(Photo by Mike Morbeck)
Yes, I know it’s late February, but that doesn’t mean we can’t start talking about football. As Hamsky mentioned in a recent post, the NFL Draft and free agency are both right around the corner. You can bet I’ll be glued to the TV from March 2nd to the 5th, watching player after player run the 40 yard dash and test his vertical at the NFL Combine.
So that makes me somewhat of a junky, but who cares. Anyways, what I want to discuss today is the New York Giants’ outlook for 2018 because I think a lot of people are underrating them. Yes, they went 4-12 last season and fell short of many people’s expectations (including my own; I predicted them to be in the Super Bowl), but look at what they’ve got going into next season.
For one, they have a new head coach. They missed out on the Josh McDaniels opportunity (something they’re probably glad about considering what McDaniels did to the Colts), but I believe the Giants got the steal of the offseason in Pat Shurmur. Nobody wants to talk about the hiring because it’s not a big, sexy name, but take a look at the guy’s history--last year he molded Case Keenum into a franchise leader who accrued over 3,500 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, and fewer interceptions than Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Ben Roethlisberger (among others). Just a stroke of good luck, you say? Check out 2013, when Shurmur served as OC for the Philadelphia Eagles under Chip Kelly. That was the same year that Nick Foles posted a historic 27/2 touchdown to interception ratio. Having served with the Rams, Browns, Vikings, and Eagles in recent years, Shurmur has been given minimal quarterback talent, and yet he’s shown (more than once) the ability to provide mediocre quarterbacks with a path to NFL success. He’s an expert at designing systems that capitalize on the strengths of his signal-callers while hiding their deficiencies. Just imagine what he can do with a good, young prospect, or even Eli Manning (who’s probably better than any quarterback he’s ever coached).
“I was a pasta guy—major, major pasta guy. I was a fried chicken guy, any fried food, chicken wings, burgers. I was just that guy." Damon Harrison on his favorite snacks (via Sports Illustrated)
This brings me to the players; with eight selections in this year’s draft (including a fourth round compensatory pick), the Giants are poised to bring in a bevy of young stars and bolster what was an injury-riddled roster last season. The defense is young and explosive, led by talented cornerbacks Eli Apple and DRC, Alabama-bred strong safety Landon Collins, and Damon “Snacks” Harrison manning the d-line. On the offensive side of the ball, Evan Engram, OBJ, and Sterling Shepard make for a matchup nightmare when fully healthy. If the G-Men can use their picks in the upcoming draft to solidify their linebacking corps, offensive line, and possibly running game, they’ll be in a great spot with a soft schedule (see Prince’s article on the effect of schedule changes from one year to the next). Whether it goes after Saquon Barkley or a raw, talented quarterback with its first selection, I believe the Giants front office can do no wrong. I think Barkley is a generational talent and that Eli still has a few good years left in him, so personally I’d go Barkley, but the NYG brass would be hard-pressed to screw up a top five pick with such a stacked draft class.
Regardless of where the Giants choose to invest draft capital, the team is poised to be a serious contender in the NFC East. Mark it down now that the Giants will make the playoffs and be legitimate contenders come the end of the 2018 regular season.
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