In another version of the toilet bowl, the New York Giants (2-11) will face off against the Miami Dolphins (3-10) in week 15 of the regular season. Aside from a fight for the top pick in the NFL Draft, the Giants don’t have much to compete for. They will focus on their youth development, featuring DeAndre Baker and Sam Beal in starting roles as outside cornerbacks while veteran Janoris Jenkins handles the interior in the slot.
However, this game might mean the most for head coach Pat Shurmur, who has already blown leads against the New York Jets, wide receiver-less Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears, and Detroit Lions. One common theme with the majority of these teams is that they have losing records.
Falling to the Dolphins would only give owner John Mara more ammo to use against Shurmur in a potential firing situation. As I stated via Twitter, the Giants won’t fire GM Dave Gettleman this offseason, primarily due to the general time-frame for a rebuild.
Let’s look at the current Giants situation:
Generally, it takes 3 years for a full rebuild to begin showing positive trends.
Look at the Browns (garbage) and they were expected to be great in the same time frame.
Gettleman will keep his job, Pat Shurmur is gone.#giantschat
— Alex Wilson (@AlexWilsonESM) December 12, 2019
The New York Giants need to give Dave Gettleman one more season:
Giving Gettleman only two years to overhaul an entire roster in a time where quality offensive lineman are hard to come by is a tough task, to begin with. Three years is the acceptable amount for a rebuild, or to at least see significant positive growth, and the Giants will be evaluating the roster Gettleman has pieced together.
So far, in 2019, the rookies have seen an enormous amount of playing time, especially in the secondary. Baker has played in every game this season, Beal has featured since his return from injury, and Julian Love is quickly becoming a regular starter. On the defensive line, Dexter Lawrence and Oshane Ximines have both been active in the trenches. Linebacker Ryan Connelly would have been a prominent part of the defense if not for his torn Achilles in week four against the Washington Redskins.
Factor in Darius Slayton, Daniel Jones, and Kaden Smith on offense, and Big Blue is currently starting six rookies, a majority being on defense, which has been the Giants’ Achilles heal.
This reality would have saved Shurmur’s job if not for his blatant inability to manage the clock and utilize star running back, Saquon Barkley. Consider his poor personnel decisions and lack of creativity on offense, and you could make the case he deserves to be fired before the Giants play one the worst teams in the league. If they do fall to the Dolphins, Mara could act quickly to find a replacement for the “quarterback whisperer.”