The New York Giants have suffered through a lot of losing season in recent history. Much of the blame has been shared between the various coaching staffs, the front offices, and the ownership. But general manager Dave Gettleman has received the bulk of the criticism over the past two seasons.
Many fans support Gettleman completely and praise him for his last two draft classes. Those drafts landed one of the best running back in the NFL in Saquon Barkley and Eli Manning’s heir apparent in Daniel Jones. But plenty of fans also criticize Gettleman for those same draft classes, as well as many of his questionable free-agent signings such as Nate Solder and his massive contract.
According to a recent report by Jay Glazer, Dave Gettleman “presented a plan for how he’ll turn it around in a year. That needs to happen. If it doesn’t happen, he’ll be gone and rightfully so. If he doesn’t follow through, it’s time to go.” Ownership has given Dave Gettleman one year to turn it around. If not, then he is gone. So how can Gettleman save his job at this point?
Daniel Jones’s Progression
Dave Gettleman and Daniel Jones’s careers will forever be linked. The Jones selection infamously set the NFL world on fire as Giants fans had a meltdown and booed their now beloved quarterback. Many fans were calling for Gettleman’s firing.
That was until we got to see Daniel Jones play. Jones exceeded all expectations in his rookie season. The former Duke Blue Devil started 12 games for the Giants in 2019. He threw for 3,027 yards, 24 touchdowns passes, 12 interceptions, and saved Dave Gettleman’s job despite a disappointing 4-12 season.
Still, there were plenty of flaws in the quarterback’s rookie season. Daniel fumbled the ball 18 times and failed to win more than 3 games in his 12 starts. He will need to show improvement in his sophomore season to prove to John Mara and the rest of the NFL that he is worthy of being the team’s franchise quarterback for the next decade or so.
Simply Win More
Seeing Daniel Jones develop in 2020 will increase the likelihood that Dave Gettleman returns the following season. But ownership will also need to see the rest of the team improve.
Simply put, 12 wins in three seasons are not enough. The Giants can not be picking inside the top-ten picks in the 2021 NFL Draft. It is time for this once-proud organization to get back to winning football games.
If the Giants can win enough games to at least keep them in the playoff hunt in December, then this season will be a large improvement over the last. Dave Gettleman’s roster moves this offseason need to lead to more wins. Since he has been told that he has one year to turn things around, a season with more wins in 2020 is just about the only way that Dave Gettleman can save his job.