Jury's Still Out on New York Giants' Offense's Building Blocks
New York Giants fans no doubt long for the day when the team is landing more often in the winning column and when the offense develops into an explosive, scoreboard-lighting unit.
Unfortunately, that day seems like it's eons away. To reach that status, the team needs to have solid building blocks in place, something that the eye test thus far has confirmed is not yet the case. And Bleacher Report's Brad Gagnon, in his review of all 32 teams' offensive building blocks, isn't sold on the Giants group either, putting them in the "Jury's Still Very Much Out" category and ranking them 22nd.
The Giants are loaded with young offensive players who have failed to show significant signs of becoming major contributors. The list? It starts with practically the entire offensive line beyond 25-year-old Andrew Thomas (namely John Michael Schmitz and Evan Neal, who are 24 and 24, respectively) and spans into the pass-catching corps with Wan'Dale Robinson (23), Jalin Hyatt (22), and Daniel Bellinger (23). Meh."
Gagnon didn't speak about the quarterback situation, but that's as big of a factor as any. The Giants went through three quarterbacks last season thanks to injuries, and really, of the three--Daniel Jones, Tyrod Taylor, and Tommy DeVito--none of them did the offensive building blocks a lot of favors. Whether it was holding the ball too long, missing wide-open receivers, or simply trying to force things that weren't there, the Giants quarterback play left a lot to be desired.
Then there is the matter of coaching. When a team has that much young talent that has collectively failed to progress, that's typically a red flag that points to coaching. Not surprisingly, head coach Brian Daboll made changes to his staff, firing offensive line coach Bobby Johnson and replacing him with Carmen Bricillo, who had had better fortunes with developing talent in Las Vegas.
That said, Robinson was coming off a torn ACL and got better as the year progressed. Hyatt's lack of involvement, especially after the summer he had in training camp, mystified a few people. Still, one consideration not many people are discussing is that perhaps he wasn't fully ready for what he was being asked to do given his deployment in Tennessee's offense.
If that's the case, then yes, one can point to coaching, though to blame it on coaching isn't fair as one would have to consider the player's part in adjusting to life in the pros.
Bellinger took a back seat to Darren Waller, whose athleticism was much better. But in the process, Belligner's blocking, which needed to be his bread and butter given the circumstances, never did take the next step. Whether that was due to an undisclosed injury that he fought through or some other circumstance, it was certainly disappointing.
The Giants need a lot more out of their young core of players. That they're in a clear rebuild is no excuse, as progress needs to be made year after year.
If it's not, the Giants best take a step back and look at their processes because it will be apparent that if no progress is being made, something beyond the play and coaching on the field is broken.
