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The New York Giants 2019 are the Rodney Dangerfield of the NFL. You know where it's going – they get no respect.
They have a general manager who has been belittled for a slew of staff moves that have confused many NFL analysts. Dave Gettleman's focus in New England and his penchant for non-use of common GM talk is probably adding food to those who are not fans of GM.
They have a coach with a career record of 15-34. An NFL team led by Pat Shurmur has never won more than five games in a season.
They will start the season with a 38-year-old quarterback that many believe he should have been driven out of the city years ago. My granddaughter will be 4 years old this fall and opponents will tell you that Eli Manning has not been a quality quarterback in the NFL since birth.
They will start the year with NFL analysts, saying they have no chance of winning, which usually places them in the bottom third of the league.
They do not have Odell Beckham Jr., Vernon Olivier, Landon Collins and Damon Harrison. Shoot, they do not even have Golden Tate.
They have a star in Saquon Barkley. They have a collection of strong and not very remarkable veterans. After some seemingly solid drafts, many unproven young players are trying to build their resume.
As for the Giants, there seems to be only one thing everyone agrees on, that Barkley is a special player. Even so, some still wonder if the Giants have done the right thing by choosing him No. 2 overall in the 2018 NFL.
And yet … and yet, there is something about these giants.
It was Shurmur on Friday that spoke of both the victory on Thursday and the tough decisions he had to make to try to build the initial lineup of the 53 Giants players.
Remember where the Giants were when Gettleman and Shurmur took the reins. They formed a broken team after an embarrassing and divisive season that allowed them to reach the score of 3-13, the most defeats of the season in a franchise. There was very little talent of NFL caliber on a sterile list.
Gettleman and Shurmur spoke bravely about their competitiveness in 2018 and, to a certain extent, many drank Kool-Aid, it seemed like the Giants were selling, they could compete with the right moves and maybe even slip into the playoffs.
Everyone likes to have hope, right? The truth is that after so many difficult years, the process of getting the Giants back on track, making them a good football team, was never going to be fast. Or easy. Or without pain or controversial movements.
It was Gettleman in January.
When I think about what Gettleman and Shurmur are trying to do with the giants, I always remember buying an upstairs room. All those who have done it know that the job is always more ambitious than you think before you go to the shelter and start working. That's more or less what they have received.
"You can not turn this thing into a dime," said Gettleman at the start of the training camp.
Before you can make the desired or needed improvements, you have to tear down or rip everything that is broken, rotten or just does not work for what you want to do.
This part of the work is mainly done.
Behind all these digs, the giants have built. We can not yet judge completely, but they seem to have had two quality projects, marked by a half-generation and a potential franchise quartet. That's where the foundation of a team comes from. Miss too often and you end up with cracks in the foundations that you are constantly trying to repair.
Through the free agency and exchanges, the Giants have added veteran players who, they hope, will not only help them in the field, but will also bring professionalism, leadership and stability to locker rooms that they believe will help their young core developing.
Players like Kevin Zeitler, Antoine Bethea, Michael Thomas and Nate Solder, among others.
The work is not finished, but in 2019 we should start to see what kind of house the giants are building.
John Mara, co-owner of the Giants, explains how he sees the state of the team enter the season 2019. Yes, there is something to be optimistic about things going up. There is however a lot to prove.
Do not be stunned by the pre-season 4-0. The record of lost wins means nothing. Remember, the Giants followed a 5-0 2014 pre-season with a regular season 6-10 that marked the end of the Tom Coughlin era.
Instead, browse the preseason for signs of what might be. There are two positives.
The game of Daniel Jones is obvious. In the end, the long-term success or failure of what Gettleman and Shurmur are trying to do with the Giants will be determined by whether or not they find the right quarter of the franchise to take in. charge for Eli Manning. Despite the strong criticism that the Giants have received for using the sixth choice in the draft, Jones has for the moment given no indication that the Giants would eventually be wrong.
The other may well be the cheery reaction to the formation's lineup on Thursday night when Alonzo Russell captured a winning pass from former Giant Kyle Lauletta to beat the New England Patriots in the final match of the game. last preparatory game.
In the lead for a preparatory game that counts for nothing in the standings? May be. It was fun, though. It was also an indication of what's going on with this team of giants inside the Quest Diagnostics training center walls.
