We could sit around all day and knock names off the board in regard to who has contributed to the demise of the New York Giants and how the lasting effects will be seen for years to come. Most of us right off the bat would say “Jerry Reese.” You could convince me that Reese is the primary suspect in the not so mysterious mystery that’s the failing Giants organization.
While Reese’s actions tell it all – drafting Ereck Flowers, Eli Apple, Evan Engram, all promising players that have struggled to live up to their first-round potential. Engram is the closest to proving his worth on the football field, but yet he still has issues with catching the football, his primary job. Flowers was released last week and signed a big “screw you” contract with Tom Coughlin and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Apple has shows signs of potential but has delivered maybe fourth-round value at cornerback.
We can count the many third-round draft picks that were busts. The fact that only one player from the 2015 draft remains on the Giants’ roster. Let’s name off a few third-round picks that have amounted to nothing:
Davis Webb, Darian Thompson, Owi Odighizuwa, Jay Bromley, Demontre Moore, Jayron Hosley, Jerrel Jernigan. Remember those names? They all leave a bitter taste in the mouth of fans. The issue with these picks is that they all looked promising when drafted, but ultimately didn’t amount to anything in terms of value.
So, returning to the original question. Who’s to blame for the fall of the Giants? My answer: John Mara.
I’ve never seen an owner get more involved in a team that Mara, with the exception of Jerry Jones. Mara’s ability to destroy everything in his path has been apparent the last five years. His lack of confidence to fire a clearly incapable Reese and the hiring of Ben McAdoo only scratch the surface of his issues. He’s a weak owner that bows down to players and coaches with authority. For example, Dave Gettleman might seem to be doing a decent job in regard to his draft picks. but he certainly wasn’t the best candidate. Mara went with him because he knows him and trusts his judgement.
The smarter move would have likely been Louis Riddick. Why? Because he would have rebooted the team instead of trying to revive Eli Manning. But Mara loves Manning and losing seasons, so why not bring in a guy that says he will build a team around an aging quarterback and no offense line. But wait, Gettleman did address the line. He signed Nate Solder who has been worth about half the $15 million he’s earning now, right guard Patrick Omameh has been as bad as any guard in the league, and Flowers has already been released ahead of the BYE week.
Now, it’s important to recognize that this team needs close to a full-rebuild, and the fact that Gettleman made the necessary moves to be a “win-now” team and is looking at a 1-5 record tells the full story. The roster is in shambles and there are no real leaders to calm the players down and lead them into battle. Odell Beckham Jr. is running wild with Lil Wayne, Sterling Shepard is punching things on the sideline, players are obviously lacking effort, and Pat Shurmur still refuses to give Eli any of the blame. Sounds a lot like 2017, doesn’t it?
Well, we can thank Mara for hiring a ‘yes’ man and worrying too much about Eli’s image than the future success of this team. Now, we are already waiting for the 2019 draft and our next franchise signal caller.