Acknowledging the obvious begins now for New York Giants

Quite simply, this New York Giants season was built as a house of cards.

Upon hiring general manager Dave Gettleman and head coach Pat Shurmur in the offseason, the New York Giants franchise tried to have it both ways. While attempting to change the corporate culture, team brass, John Mara included, thought they could field a competitive team this season. There was even chatter of competing for a playoff spot this season.

Boy, how wrong were they?

If you’re a diehard New York Giants fan, you may not have admitted the obvious in September. If you still believe that a playoff berth is doable right now, then maybe you need to start watching the games.

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According to Goalcast, New York Yankees catcher and Baseball Hall of Fame player Yogi Berra once came up with this gem:

"“When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”"

That’s essentially what the New York Giants did. The team acknowledged that changes were necessary, but also believed that adding a few veterans could right the ship immediately. The team also relied too heavily on plug-in and play rookies, who at the end of the day, are still rookies.

In retrospect, this house should have been torn down to the studs.

Now, these next 10 days are going to show us every imaginable way to point fingers. It will be the head coach’s fault, or the quarterback’s fault, or the front office’s fault or the offensive line’s fault. Essentially it’s all accurate, everyone within the franchise has skin in this game, even the gentleman who wears No. 13.

A protracted debate will occur that centers around whether Odell Beckham is the problem or the solution.

Throwing good money after bad

Looking at the roster, understand that the key rookies, guard Will Hernandez and running back Saquon Barkley, aren’t the problem. Linebacker Lorenzo Carter shows promise, as does defensive lineman B.J. Hill. These guys will make mistakes because they are rookies, but they are the future.

There’s no greater teacher than experience.

More importantly, this question has to be answered: Which veterans are salvageable?

Starting with the offensive line, remember, there really was no other alternative than bringing in left tackle Nate Solder. The New York Giants Plan B would have required putting Ereck Flowers back to protect quarterback Eli Manning’s blind side. Re-signing Justin Pugh to slot him at left tackle would not have prevented this debacle either.

On a fair to good team, Solder’s play would be adequate. On a lousy team, he sticks out like a sore thumb. And Solar will be around for a while. But do guys like Spencer Pulley and Evan Brown get a shot?

Defensively, the team looks like a mess right now. Cornerback Janoris Jenkins appears just to be collecting a paycheck right now. Don’t be surprised if an injury crops up sooner or later that ends his season. And preserves his health for another contract.

Is young cornerback Eli Apple worth retaining? Will safety Landon Collins want to re-sign with this team? Are guys on the practice squad worth getting in NFL action? And are there players who can be culled from other practice squads who can improve this team?

And these are just a few of the questions facing owners John Mara and Steve Tisch, general manager Dave Gettleman, assistant GM Kevin Abrams, head coach Pat Shurmur and his coaching staff.

A balance has to be struck as to getting young players more playing time, and deciding which veterans may have a future with the club.

This is a rebuild

Berra had another quote that sums up the current state of affairs for the New York Giants:

"“If you don’t know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else.”"

Right now, the quarterback problem is undeniable. James Bettcher’s defense continues to take on more water than the Titanic. And the team’s best player continues to pollute the locker room.

As much as we thought the franchise already hit rock bottom, another abyss appears. The first step remains a simple one: Acknowledge that this team is not what it was thought to be. We should not be told once again, like under ex-head coach Ben McAdoo, not to believe our eyes.

Next. New York Giants: Growing pains of a competitive ‘rebuild’. dark

As much as we would like to replace every underperforming player, that’s not going to happen, at least not right away. Cutting Ereck Flowers represented a step in the right direction. But replacing Manning with reserve QB Alex Tanney won’t cause a six-game winning streak. After the porr display against the Philadelphia Eagles, team decisions now need to be made with an eye exclusively on the future. Plain and simple – the team is a gut rehab project, so start treating it as such.

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