The NY Giants finally have some key figures in place to make a long-awaited return to the NFL playoffs for the first time since 2016, and only the second time since their illustrious 2011 Super Bowl run.
New York seems to have nailed the head coaching position, filled by Joe Judge, several young guys stepped up unexpectedly, and the 2020 rookie class seems very promising.
John Mara has decided to bring back Dave Gettleman back for 2021 and it will ultimately be up to him to right this ship that has sailed some treacherous waters the last few seasons. This team still has too many flaws and Gettleman will be tasked with finding the right players and culture fits to ultimately fix the Giants’ many issues that have plagued New York for too long.
Judge will have some input on personnel decisions and he will help shape the roster.
As former NY Giants coach Bill Parcells famously said, “They want you to cook the dinner, at least they ought to let you shop for some of the groceries.” What Parcells means by his now-legendary quote is that the head coach needs input and say on who comes and goes and how the team should look and be constructed.
The Giants can learn a lot from this past weekend’s NFL Conference Championship games. The four teams fighting for an appearance in Super Bowl LV showed a lot of key and important trends and ways to build a roster truly capable of winning the Vincent Lombardi Trophy.
Here, we breakdown some noteworthy trends and decisions the Giants need to take from the NFL’s best teams.
In today’s NFL, you need dominant quarterback play to have a chance and survive in the playoffs.
It’s no longer rocket science.
If you want to win a Super Bowl in 2021, you need elite quarterback play to do so — and to get there.
Take a look at the NFL’s final four teams and who is their quarterback; Tom Brady is the unquestioned G.O.A.T, Aaron Rodgers is the near-certainty MVP winner this season, and one of the most talented QBs to ever play, Josh Allen exploded onto the scene in 2020, and Patrick Mahomes is like a next-level cheat code who is doing things no quarterback has ever done at such a young age.
The common theme here is how these four men led their teams all season long and their ability to single-handedly inspire their teammates or dominate a game by themselves, is a true measure of their abilities.
Where does this leave the Giants?
Enter Daniel Jones heading into year three as an NFL QB.
After three seasons, it gives you a fair and predictable body of work to fully evaluate and analyze whether your 3rd year, first-round quarterback is going to lead your franchise for the next 5-10 years or if he’s trending towards bust status.
Jones is trending downwards after not building off an intriguing rookie season and he regressed in many ways last season. He has failed to make the playoffs, let alone win five games in back-to-back seasons starting 12 games.
Guys such as Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Mahomes, Baker Mayfield, and Kyler Murray amongs others made significant strides in either their second or third year starting full time. If it’s not next season for Daniel Jones, you may have to wonder if that lightbulb will ever truly light up in No. 8’s head.
Mahomes has gone to three AFC championships and two Super Bowls in three years as a starting quarterback. As untenable as it seems, that is officially the bar for the new wave of elite, young quarterbacks on rookie deals. Lamar Jackson won the MVP in his first season starting in the NFL, Baker Mayfield broke the Browns playoff streak in his second full year starting as Josh Allen did the same in his third.
The point here is that if Jones does not make a significant leap in 2021, the NY Giants must seriously consider and evaluate what to do at quarterback for 2022 and beyond at the most important position in all of sports.