I can honestly say that I have never seen a team in the situation that the Giants are in this week. They have sent their fans on a rollar coaster of emotions through out the season, from a 6-2 start to the disgust of the 7-8 record they currently hold. The fans don't like the coach and are continually frustrated with the quarterback. There has appeared to be no discipline on this team from the start, yet the team is still in control of its playoff destiny. Talking to different Giant fans, it is clear that they are conflicted on what they want for the rest of the season. Is it worth it to go 8-8 and lose in the first round of the playoffs? Is it better to lose this week and make major changes in the offseason? Does this team , at 8-8, still have a chance to make a run in the postseason?
Last night I was hanging out with my roommate and The 50 Greatest Moments at MSG came on TV. It was up to the moment when Larry Johnson got that four point play in the 1999 playoffs against the Pacers. As we watched, my roommate asked me how the Knicks were able to go from being so good, to so bad in what seems like such a short time. While there are many ways to answer this, a correlation with this years' Giants popped into my head. That season the Knicks were the #8 seed and barely made the playoffs. They ended up winning series after series, and lost in the NBA Finals. It was a memorable postseason run, but it also masked the deficiencies of that team. No changes were made in the offseason and two years later they were trading Patrick Ewing for expensive players, Allan Houston and Latrell Sprewell were getting old, and Marcus Camby was a walking disabled list. Jeff Van Gundy walked out on the franchise and within four years of being in the NBA finals the Knicks were a NBA doormat.
The NFL is much different as far as being able to rebuild a franchise. There is much greater salary cap flexibility and contracts are not guaranteed. One bad offseason though can set a team back for a couple seasons though. Some people believe that if the Giants brass gets fooled by making the playoffs, or even making a playoff run, that they will miss out on the changes that the Giants clearly need.
I do not buy into this way of thinking. My reason for this is that no matter what, the Giants are making major changes. The General Manager, Ernie Accorsi, is retiring. The only question is if the replacement is form within the organization or not. In addition, Tiki Barber is retiring. He not only is the teams' starting running back, but probably its best player and one of its strongest personalities. Lastly, the offensive coordinator has already been fired. Those are three major parts of a team that will be changed. While some people want wholesale changes, that may not be needed. In addition, whomever the new GM is will make changes to mold the team more into his own product.
Swallow your pride. Root for the Giants this weekend, and hope for a playoff run. Changes will be made no matter what in the offseason. This is a team that still has a ton of talent. It had a rough season, but it is not over. Personally, I would love nothing more than to win this weekend and then go into Philly for a Wild Card playoff game and end their season. If that happens, I don't care about the ups and downs. I will be happy with this season and look forward to the changes and hope that next season can be more consistent and last even longer.
- I will try to get longer post in after the New Year. Things have been pretty hectic lately. I am getting in what I can.
STKAFI
2 comments:
Although I agree that all of the changes should, and probably will be made. It is no guarantee that Coughlin will be let go. Also, Tiki may be retiring, but it looks like they already have his replacement lined up in Brandon Jacobs. So these changes wouldn't really be considered "major" and they really should start to stire things up. If I were them, I would fire Coughlin, get rid of Strahan, and even draft or trade for a solid QB to give Eli some competition, he looks a little too comfortable and nonchalant out there. Light a fire under his ass and let him know if he doesn't start performing, he's going to be riding the pine.
I don't think they are going to give the full-time job to Jacobs. From what I have heard they will go after Michael Turner (LDT's back-up). He is smaller, faster, and can also return kicks. He would be a good compliement to Jacobs. Instead of the carries being 82-20 Tiki this season, it will prolly be 60-40 Jacobs next season...More like how the Cowboys work with Barber and Jones.I am not against getting rid of Strahan and I definitely agree with bringing in a legit veteran QB to back-up Manning.
My point is that there will be changes (and have been over the past year when you consider ownership) no matter what. The question is the degree of changes and there is a sentiment out there that keeping Coughlin will keep some sort of stability..
Post a Comment