There’s plenty of blame to go around in the New York Giants’ loss the San Francisco 49ers in week three, but change has to be on its way after starting the regular season 0-2 for the fourth straight year. Falling to 0-3 is only a testament to the team’s lackluster talent and understanding of the schematics imposed by the coaching staff.
It is fair to mention that struggles were always going to be present with a change in coaching staff and regimen, but the Giants look worse off three years after general manager Dave Gettleman took over after the firing Jerry Reese.
The message can’t always be, “we have to work harder and fight.†The Giants simply haven’t found a way to win games, despite having the talent to do so. Players like Daniel Jones, Saquon Barkley (when healthy), Sterling Shepard, Darius Slayton, Evan Engram — they all represent talent and potential, but the offensive play calling has limited their abilities significantly.
Ultimately, it boils down to coaching and player personnel. The blend the Giants currently have is not working, and the lack of sustainability translates to losses. Minimal veteran experience and play-making talent have been the team’s curse, but things simply aren’t getting better during the rebuild that has lasted multiple years.
The New York Giants will have to blame somebody:
With the Giants starting off poorly for the third straight season, somebody must take the blame for the team’s failures. Last season, it was head coach Pat Shurmur who was fired, but this time around, it will inevitably be Gettleman.
Reflecting back on the Saquon Barkley pick, it is fair to say in hindsight, it was a poor decision. He has now been injured for the majority of his professional career and will miss the entire 2020 season with a torn ACL. The running back position is one of the most injured ones in the NFL, so investing the second overall pick in one was always an optimistic move. Even when Barkley was playing at the top of his game, the Giants were still losing games.
Overall, I think we can agree that Gettleman should be on the hot seat after another poor start. The Giants haven’t taken any steps forward despite allocating more resources toward the offensive line and bringing in a new coaching staff composed of several former head coaches. “Progress†is a word simply can’t be associated with this team, and it starts at the top of the food chain, aside from ownership.
Eventually, the Giants are going to have to catch up with the rest of the NFL and take a more modern-day approach to their rebuild. Gettleman is a dinosaur trying to piece together a run-first team when the best team’s in the league (Ravens/Chiefs) have already set the stage for something completely different.