New York Giants Are What Their Record Says They Are

Gritty. Tough. Smart. Productive. Stubborn.

Whatever adjective you want to use for the New York Giants, who are off to a surprising 5-1 start this season, you probably won’t be too far off in your opinion.

That’s because general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll have turned out thus far to be what we thought (or more like hoped) they’d be. Schoen, the first-time general manager, has somehow made the most of a horrific salary cap situation by hand-picking productive veteran players in free agency. Some of these include outside linebacker Jihad Ward (team leader in stops with 15), receiver Richie James Jr (the receiving yardage leader with 189), and cornerback Fabian Moreau (team leader in pass breakups with 3).

Schoen, who famously thought he had 11 draft picks when he was first hired—he only had nine—also managed to get those two extra picks and drafted a class that, as of right now, probably exceeds the last true star-studded draft class the Giants had back in 2007.

The current crop includes tight end Daniel Bellinger, the team’s receiving touchdown leader (two); first rounders Evan Neal, who has already pitched one pass-blocking shutout in his young career; and edge Kayvon Thibodeaux, currently the holder of the second-most quarterback pressures (12); and safety Dane Belton, whose 68.8 coverage rating is a team-best amongst those with at least ten pass targets against them.

Daboll? The first-time head coach laid out a strong program emphasizing total team ownership in which everyone from Saquon Barkley down to the most obscure employee in the building has a piece of ownership.

And can we talk about coaching? Daboll eschewed the opportunity to surround himself with guys from his past and instead went after true teachers and talent evaluators. He’s put his trust in every one of his coaches to deliver fair and honest feedback regarding the players’ abilities and shortcomings, and he’s challenged the staff to develop players non-stop.

It worked, and for proof of that, see the emergence of Oshane Ximines, a guy many thought would be shipped out of town following two disappointing seasons. Or how about running back Gary Brightwell, an occasional contributor on offense who has seen his special teams role expand?

And then there is Dexter Lawrence, a player that the Giants always hoped would become an every-down force against both the run and as a pass rusher. Lawrence has already matched his career-high total in sacks and has been the team’s most consistent and best defender week in and week out.

Put it all together with the execution and creativity of the three coordinators—Mike Kafka, Wink Martindale, and Thomas McGaughey—and the execution by the players of even the simplest of assignments, and you have the reason why this Giants team is a fast riser in league circles with its 5-1 record, which has been a joy to watch unfold after nearly a decade of lousy football.

A few other leftover thoughts…

Smart, Disciplined Football

In the Giants’ 2011 Super Bowl, running back Ahmad Bradshaw scored the Giants’ go-ahead touchdown 21-17 on a play that should have had the Giants fan base exhale collectively.

Except when Bradshaw scored—he tried to stay out of the end zone as long as he could before falling into the end zone for the touchdown—he left 58 seconds on the clock for the Patriots and then quarterback Tom Brady, who had one time out at their disposal to mount a comeback.

Fortunately for the Giants, that game had a happy ending. But how funny was it that years later, in a game not quite as huge as that Super Bowl contest, something similar happened to the Giants near the end of the game?

I’m talking about the play by running back Saquon Barkley, who, after securing the first down for the Giants against the Baltimore Ravens, gave himself up at the 2-yard line. Sure, Barkley could have scored to pump up the Giants’ point total (one of the tiebreakers used to determine playoff seeding, albeit one that is way, way down in the pecking order). Instead, he made the smart play which was to ensure that the ball never graced Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson’s hands again that afternoon.

That play, ladies and gentlemen, is a perfect example of the smart and disciplined brand of football Daboll is trying to bring you every week. And although it’s one play, it’s a small sample of why this Giants team’s record is what it is today.

A Total Team Affair

Daboll has repeatedly said that he expects every player to be ready to play. Okay, not exactly news breaking, as every coach has said the same thing at some point. But saying and doing are two very different things. And Daboll has made sure to back up his words with action.

On Sunday, every single active player except for backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor (for the obvious reason that one can only play one quarterback at a time), contributed to the win over the Ravens. That includes offensive lineman Tyre Phillips, who hasn't always gotten into the game despite being active.

Daboll’s philosophy is simple. The coaches have different personnel packages for just about every occasion. Some weeks there will be certain packages run; others might not run those same packages. Regardless, he expects everyone to be ready; thus far, his players haven’t let him down.

Danny Dollars

Critics of quarterback Daniel Jones—yes, there are still plenty of them—will look at the fourth-year quarterback’s stats and scoff at the notion that Jones is making a strong case for a new contract.

But the only numbers that this team’s leadership seems to be interested in are wins, as in the 5-1 record the Giants currently hold. And tucked within that 5-1 record has been a swarth of solid decisions that Jones, who, by the way, has done an outstanding job of protecting the ball when finding himself stuck in traffic, has made to contribute to the Monday morning smiles.

Among the big-time throws made by Jones were a couple of third-down conversions, namely an 18-yarder from Jones to Darius Slayton coming on 3rd-and-14 and a 15-yarder to Wan’Dale Robinson on 3rd-and-12, to name a couple of big-time, conversions.

Want more? Jones engineered 17 points on the team’s final three drives before the drive, in which time expired. He has also shown better internal clock management and seems to have learned to take what the defense gives him, namely the underneath stuff in long-yardage situations.

Want more reasons to be encouraged? He’s been far less reckless with the ball, protecting it like it’s a lump of gold, even if it means taking his lumps. He’s trusting his receivers even when under pressure—see the 8-yard touchdown throw to tight end Daniel Bellinger on a pass thrown in the middle of the field that made it a 20-17 game.

And the funny thing about Jones’s latest performance? Not a single pass completion traveled farther than 18 yards—which probably isn’t sustainable over the long term—yet Jones still got it done.

If fantasy football, where stats are a big deal, is your game, then Jones is not the quarterback you want. For the Giants, their decision on extending Jones, who by the way is 8-3 in his last 11 starts, will lie on overall production. And that production will include wins, keeping the team in the game, decision-making, and the other intangibles that don’t appear in the box score.

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