With OTAs and minicamp over, we've now officially hit pool/lake/beach (to each their own) season. It's summertime and the next wave of football the New York Giants and their fans will see is late July. That's a lot of days to fill with content when there isn't much content to go around.
That means sometimes you gotta get creative. When in doubt, bring up the past.
There's nothing like revisiting what's already happened and dissecting a situation that didn't need to be looked at again. In this case, former NFL cornerback Asante Samuel has poked the Shedeur Sanders pre-draft hornets nest.
The four-time Pro Bowler gave his opinion on the Sanders versus Brian Daboll pre-draft situation on his Say What Needs to be Said podcast:
"That just sounds crazy in itself. He got called out, didn't like it, and Brian Daboll didn't like that he didn't like getting called out. It's so petty and so immature that the narrative they tried to control on Shedeur Sanders. It's always somebody who just makes bad decisions, man. That's just my opinion."
Listen, both parties could have handled that whole exchange better, but to say that the G-Men tried to control the narrative on Shedeur to actively tank his draft stock is a massive stretch.
Le'ts get real about the Shedeur Sanders-Giants interview drama
I think professional athletes sometimes forget that, at the end of the day, it's a job. It's a privilege to get paid playing a sport, but it is a job.
I don't know anyone who has interviewed for a company, lashed out at the hiring manager after failing to answer a question correctly, and still got hired. Ever. There are literal online courses about proper interview etiquette -- on what to say, how to say it, what not to say, what to ask, and how to present oneself in the best light.
Related: Giants’ decision to pass on Shedeur Sanders looks better by the day
That doesn't mean the company that didn't hire them is throwing a narrative out there that the candidate was poison. It just means they weren't a good fit for their team. Same goes with front offices and pre-draft meetings. They're essentially interviews. Some go well, some don't, and both sides move on.
Unless it's mid-June with six weeks until training camp. That's when we revisit.
Did the outburst push the G-Men more toward Jaxson Dart? It certainly didn't hurt Dart's chances. Big Blue was interested in just about every quarterback in the class after finally parting ways with Daniel Jones the season before.
Does taking Dart over anyone else look like it was the right call a year later? Absolutely. It's not one person's fault Sanders ended up sliding into the fifth round. There are 31 other teams in the league that also passed on the 24-year-old multiple times. If a team thinks you are a franchise savior, a leaked interview won't stop them from drafting you.
For now, it's all about looking ahead. At least, it should be... especially for Big Blue. With a new head coach, a revamped roster, and Dart entering Year 2, it's exciting times in North Jersey.
The comparison between the two will be all but unavoidable when these young quarterbacks face off against one another at MetLife Stadium in Week 15. Should be a fun one.
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