New York Giants: Media jumps off the offensive line bandwagon
By Curt Macysyn
Big Blue’s offense was a dud on “Sunday Night Football”. The analysts have all concluded that, as if viewers could not see that with their own eyes.
New York Giants fans have plenty of reasons why the offense didn’t work on Sunday. Among them are: inferior personnel, poor drafting, lousy play-calling, a bad quarterback, terrible running backs, bad scheme and sub-standard coaching.
In reality, it’s likely to be a little bit of everything on this list. Ironically, after months of seeing the writing on the wall, Giants Nation finally woke up. The loss to the Dallas Cowboys knocked those rose-colored glasses right off everyone’s head.
Why did this turn of events surprise anyone?
Because with the exception of ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, almost every New York Giants beat-writer kept repeating the company line. Spoiler alert: a few folks under the GMenHQ masthead did the same thing. And now faced with the grim reality, many of these same folks have jumped off the bandwagon.
Less than one month ago, Raanan wrote this:
"“The Ereck Flowers concerns are real. The New York Giants can cross their fingers, pray and hope for the best, but it’s not going to mitigate the risk they’re taking by throwing Flowers out as their left tackle for a third straight season. The first two did not go so well.”"
Better late than never
Having been in locker rooms, it’s no fun interviewing guys after losses. It’s no fun interviewing losing teams. As a journalist, you give the benefit of doubt to these guys. Rarely, if ever, is losing summed up through lack of effort.
But when Jerry Reese continued his GM-speak this spring and summer, most of the beat-writers ran to their keyboard to regurgitate what the general manager just uttered. After all, Reese calls the shots as far as personnel procurement, and everyone was slapping his back last season.
You can’t argue with 11-5, can you?
True enough, but the loss to the Green Bay Packers in the playoffs didn’t sit right. It seemed like a lot of baggage was opened up on the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field. But they made the playoffs, and the future was bright.
Playoffs were good, but we need another game-breaker. Evan Engram, come on down. Let’s improve in the red zone, how about Brandon Marshall? Well, we have to replace Johnathan Hankins. Easy enough, here’s Dalvin Tomlinson.
Wait, what about the offensive line? No worries, those guys are gonna bust out this season. Just a little refinement by the coaching staff, and we’re good.
Today, James Kratch of NJ Advance Media explained in detail the conundrum that is the offensive line. I don’t disagree with the points he makes, but context is needed.
For example, if you’re stuck in a burning building, you have choices. You could choose to try to extinguish the fire yourself, or you can find the nearest exit and call the fire department.
Now with this Giants team, it’s difficult to know what are growing pains, and what are fatal flaws. And that was mistake No. 1 by the Giants brass. Too much trust in folks without a track record.
Fortunately for us, time will ultimately answer these questions, even if the front office and coaching staff refuse to acknowledge reality.
A pattern of deception
Back in the day, when the general manager hammered a Super Bowl clock on the locker room wall, no one questioned it.
Why?
In fact, that prop was embraced like so many novelties around the NFL these days. But it was as fake as a $3.00 bill, just like the team’s roster that season. Tom Coughlin should have sued Jerry Reese for malpractice back then. That Giants squad had no business talking playoffs, let alone Super Bowl.
New York Giants
Now, Ben McAdoo finds himself in the media’s cross-hairs and for good reason. McAdoo doubled-down on his troops on the offensive line and lost. At least so far, he lost.
It has come to the point where McAdoo treats Ereck Flowers like a daddy-ball coach’s son. Translation: McAdoo sees something in Flowers that the rest of us do not see.
So for this game, let’s blame Bobby Hart’s ankle, or the loss of Odell Beckham, or a batch of bad clams, or a dog eating the playbook.
It’s done, over, finished.
Let’s move onto the next game and see what happens with the Detroit Lions. But understand this, if there is a similar outcome to the Dallas game, we’ve identified the coaching staff as a problem. Hopefully, Ben McAdoo and company can figure out a game plan that will achieve success.
Take off the rose-colored glasses
Everyone has an opinion right now, and to a point, some of them are valid. Do you need to be a scout or general manager to recognize that the New York Giants cannot run the ball?
The offensive line has been an issue for six or seven years now. Chris Snee and David Diehl are no longer here. Investments have been made (Ereck Flowers, Geoff Schwartz, John Jerry). Are these good investments? There needs to be a solution in the form of helping out these tackles.
Quite frankly, it’s time for McAdoo to implement some tough love also.
If casual Fridays garner the kind of effort we saw in Dallas, then it ain’t working. And the conflicting coach-speak that McAdoo has utilized extensively, needs to go.
Related Story: OMG! New York Giants should put Flowers in bubble wrap
You cannot have it both ways. If the players aren’t the problem, then it’s the coaching. And before everyone gets thin-skinned about fan’s disappointment, understand that management created this dynamic.
Offensive mediocrity settled around the team most of last season. The magic elixir was always Manning-to-Beckham. That wasn’t available on Sunday, and the Giants folded like a cheap suit.
But the fans were told everything will be fine offensively, progress is being made. And then before nearly 95,000 fans and a nationwide audience, Giants fans were treated to an inferior offensive display.
Piece of advice to management: actions speak louder than words. ‘Nuff said.