Watching the New York Giants‘ offense the past two seasons has been like watching paint dry. Aside from Saquon Barkley creating something out of nothing, the excitement of the offense has been held to a minimum. Former head coach and offensive play-caller Pat Shurmur did an underwhelming job in 2019, failing to entertain fans with a high profile scheme. In his defense, rookie quarterback Daniel Jones didn’t enjoy a single game with all of his playmakers available.
Games missed:
Sterling Shepard (6 games missed)
Saquon Barkley (3 games missed)
Darius Slayton (2 games missed)
Evan Engram (8 games missed)
Golden Tate (5 games missed)
Considering the Giants won only four games last season, upper management decided to move on from Shurmur in favor of former Dallas Cowboys head coach, Jason Garrett.
What should the New York Giants expect from Jason Garrett?
If you’ve watched the Cowboys for over 12 years, and I imagine you probably haven’t if you’re a Giants fan, you would know that Jason Garrett was once a catalyst for Dallas on offense. When he started out as an offensive coordinator in his first season, the Cowboys finished 13-3 and were the No. 1 seed in the NFC. They lead the NFC in points scored and trailed only the New England Patriots in the entire league. Their point total was the second-most in franchise history, and Tony Romo benefited exponentially from Garrett’s style.
A young Daniel Jones should learn a massive amount from Garrett, soaking in his knowledge and experience of the game. The team also featured two running back’s in Julius Jones and Marion Barber. Barber earned a Pro Bowl selection that season. Saquon Barkley is a vastly superior running back, which means Garrett could unlock a potential we didn’t even know existed.
Garrett does not like playmakers, as he will gain back all of the ones mentioned above. Jones, who is coming off a rookie season where he threw for over 3,000 yards and 24 touchdowns, should assist in Garrett’s success moving forward.
Garrett gets a lot of the blame for the Cowboys’ struggles the past few seasons, but the reality is, they had a good team with weaknesses at key positions. Their offense was always a strong point, as they ranked in the top-10 in nearly every category in 2019. Having him focused on the offense is exactly what the Giants need to take that next step, and I expect to see a heavy dosage of running the football and activating tight ends in the passing game.
I would also love to see more 22 personnel, where Barkley and Dion Lewis are activated in the backfield. This would also incorporate two tight ends — a blend of Engram, Kaden Smith, and Levine Toilolo. The mismatches the Giants could create with that set is undeniable.