N.Y. Giants: Dave Gettleman Facing Fourth And Long

From the desk: DO IT FOR THE DUKE

SEASON FINALE

Cowboys 19

Giants     23

FINAL

The Eagles play dead, Washington wins their final game of the regular season, and the Giants are out of the playoffs.  

This is what happens when you place your football fate in the hands of another team.

The Giants didn't deserve to make the playoffs.  Everything else is just noise to me.  You're either a legitimate playoff team, or you're not.  As Bill Parcells always used to say, "You are what your record says you are."  

That makes the Giants a sub-par team.

So long 2020 ...

Hello?

John Mara meddled way too much during Eli Manning's last seasons with the Giants, and they're still paying the price.  Let us not forget what Dave Gettleman inherited from Jerry Reese.  But it's becoming time that Gettleman starts owning this continuing futility.

John Mara wanted to rally around Eli Manning one last time.  So Gettleman signed Nate Solder to a ridiculous contract, then drafted Saquon Barkley and Will Hernandez with his first two selections as the Giants' general manager.  

Afterwhich, Gettleman spent three of his next five picks selecting defensive linemen (Lorenzo Carter, B.J. Hill, R.J. McIntosh).  We mustn't overlook the useless selection of quarterback Kyle Lauletta in the fourth round.  But Gettleman also began breaking down the defense by trading Snacks Harrison, Eli Apple, Olivier Vernon, et al., and eventually letting Landon Collins walk. This is what I call conflicting agendas.  

Selecting Saquon Barkley with the second overall pick was questionable in 2018 and remains so today.  To be clear, Barkley's talent is not in question.  The issue at the time was philosophical and more about the team's direction.  I contend Mara's meddling in 2018 compromised Gettleman's cap flexibility and put his drafting a full year behind schedule.  Not coincidentally, after Gettleman traded Odell Beckham Jr. and installed Daniel Jones at quarterback, the Giants' owner(s) have been silent ever since.

With regards to those selected in the 2018 draft, we anticipate a healthy return by Barkley.  Left guard Will Hernandez was originally sidelined by COVID but was clearly struggling beforehand and never did win back his starting job.  Third round supplemental pick defensive back Sam Beals is even lower on the depth charts.  Meanwhile, Lorenzo Carter spent the 2020 season on injured reserve.  Neither B.J. Hill nor R.J. McIntosh has achieved starter status in the Giants 3-4 scheme.  They play behind 2017 second-round pick Dalvin Tomlinson, trade acquisition Leonard Williams, and left end, Dexter Lawrence, selected in the first round of the 2019 draft.

Dexter Lawrence (think Odell Beckham Jr. trade) was the second of a trio of first-round selections for the Giants.  Of course, 2019's first pick was used to select Daniel Jones.  Cornerback Deandre Baker was Gettleman's third first-round selection but is no longer with the team (which deserves its own narrative). Without a number two pick, Oshane Ximines was drafted in the third round as a defensive end.  When that didn't work out, Ximines was moved to linebacker but wound up another casualty on the injured reserve list.  Julian Love and Darius Slayton are keepers, whereas Ryan Connerly and Corey Ballentine are both gone.  Lastly, seventh-round selections George Asafo-Adjel and (and yet another failed defensive lineman) Chris Slayton are nowhere to be found.

The 2020 draft was another mixed bag of goods.  Selecting three offensive linemen within the team's first five picks was impressive.  Andrew Thomas was the fourth overall selection of the draft.  His season was filled with both good times and bad, but I expect he'll improve.  Matt Peart and Shane Lemieux came on strong as the season progressed.  In fact, Lemieux's effective play kept Will Hernandez on the sidelines.  Gettleman, with his second and fourth picks, selected Xavier McKinney and Darnay Holmes.  Gettleman then drafted four linebackers with minimal impact.

I'm going to credit Dave Gettleman with ten draft hits in just under thirty attempts.  Keep in mind a player's best ability is his availability.  If a player is hurt, that player is probably not on my list.  Otherwise, the respective levels of success are debatable:

1. Saquon Barkley
2. Will Hernandez
3. Daniel Jones
4. Dexter Lawrence
5. Julian Love
6. Darius Slayton
7. Andrew Thomas
8. Xavier McKinney
9. Matt Peart
10. Shane Lemieux

One thing Gettleman cannot be criticized for is ignoring the offensive line.  You wanted hog mollies; you got hog mollies.  However, his draft selections at linebacker and defensive line have mostly been terrible.  His choices for the secondary have been hit or miss.  Insofar as the 2020 season, the 2018 draft proved largely inconsequential.  The 2019 draft at least yielded four starters.  If I'm not mistaken, Darius Slayton is Gettleman's lone wide receiver selection through three drafts.

The main takeaway from the Odell Beckham trade remains Dexter Lawrence.  While Jabrill Peppers has been more than serviceable, the aforementioned Oshane Ximines has not.

