These 5 NY Giants face the most pressure in upcoming season
By David Solow
Five NY Giants face the most pressure as we head into the 2021 season.
The pressure is on for NY Giants general manager Dave Gettleman.
Since taking over in late 2017, Gettleman has a 15-33 record with the NY Giants. That includes at least 10 losses in each season.
Ownership isn’t likely to tolerate another double-digit loss season, and they really shouldn’t.
“We feel like we’re really ready to compete in the NFL,” announced Gettleman on May 1st in a press conference. The rebuild should be in the rearview mirror, and the primary focus should be winning football games in 2021.
Despite competing for the division title in week 17, six wins aren’t close to being good enough, and won’t cut it again this year. Some exciting new additions, highlighted by WR Kenny Golladay, should help. However, some of the young players already on the roster need to step up if the NY Giants plan on truly competing in the NFL.
Any record worse than 9-8 this season should be considered a big disappointment. There are five players specifically that need to show significant improvement for the GMEN to have a chance. Three of these players are on the offense, a unit that ranked 31st in 2020.
Here’s a look at five NY Giants players who are facing the most pressure during the 2021 NFL Season:
QB – Daniel Jones:
Why is the pressure on for Jones?
NFL Network recently named Jones the No. 1 make-or-break player headed into the 2021 season. Is that amount of pressure fair? I don’t think so.
Jones still has a young offensive line that was just ranked as the worst in the NFL by PFF. Jones is also held back by an offensive coordinator in Jason Garrett that lacks creativity and effective play calling.
That being said, Jones should feel some pressure heading into training camp.
The NY Giants added the best available free-agent wide receiver this offseason when they inked the 6’4″ Kenny Golladay. They used their first-round pick on the explosive WR Kadarius Toney. Last year, they used the #4 overall pick on LT Andrew Thomas to protect Jones’ blindside. They are also returning former All-Pro running back Saquon Barkley.
The supporting cast on offense should be good enough (especially if the offensive line progresses.) The third-year starter is running out of excuses. If Jones can’t consistently move the ball downfield, it’s on him.
When Gettleman traded down with the Chicago Bears in the first round of the 2021 draft, the move was viewed by many as insurance for the quarterback position. The Bears are a team in transition, and the 2022 first-round pick Gettleman acquired in the deal could easily be in the top 10. If Jones disappoints, the NY Giants should have enough ammo with their two first-rounders to trade up and select the QB of their choosing in next year’s draft.
What will Jones have to improve upon in 2021?
Jones has to be more consistent.
He played well at times in 2020, but he still had bouts with inconsistency. A game that sticks out to me was the Monday Night affair vs. the eventual Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The offensive line blocked well for Jones and Wayne Gallman, the defense contained Brady for most of the game, but Jones missed Slayton deep on numerous occasions and was plagued by inopportune turnovers.
Jones has 39 turnovers in 29 career games.
For a team that wants to run the football and win with defense, the NY Giants can’t afford that many turnovers from the QB position. That being said, Jones averaged 1.07 turnovers per game in his last 13, so he is trending in the right direction.
Will pressure make diamonds?
Will Jones have the same New York fate as Sam Darnold after his third season? I really don’t think so. The organization loves their QB1, and this will be the year that Jones will reward the team that drafted him at #6 overall.
Jones is tough as hell, he’s smart, he’s a football guy, he’s a leader (he took his offense to Arizona this offseason), and he’s athletic. A real offseason in Garrett’s system will do wonders, and the offense will click with Saquon back in the lineup. In 10 games Jones and Barkley have played together, DJ has 23 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. In 17 starts he has without his All-Pro RB, Jones has 12 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
The offensive line should be better with more experience, and this version of Thomas heading into year 2 will be the best left tackle Daniel Jones has had protecting his blindside. Golladay will be the best receiver he has ever had in the pros or college. Jones has worked all offseason on his pocket awareness and footwork, and I think it will pay dividends.