The New York Giants have a problem on offense, and locating the catalyst behind it is rather difficult. Some might blame quarterback Daniel Jones for the unit’s struggles, notably in the turnover category and his inability to go through his progressions at an efficient rate.
Some might blame the offensive line, who have been inconsistent this year and had one of the worst games of the season against the Arizona Cardinals this past weekend.
However, most would land on offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, who was fired by the Dallas Cowboys from their head coaching position and landed with the Giants this past offseason.
Garrett has a relationship with the Mara’s, which undoubtedly helped him land the job in the first place. He hadn’t called plays in years, but most thought he would bring over some of Kellen Moore’s elite offense. That hasn’t been the case, as the Giants currently rank 31st in the league, averaging 18.3 points per game.
You could come to Garrett’s defense in many ways, noting the lack of experienced talent in the trenches and slim pickings when it comes to the playmakers. The Giants have Sterling Shepard and Evan Engram, but they have been unable to dominate on a weekly basis, as the offense misses the attention Saquon Barkley draws.
Against Arizona, the wide receivers averaged below the league-average in yards of separation, indicating they simply can’t beat man coverage. The Cardinals manned up with them across-the-board, and with a lack of creative route running and schematics, the receivers were doomed from the start. It seems as if Darius Slayton is still working through injuries, and Shepard was unable to get anything going except for three completions totaling 35 yards.
From an outside perspective, the playcalling was disastrous, and the offensive line was a liability. Nonetheless, coaching should be able to mask some deficiencies, as we’ve seen on defense with Patrick Graham.
The New York Giants have two examples of good and bad coaching right in front of them:
Utilizing a bevy of rookies and practice squad level players, he’s managed to build one of the most dominant defenses in the NFL. They were unable to generate much pressure against Kyler Murray, but the secondary held up extremely well and nearly forced several turnovers.
It’s hard to blame any specific person or player for the lackluster production on offense, but Garrett’s scheme has been void of spark. The occasional deep ball hoisted up by Daniel Jones in single coverage works out, but they need more creativity and on the move decision making.
Everything seems to be telegraphed from pre-snap to post-snap, as Jones moves to his progressions without blinking an eye.
Sometimes, he gets stuck on a read and fails to move on, which we saw against Arizona when he missed Dion Lewis in the flat wide-open on third down.
Unfortunately, there are too many weaknesses to decipher at this point in the season, and the Giants are going to have to allocate more draft capital in free agency money toward bolstering the unit. There are players that provide sufficient value, but at this point in time, they lack true playmakers, with Saquon sitting on the bench due to a torn ACL.
I do believe Garrett should be on the hot seat for his inability to average over 20 points per game. He is a seasoned veteran and should have more up his sleeve, but teams have figured out his system, and the Cardinals acted as if they already knew the plays that were being called.