The upside to acquiring Leonard Williams from the Jets now rests in Gettleman's hands.  To pay him, or not, is the question.  Williams, at 26-years old, enjoyed a career season with the Giants.  In twelve starts and sixteen games, he set career highs with 11.5 sacks and 30 QBhits.  His 29 solo and 28 assisted tackles were his most since (2016) his second year in the league.  Leonard Williams and Dalvin Tomlinson are both headed towards free agency.  It's hard to imagine the Giants signing both.  And so, we cycle back to the draft and Gettleman's generally poor history of drafting defensive linemen.

After the 2021 season, the office of general manager will likely need revisiting anyway.  First and foremost, Gettleman's age and well being must be taken into consideration.  But for as long as he feels up for the task, then the Giants are 15-33 (.312) during his tenure.  

Isn't it odd how his win percentage and his rate of draft hits are alarmingly similar?

His next draft will be his fourth as general manager of the Giants.

N.Y. Giants: Head Coach Reads and Reacts to Deficiency in Coaching Ranks

From the desk: DO IT FOR THE DUKE

JUDGE RENDERS HIS DECISION

That settles it ... Joe Judge has an ally in me.  

I previously said that I would wait till after the season to pass judgment.  But with the defense surprising everyone, the offense progressively coming around, and the head coach taking a member of his staff to task, I'm sold.

Marc Colombo is now the former offensive line coach of the Giants.  After a heated discussion with Joe Judge, the Giants' first-year head coach fired him in a move Judge claims is both in the short and long-term interests of the team.  Colombo is the former offensive line coach of the Dallas Cowboys who came to the Giants at Wayne Garrett's behest.  Mind you, Colombo at Dallas was handed an already heavily invested and talented offensive line.  Where did that get them ...

Apparently, Joe Judge over the last four weeks has been taking a more active role in coaching up the offensive line.  If that was not perceived as an affront by Marc Colombo, then perhaps hiring the more familiar Dave DeGuglielmo as an assistant offensive line coach was.  Said another way, Colombo was never a Joe Judge guy, to begin with.  It's evident, now, Judge's lack of confidence in Colombo inspired him to take proactive measures.

What has transpired on the field in recent weeks makes much more sense when framed in this context.  If you're down with DO IT FOR THE DUKE, then you know I've been harping on the running game since Week One.  After failing to breach 100 yards in their first three games and four of the first five, the Giants have now rushed for 100+ yards in five consecutive games and six of their last seven.  In fact, they've now exceeded 150+ yards in two straight games and three times in their last four (twice against PHI and once against WAS).  They now are out-rushing their opponents this season by a slim +96 yard differential and rank 14th in rushing attempts, 16th in yards per game, and 11th in total yards gained.  Looking back, it indeed seems as if the rushing turnaround is the result of Joe Judge's intervention.

A man with conviction, a head coach with broad oversight, and laser-focused superintendence, I like it.

Left guard Will Hernandez contracting the corona-virus also created another development - namely playing time for Matt Peart and Shane Lemieux who have been rotating with Andrew Thomas on the left side.  Andrew Thomas, of course, was handed the starting left tackle position right out of the draft and struggled early.  However, he likewise has put together a series of sound performances in recent weeks.  

It begs the question: can this be chalked up to coincidence, playing experience through ten games, or did Joe Judge realize his offensive line was in the hands of an unqualified coach?

N.Y. Giants: The Thrill of Victory Number One

From the desk of: DO IT FOR THE DUKE

JOE JUDGE WINS FIRST GAME AS HEAD COACH

WEEK SIX

No Name    19

Giants        20

FINAL

GIANTS OFFENSE STILL SPUTTERING

Joe Judge in his sixth try finally earns his first win as head coach of the New York Giants.  

It wasn't pretty by any stretch.  In the closing moments the defense steps up to thwart Washington's last ditch two point conversion attempt.  Big Blue comes away with a 20-19 victory at empty MetLife Stadium.  Aesthetics aside, a win is a win is a win.

Congratulations to Coach Judge. 

I like his demeanor and his message and he has my support.  I'm far more agreeable with Judge at the helm than I was with Pat Shurmur and especially Ben McAdoo at the controls.  Otherwise, I will give Judge his grade at the end of the season and not until then.

In the meantime, the team's 1-5 record more than anyone else is most reflective of Dave Gettleman and the talent he has so far assembled.  Therefore my attention remains on the general manager and next year's batch of draft selections.  That being said, the performance of Daniel Jones will go a long way towards swaying Gettleman's decision making.

On Sunday Danny Dimes once again falls a few pennies short of cashing in.  His performance is a tale of two halves.  He is good in the first half, not so good in the second, particularly down the stretch.  That's been a problem throughout the season.  Dreams of the quarterback and offensive line progressing together, in sync, are given a glimmer of hope when in the second quarter Daniel Jones throws his first touchdown pass since the opening week against Pittsburgh.  Looking to build upon a 13-10 lead in the closing minute of the third quarter, the Giants are positioned first and goal at the Washington seven.  Jones fires towards the back of the end zone as if to throw it away and is instead picked off.  The Washington No Names then go on a 14 play drive which stalls but nevertheless results in the game tying field goal.

Jones completes 12 fo 19 attempts for 112 yards, with one touchdown and the one interception.  It is Daniel's sixth INT of the season and the 18th of his career.  He has now turned the ball over by INT or fumble in 17 of 18 pro starts.  Add in 22 career fumbles due to pass pressure and when rushing and you have forty gross turnovers.

