The New York Giants lost to the New England Patriots 33-15 on Monday Night Football, but that wasn’t the story of the game. Considering the Patriots are 11-2, and New York is 2-11, that outcome was expected. The story for the Giants, though, was about their young players, and more specifically, the team’s two first-round rookies Abdul Carter and Jaxson Dart.
Both Dart and Carter had the kind of games they’ve been having all season: losing efforts filled with promising moments. However, despite their promise, everyone left the game concerned about their lack of discipline. Carter was benched for the first quarter, for what has been reported as tardiness, and Dart remained committed to running reckless, despite the push for him to change his play style after missing the last two weeks with a concussion.
Both young players have struggled with their respective problems throughout the season, which is unfortunate for New York since the franchise wants to build around them. That’s why the Giants' coaching search this offseason will be extremely important; New York must find someone that can get through to the talented young players and lead them in the right direction.
Giants must find a culture-setting head coach to lead talented young players
Monday’s game was the second time in three weeks Carter had been temporarily benched for being late or missing a team activity. The rookie defender has expressed that he got the message, but as a repeat offender, he will have to prove that through his actions.
Dart, on the other hand, spent two weeks in the concussion protocol with New York talking about how he has been urged to avoid contact. However, in the rookie quarterback’s first game back, he made it abundantly clear he wasn’t trying to hear that. Before the game, Dart said, “You can’t stop a dog from doing what a dog wants to do” After the game, which included Dart being blasted into the air because he refused to step out of bounds, the rookie quarterback doubled down on his mindset, emphasizing, “this is football…I’ve played this way my whole entire life.”
While his mindset is admirable, it’s clear the franchise isn’t getting through to him. The same goes for Abdul Carter. As talented as they are, their abilities won’t matter if they can’t be professional or stay on the field. That’s why New York needs to find a voice they will listen to.
Everyone wants a schematics coach that’s a wizard with the X’s and O’s, especially with a young quarterback, but New York also needs a culture builder. The Giants have a promising core of talented young players, but the franchise now needs someone to make them professionals on and off the field.