lessons From Week 2

Sep 20, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones (11) runs with the ball while trying to avoid a tackle by New York Giants cornerback Prince Amukamara (20) during the first half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

The Giants stink

OK–here’s the pessimism. They have talent, but my goodness this is a mentally weak squad. Landon Collins was supposed to be the most NFL-ready safety in the draft, but he made a brutal amateur error not tagging Leonard Hankerson when he was sitting on the ground–this, after some big coverage mishaps last week. Collins has some nice tools, but he’s had some huge mental errors through the first two weeks. I have not been particularly impressed with him so far.

Now, I can give Collins some leash given his a rookie, but the team’s mental lapses on offense are inexcusable. I’ve been particularly critical of Rueben Randle. Right now, he has three catches through two games, which is absolutely unacceptable when you’re playing across from Odell Beckham, who’s consistently drawing two defenders in his direction. Randle fails to consistently create separation and an abysmal drop on a five-yard pass today. Frustrating for a player with his tools. This is the same player who posted nearly 300 yards in the final two games of last season, but he looks more like the one who was benched on multiple occasions for failing to stay mentally in the game. He has time to turn it around, but with each passing game I’m losing faith.

As for the rest of the offense? We know what Preston Parker brings to the table. Why he was on the field for the most important play of the young season–when Dwayne Harris looked pretty electric in spurts all afternoon–raises more questions than answers. Eli can’t fumble the football on the eight-yard line, even if you want to argue it was a failure in protection. The offensive line does need to improve, yes, but Eli’s got to hold on to that ball when they’re that close to goal.

The running backs had some nice moments today, but realistically, this is not a top-tier offense, even with Manning and Beckham on the field. It amazes me how little production they get out of the rest of their receivers when someone like Beckham is drawing so much attention. Whether it’s getting Shane Vereen the ball more, Larry Donnell, or even Andre Williams, they need to spice things up a little bit.

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