The NY Giants missed the playoffs, but were almost gifted the NFC East at 6-10 this season. Now, with a good offseason, they could be the team to run the division for years to come.
The Giants’ win over the Dallas Cowboys didn’t lead to a division title this year – but it could be crucial in the team’s future success. For the first time in years, the team finally has some positive momentum entering the offseason.
It’s a feeling they haven’t known in quite some time, as head coaching searches and massive roster turnover have been the story of prior years. Let other teams worry about that though – the Giants are building something.
"“The only culture we’re going to have in that building, period, is a winning culture,” said coach Joe Judge, in his introductory press conference. “That means everybody comes to work every day, regardless of how they feel, and puts the team first, period. Whatever you have going on outside the building, you’re sick, a little bit of pain, you have discomfort, you’re upset, you’re mad, put all that aside.”"
In his first year as head coach, Judge changed that culture. Players bought in, put the team first, and everybody was held accountable. Now, it’s time for the winning to start.
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The NFC East this season was one of the weakest divisions ever, as courtesy of it a sub .500 team will go to the playoffs for only the third time in NFL history. That team was almost the Giants at 6-10, but a live tanking experiment by Doug Pederson helped prevent it.
This offseason, the Giants must make the necessary moves to become the dominant team of the division.
The Giants fared well against their division rivals this season – snapping losing streaks against the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles, splitting the season series with them. They also continued their reign of terror over the division champion Washington Football Team, sweeping them for the second consecutive year.
One thing’s for sure – when all four teams in a division finish sub .500, they all have issues. Some issues glare more than others though, and the Giants now have a golden opportunity to become the team to beat by fixing theirs.
A strong foundation to build off of helps the quest to division dominance immensely. The Giants have their quarterback, a solid offensive line, a good, young defense and most importantly, their head coach.
They also aren’t in salary cap hell like others in their division. There’s enough money where they can be players in free agency, possibly getting Daniel Jones a much needed wide receiver.
Money to spend, the eleventh pick in the draft and impact players like Saquon Barkley and Lorenzo Carter returning next season should help strengthen both sides of the ball. Plus, an actual training camp and preseason should help Judge’s staff iron out issues before games count.
There hasn’t been a repeat winner in the NFC East since 2004. The goal of Judge’s Giants should be what Tom Coughlin didn’t do – win Super Bowls and dominate the division.
Judge comes from two places that know a thing or two about long term success – the Alabama Crimson Tide and New England Patriots are two of the biggest football dynasties ever. Rome wasn’t built in one day though, and continuing to build on a strong first year is vital for the teams future success.
“You don’t build the Empire State Building by washing the windows, you build it with the foundation and work it on up,” said Judge. “Whatever your goal is at hand, you can put that in the distance and start working day by day to take a step forward.”
The Giants took a step forward this year – no question about it. Next year, they need to step on and over their division rivals to take it to the next level. It all starts with this off-season.
If they can do that, the positive momentum players, coaches and fans alike feel now won’t be a one time thing – it’ll become the standard.