What now? That's what countless NY Giants fans must be thinking after the terrible loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Monday night. Now, the G-Men are 1-3 on the year and the morale among the fanbase is down in the gutter. In all three phases of the game, New York has been disappointing.
This could very well lead to some interesting decisions being made moving forward. At least, we hope it will, as the Giants' start to the season has shown that what they're trying to do isn't working and change is needed. With that said, here's a look at four players who must be benched as soon as possible:
4. OL Marcus McKethan
Following what was a strong debut against the Cardinals in Week 2, fans were ecstatic about what former fifth-round pick Marcus McKethan could do for the Giants. However, just two weeks later, it seems like McKethan could find his way right back to the bench thanks to his poor play as the Giants starting right guard.
Through the three games McKethan has started, he has allowed 10 pressures and two sacks, earning a PFF pass-blocking grade of 28.2. While beforehand, the Giants didn't have much guard depth to play over him, as Shane Lemieux and Mark Glowinski are both arguably worse, a recent move could change this.
After months of speculation, the Giants finally went out and signed former first-round pick Justin Pugh. While it's initially a practice squad deal, there's a real chance that Pugh works his way onto the actual roster sooner than later and eventually starts given how bad the offensive line has been.
Whether it's for Pugh, or someone else, the Giants very well could stop giving McKethan chances to play poorly. He hasn't disappointed considering that he's a fifth-round pick, but there's no doubt that the Giants need better at right guard.
3. WR Parris Campbell
One of the more interesting signings Joe Schoen made this offseason was former Colts receiver Parris Campbell. While everyone knew he had injury concerns, there was no doubt that Campbell brought big-play potential from the slot position. Four games into the season and Campbell's time as the Giants starting slot receiver could be coming to an end.
Campbell has been solid for the Giants, but he hasn't been close to the player they signed him to be. Not only has he been limited in the deep ball game due to reasons both in and outside of his control, but even in the short game he hasn't been all that great. This season, Campbell has 14 catches on 21 targets for 62 yards and zero touchdowns, averaging just 4.4 yards per catch.
Now, with Wan'Dale Robinson having made his name known in the last couple of weeks since his return, alongside Jalin Hyatt's big-play potential, Campbell very well could be out of the lineup before we know it. In fact, he has already seen a decrease in snaps. Through the first two weeks, Campbell saw 71 snaps, but in the last two weeks, Campbell has been on the field just 44 times.
The potential was there for Campbell, but with the Giants having been relying on their short game, a guy like Robinson is a much better fit in the slot. His dynamism and abilities in the open field make Robinson a big-time weapon for the Giants and we hope to see his snaps continue to increase as the season goes on.
2. KR/PR Eric Gray
Following an embarrassing muffed punt early on against the Seahawks this week, the Giants took out Eric Gray as their primary punt returner. While we agreed with this move, we heavily disagree with who they replaced Gray with. That's right, despite watching Adoree' Jackson go down with an injury while returning punts last season, the Giants decided to throw him down there once again this week.
While luckily, Jackson made it out of this game without injury, it's common sense for him to not be returning punts from here on out. In fact, we're pretty annoyed that veteran WR Sterling Shepard wasn't given a chance to field punts during this game.
Not only have the Giants had Shepard field punts during practice in recent weeks, but it's not as if they'd be saving him to be a big part of the offense. Through four games, Shepard has played just 25 snaps and has been targeted only three times. Why not give the veteran who's given his all to this team a chance to be a difference-maker on special teams?
Regardless of who it is, Gray can't be the Giants' returner going forward. He hasn't been disastrous or anything, but Gray hasn't been a big game-changer for New York on special teams like we thought he would and it may be worth giving someone else a chance at this point. Gray's near fumble was awful all around on Monday night. Time to move on from the rookie.
1. RT Evan Neal
We know he's just a sophomore, but through 17 career games, Evan Neal has failed to show any amount of progression, and with the stakes the Giants have this season, they may wish to try someone new at right tackle. It would be nice to keep giving Neal chances, but with how atrocious he's been through four weeks, the Giants can't afford to keep him out there.
Neal has looked slow out of his initial step, his hands have been all over the place, and don't even get me started on his balance. These are all issues we were hoping to see solved heading into the season, but they haven't. There may not be many "better" players behind Neal, but at this rate, it seems like anyone could be better at tackle than him.
In four games, Neal has allowed 20 pressures and one sack, earning a PFF pass-blocking grade of 40.6. Honestly, this grade might be a bit generous. The amount of plays we've seen of Neal where he looks lost, out of place, or just too slow to keep up with an edge rusher are too much to count.
However, all may not be lost for Neal. A good way to work around his lack of burst off his step could be to try shifting him to guard. This would allow him to eat on the interior against bigger, but slower defensive linemen. It may not work out, but we doubt it would be any worse than the way he's played at tackle.