"We are just a family, we have honestly become a family. Everyone really cares about the guy next to him and you can see on the pitch how everyone played this pre-season and just the competitiveness we had at camp. All the efforts we have made together, all the moments we spent together and our growing team, as I said, we will become a family, "said Evan Engram. "We just like to see guys doing well. Last night was an ideal way for us to finish this pre-season in force. … it was really a very good ending for a very good camp and as I said, we became a family. It was a good time for our team to celebrate together, [end] to camp on the right foot. "
The starting center, Jon Halapio, is a giant since 2016. He saw the good and the bad with Ben McAdoo. He got his first job in the NFL last season for the first time in his career, but his injury was serious before the end of his second game.
"We just have good, good, solid guys in the locker room," Halapio said of the 2019 Giants.
"I like that. I love makeup. I love this group. I love the attention to detail, the fact that more guys have league experience on which we're going to go." count, "said veteran defender Michael Thomas.
"I really think this band is in a great place. We have the chemistry of the team, we have excellent leadership, we expect to play and play, we expect to play at a high level. We have shown that we can do it and I feel that we have improved. "
"I like this group. It's competitive.
Thomas, technically, was talking about defense. Really, however, this seems to be the attitude that permeates the entire list.
I interviewed veteran receiver Russell Shepard about Mara's quote: "I also love the cloakroom feel." He gave a long and thoughtful answer.
"There are different types here. You have a lot of young guys who are looking at older guys and learning a little bit about them. Last year, we had a veteran presence. We had guys who were successful in this league, were used to doing it in a certain way, "Shepard said.
"I think the difference this year is that we have a group of young guys who are new and who are willing to do it in any way. This is an attack against anyone, be it Odell, OV, Snacks. All the great football players. To land on. They can help us and they were great teammates.
"But I think when you pick up an older cloakroom and add younger guys, you tend to have a different mood and feel."
Shepard praised the work done by Gettleman and Co. in compiling this list.
"Excellent mix. The reception and coaching staff did a great job of assessing the character of the guys and their mental game before even taking them to the locker room, regardless of their level of physical skill, "Shepard said.
"I think they've done a good job in bringing in guys who love football and want to contribute in a team way."
Gettleman has repeatedly spoken of the importance of culture for a winning football team. Shepard brought back our conversation on this subject.
"If you want to win and do like the Giants, do it right, you have to rely on each other, you have to spread wisdom. The term we use is "Iron sharpens the iron." Just being able to go beyond your tasks as a professional athlete, as a professional, be able to teach guys how to play games. somehow, how to win in a certain way, "says Shepard.
"In the end, it creates a culture. You can not create or create a culture in a certain way if older people do not communicate and do not really show young people how to do it.
"I think that's what we're currently experiencing with this organization and this team. Create a culture that we believe can be beneficial for better or for worse and win many football games here. "
It was Mara in her state of franchise, the pressure of the training camp, which went straight to the point.
The Giants think they have improved the level of talent of their team. They believe they have built a foundation and a culture that can lead to better days.
Can they still win enough games in 2019?
This, of course, is a Gettleman quote from the off season. Here are more:
"We are building. The goal of this is to win as many games as possible each year. We are building. We were 3-13 when I took over. We were 5-11 last year – 12 of those games were scored by a touchdown or less. We are building. I do not understand why it's a question. Really and really, you can win while you build. "
The giants are not yet completely built. No, in a league where the alignments change considerably from one year to the next, no team is completely built. There are changes every season. Gettleman, Shurmur and Mara all know that this team is not where they want.
Perhaps another strong project and a dead season that promises a free agency activity because the Giants will have clear space will bring them closer together.
Before that date, however, is the 2019 season.
They enter with an unproven defense. With a body of receivers not spectacular, it misses a player who commands a double team. With an aging franchise quarterback that, according to many, should have already been replaced by the sixth choice in general.
Everyone knows that the transition between Manning and Daniel Jones is imminent. But when?
As long as Manning is in good health, the number of games won will probably be answered to this question. A terrible start like last season's 1-7, and Jones will almost certainly play. The longer the Giants stay in the playoff race, the longer Manning will stay in training.
The kind of quarterback that Jones is going to become is really the key issue in the construction of the Gettleman Giants. No matter how much he plays or does not play, we will not get a complete answer to this question in 2019.
We should, however, get answers as to whether the Giants – as they so obviously believe – are really heading in the right direction.
After a busy debating season, can they gain a little respect? We are starting to discover a week from today.
Because I can, a little Rodney Dangerfield for you:
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