Forbes contributor Michael Schottey provided his predictions for the 2016 NFL Season, which included naming four teams that aren’t improving as much as fans or experts believe and the New York Giants were one of the teams listed.
We’re at that point of the 2016 NFL season when most teams’ fans are teeming with optimism. The Giants fanbase might be the most hyped after the huge overhaul on defense and a fairly well-received draft. I predicted the G-Men would go 14-2 with homefield advantage in the playoffs. I’m making no excuses for my behavior. I’m amped and I’m caught up in this new era of Giants football. The front office has addressed many of the glaring needs during the offseason with only the offensive line left virtually untouched or changed.
I know I sound like a broken record here, but the Giants could’ve gone 10-6 in 2015 had their defense held on to leads and the offense put opponents away by running out the clock or scoring touchdowns over field goals. A 10-6 record would’ve won the NFC East and Big Blue would’ve hosted the Green Bay Packers at MetLife in the Wild Card round, where who knows what could’ve happened. Instead, the Giants went 6-10 with a depleted roster.
With the First Pick
In 2015: No Victor Cruz. No legitimate wide receiver threat beyond Odell Beckham Jr. No pressure on the quarterback, no sacks. Rookie at left tackle. Rookie at safety. A head coach on the hot seat whose ways might’ve lost their weight.
In 2016: Cruz is back. Sterling Shepard could be a #2 and will be an awesome #3. Olivier Vernon, Jason Pierre-Paul TERRORIZING. Ereck Flowers and Landon Collins with a year under their belt. New head coach who, so far, has rejuvenated the team’s approach to practice and the game.
I whole-heartedly admit 14-2 is a pipe dream meets fever dream. But, 10-6 is the worst this team will do. So, what does Michael Schottey of Forbes think?
"“New York Giants (2015 Record: 6-10; 2016 Prediction: 8-8)New coach, new….OK, so really it’s just the new coach.I was fully onboard with letting former head coach walk into the sunset at the end of his illustrious career. Heck, I was even onboard with letting Ben McAdoo take over after he’d clearly been one of the few bright spots of the team. However, maintaining status quo with pretty much the rest of the roster, front office and coaching staff is a recipe for disaster.”This team is stagnant, and changing one voice isn’t cleaning out the rot that’s been slowly building up since before their last Super Bowl win. QB Eli Manning and WR Odell Beckham Jr. are a fantastic tandem, but they can only take a team so far, and this 8-8 prediction is exactly how far this team will get until they make some more systemic changes."
Sure, McAdoo kept a lot of Coughlin staff and personnel on board. The Giants facilities still run on “Coughlin Time”. It wasn’t a ‘clean house’ situation, though many called for it. But, to say that McAdoo is “maintaining status quo” is far from the truth. Every day, there are reports of players noting the difference in energy surrounding the clubhouse and the field. As McAdoo said in his introductory press conference, this is evolution, not revolution. Ben’s wise not to blow everything up. The recipe isn’t disastrous, it just needs tweaking.
The 2015 New York Giants were a team that could’ve and should’ve beat Tony Romo’s Dallas Cowboys in Dallas, Matt Ryan’s Atlanta Falcons, Drew Brees’ New Orleans Saints in New Orleans, Tom Brady’s New England Patriots, the New York Jets (who just missed the playoffs in the final week of the season), and Cam Newton’s Carolina Panthers. They could’ve gone 12-4 and they were the walking wounded, signing guys off the streets, held together by the loosest of stitches.
Next: Projecting Giants Depth Chart & Final 53-Man Roster
The 2016 New York Giants held on to the strong parts of the ’15 team and those have served and will serve as the foundation for a great roster – the ninth most talented (excluding rookies) according to NFL.com.