Giants fans called for Daniel Jones as they lost their home-opener to the Buffalo Bills.
By Brian Abate
NEW YORK-The Giants began their home-opener the same way they began their season-opener. They scored an early touchdown to take the lead and gave their fans hope. The rest of the game, just like their season-opener was a disaster.
The scoreboard said 28-14, but it felt like a blowout and it came at the hands of the Buffalo Bills. The same Buffalo Bills that haven’t won a playoff game since 1995. Saquon Barkley hadn’t even been born yet.
There’s plenty of blame to go around for the disastrous opener, but the Giants defense has been absolutely brutal.
“Who can cover somebody for 10 seconds?’’ cornerback Janoris Jenkins asked. “Go look at it within the first five seconds of the route. He’s not open. If he scrambles and we ain’t got no pressure, what you want me to do? I can’t cover this side and that side.
His assessment of the defense was spot on. No matter how good the coverage is, when NFL receivers have that much time to get open they will, and with no one pressuring Josh Allen he picked the Giants apart, just like Dak Prescott did last week.
Despite a few sacks of Allen, there were far too many times when Allen was able to sit back in the pocket and wait for receivers to break free from the Giants defensive backs.
Dave Gettleman has preached the importance of stocking up on ‘hog mollies’ (big defensive tackles) instead of trying to bring in speedy pass rushers, which has burned the Giants in their first two losses.
Gettleman did promise to improve the Giants offensive line, and thus far the offensive line and Saquon Barkley have been bright spots for the Giants. The line has been aided by the return of center Jon Halapio from a broken leg, recently signed Mike Remmers at tackle, and Kevin Zeitler at guard (who was acquired in the trade that sent Olivier Vernon to Cleveland).
Despite the improved line and Barkley’s spectacular play-making ability, the Giants have scored 31 points combined in their first two games, including a touchdown in garbage time against the Cowboys.
An easy explanation for the sluggish offense is the depleted Giants receiving core with Sterling Shepard injured and Golden Tate suspended, but the bigger problem is Eli Manning has played badly. He repeatedly had passes knocked down at the line and had had no success throwing the ball down the field in the first two games. It’s no secret that Eli isn’t a mobile quarterback and he struggled to move in the pocket when he was pressured.
Realistically, the Giants are not going to be a good team this season. Even though Eli Manning is one of the greatest players to ever put on a Giants uniform, he is no longer a part of the team’s future. Playing a 38-year-old quarterback in the last year of his contract, while rookie Daniel Jones sits on the bench is not a formula for a successful rebuild.
The Giants went 1-6 with Manning as a starter in his rookie year but turned it around to finish 11-5 and made the playoffs the following season. Even if the Giants aren’t a good team this season, this is an opportunity to get Jones important NFL experience, just like Manning in did in his rookie season.
Manning didn’t pretend he was unaware of the situation following the loss.
"I get it when you draft a guy early and [you're] not winning games, things are going to come up. So I just need to keep working and do whatever my job is,” Manning said.
Giants head coach Pat Shurmur was searching for answers too.
"We're always trying to do what we can to win this next game,” said Shurmur. “And then we're always behind the scenes having those long-term discussions."
While there is no easy-fix to the issues plaguing the Giants, starting Daniel Jones is a big step towards building for a better future.
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