For the first time since 2016, the NY Giants have made it to the playoffs. This is, for the most part, due to the stars of the team stepping up at the right moments. However, not everything was perfect for head coach Brian Daboll.
Obviously, you can’t expect every player to be a standout, but several guys were given every chance to succeed and have simply failed. There were four guys in particular who had big-time goals and expectations leading up to Week 1, but they didn’t even come close to living up to the hype:
4. DB Darnay Holmes
While the expectations surrounding Darnay Holmes certainly weren’t the highest, there were many hopes that he would be able to step up and become a very solid option at corner behind Adoree’ Jackson after showing some flashes towards the end of last season.
However, with the season ending up this week, it’s safe to say that Holmes will likely never reach those expectations. Through 16 games, Holmes has allowed 43 receptions on 66 targets for 456 yards and one TD, obtaining a coverage grade of 49.5 per PFF.
Holmes has made some very nice tackles in the open field, there’s no doubts about that, but his ability in coverage this season has left much to be desired. Again, the expectations around Holmes were never very high, but the team needed him to simply improve just a little bit, and he has not done that.
With Jackson missing the last six games, Holmes abilities, or lack thereof, has been much more noticeable than in previous games. He may not be a liability, but he certainly hasn’t played as well as we hoped him to.
It is a good thing that Joe Schoen made the great decision to bring in Fabian Moreau, who has been the one to step up to the plate and be the CB2 the Giants have desperately needed. Maybe Holmes can step it up in the playoffs or next season, but this year was certainly a dud for the 24 year old former fourth-round pick.
3. OG Mark Glowinski
Following three tumultuous seasons with Will Hernandez manning the guard positions, it was nice to finally see a change after Schoen signed former Colts guard Mark Glowinski to a three-year, $18 million deal in the offseason.
In his first campaign with the Giants, Glowinski has been rather disappointing. Yes, he has had some moments of excellence, but for the most part Glowinski has needed to be better. Through 16 games, Glowinski has allowed five sacks and 34 pressures in 16 games, garnering a pass blocking grade of 55.5. This has easily been Glowinski’s weak spot all season. Not only do his five sacks rank fourth amongst guards, but just watching him play in pass protection is rather rough.
When the Giants signed Glowinski, it seemed as if they would be getting a very solid offensive guard to man the position over the next couple of seasons. While we all knew he wasn’t anything spectacular, he has been much worse than last season.
Glowinski is slated to have a cap hit of more than $7 million over the next two seasons, so if he wants to be worth that money, he must improve. Things could be worse, and have been worse over the last five years, but for what he is getting paid, there are no doubts Glowinski needs to be better.
2. LB Tae Crowder
It’s hard to have high expectations for a former Mr. Irrelevant, but for the amount of opportunities he had been given, and the way he talks, we certainly thought the Giants would be getting more out of Tae Crowder.
Honestly, it’s not that hot of a take to say Crowder may be the worst linebacker in the league, and for how much he has played for the Giants over the last two seasons, it is really disappointing that he has not improved much – if anything he may have gotten worse.
In 13 games played this season, Crowder racked up 45 tackles and one sack, while missing a whopping 14 tackles and allowing 15 catches on 19 targets for 173 yards and one TD.
Not only was Crowder borderline useless in coverage, but his complete inability to read and react in the run game made him a complete liability on the field. It got so bad to the point where Crowder would be released and re-signed to the practice squad, where the Pittsburgh Steelers would eventually sign him to their roster.
We wish nothing but the best for Crowder. It is difficult enough for a Mr. Irrelevant to stay in the league, let alone start for nearly two seasons. Obviously he shouldn’t have started at all, but it still is an accomplishment for the 25 year old. The LB room is something Schoen will need to address this offseason, but Crowder won’t be in any of the plans.
1. WR Kenny Golladay
The release of Kenny Golladay can’t come soon enough. While Golladay was disappointing last season, he still had moments of very solid play. This year, however, Golladay rarely sees the field and when he does, he doesn’t do a whole lot.
Golladay has caught just four passes for 51 yards this campaign, dropping four of his targets. In addition to this, Golladay also hasn’t caught a pass in five weeks and has had just two games in which he has done anything. There’s no doubt whatsoever that Schoen will be parting ways with the veteran WR this offseason.
This signing is just another move you can add to the lovely resume of Dave Gettleman, who really set this team back, but thank goodness Schoen stepped up to the plate and put this team on the right track. Golladay has been an absolute disaster since joining the team and there are no questions about that. His time donning a Big Blue jersey will be coming to a close soon.
4 NY Giants who completely exceeded expectations in the regular season
The NY Giants have had a memorable 2022 campaign thus far and there are four guys in particular who played better than expected in the regular season.