This also marks the third time in six games Daniel Jones has failed to achieve at least 200 yards passing.  He has yet this season to throw for 300 yards.  His best two games to date were the first two games when he throws for 279 yards against the Steelers, then throws for 241 yards against the Bears.  Since then he's been averaging just 18 completions and a sub par 175 yards per game.  In twelve starts last season he posted five games of 300+ yards passing.

Up front, the hog mollies limit a disruptive Washington pass rush to a lone sack and just five other QB hits.  That's improvement.  But there's a twist.  Rookies Andrew Thomas and Matt Peart share near equal time at left tackle.  We later learn Thomas was being disciplined for violating team rules.  Neither one allows a sack.

The Giants technically rushed for 132 yards, marking their second highest output through six games.  However, I do not include Daniel Jones who this time runs for 74 yards on seven carries.  Thus, Devonta Freeman is responsible for the entire Giants running attack, gaining 61 yards on 18 carries.  The Giants run left five times for 34 yards behind Thomas, Peart, and Will Hernandez.  They net one yard on two attempts up the middle.  Eleven times they rushed right for 26 net yards behind Kevin Zeitler and Cam Fleming.  Said another way, they averaged 6.8 yards rushing left and only 2.3 yards rushing right.

After amassing exactly 300 total yards for the first time last week against Dallas, the Giants offense only manages 240 total yards against Washington.  They're averaging just 275 yards of offense per game.

With the defense accounting for one touchdown, the offense manages just 13 points.  They've scored just six touchdowns through six games and are averaging just 17.5 points per game.  The good news is they've now gone back to back weeks scoring 20 points or more. 

Meanwhile, the less I speak about the defense the better they play.  Carry on, fellas.

N.Y. Giants: End Zone Continues to Elude Daniel Jones

From the desk of: DO IT FOR THE DUKE

DAYBREAK!

GAME FOUR

Giants     9

Rams    17

FINAL

Nick Gates Announces His Presence With Authority

Game Four features an interesting development and it centers around ... the center, Nick Gates.  

The rushing game (backfield participants only) through the first three weeks clearly leans heavy right.  Out of 39 total rushes eleven go left, seven up the middle and 21 rushes go right behind Kevin Zeitler and Cam Fleming.  As the trend implies, the Giants rush for minimal positive yardage center/left behind novice center Nick Gates, third year Will Hernandez and rookie Andrew Thomas.  

On Sunday against the Rams and defensive end Aaron Darnold, the Giants buck that three game trend.  Jason Garrett runs right at Darnold and the Giants put up their best rushing totals in four weeks with 136 yards on the ground.  Daniel Jones accounts for 45 yards on six carries.  Devonta Freeman (11), Wayne Gallman (6), Dion Lewis (1) and C.J. Board (1) run for a season high 91 yards.  Seven rushes go left behind Andrew Thomas and Will Hernandez for 29 yards, and nine rushes go up the middles behind Nick Gates for 53 yards.  That's 82 yards of daylight created by the middle/left side - indeed a milestone accomplishment for this group.

Only two rushes go right for eight yards.  I would have stopped there were in not for a pair of offsides penalties called against Kevin Zeitler and Cam Fleming plus the fact that for a series in the second quarter rookie Matt Peart was inserted into the line in place of right tackle Cam Fleming.  All of which makes for a curious albeit acute situation.

With five more sacks by the Rams, the offensive line has now yielded 14 quarterback sacks.  Their average sack per game ranks 30th in the league.

At the end of the game Golden Tate and L.A.'s Jalen Ramsey get into a full blown fight.  The obligatory dog pile ensues.  Then along comes Nick Gates with no helmet barreling into the crowd, pulling and shoving bodies aside.  After creating the most daylight for the running game he looked as if he wanted to knocks someone's lights out completely.

Giants need more guys like this ... clone him.

Cycling back to the game, the offensive line yields five more sacks.  They have now allowed 14 quarterback sacks in four games.  Their average sack per game ranks 30th in the league.

That said, we know Daniel Jones is often negligent in his own undoing.  Trailing 17-9 the Giants have the ball on the Rams 18-yard line with 0:52 left in the fourth quarter.  A touchdown and a two point conversion tie the game.  On second and five, Jones throws a pass intended for Damion Ratley.  The ball is under thrown and intercepted by Darious Williams.  Jones has now thrown five interceptions - at least one in every game - but has yet to throw a touchdown pass since Week One against Pittsburgh when he threw his only two of the season.

As an aside, why is this play going to Damion Ratley in the first place?  He caught his first pass of the season last week against the Niners.  This was his third and last target of the game.  He caught all of 25 passes over two seasons with the Browns.  This is who Jason Garrett is targeting inside the red zone with the game on the line ....

In any event, the regressing Daniel Jones turns in his second straight sub 200 yard performance on a day the defense and running game turn in their best performances to date.  

Sunday's game sort of reaffirms the defensive performance during weeks one and two, leaving their poor play against the Niners alone as the aberration.