New York Giants Reader Mailbag: New Year Edition
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From B. - There was a report from ESPN Sunday morning (before the absolute embarrassment of a game against Philly, by the way) that Judge and Jones are back next year. Please tell me this isn't set in stone! If they want to stick with Jones, I can live with that. But Judge is safe??? How can this be?
I don't think anything is set in stone until it's officially announced. That said, I do believe Judge and Jones will be back next year, but I expect there will be massive changes on the coaching staff. And for the love of the above, if this team doesn't get its head out of the sand and finally get this offensive line right, then I give up.
From Coz5 - What can fans that are LOCKED in with their PSLs do to protest the owners' decisions that have destroyed this once proud team?
Coz, no one is forcing you to keep your PSLs. You're not happy with the product? Sell the PSLs, stop watching the games, and stop buying the merchandise. Not trying to be flippant here, but it's that simple.
From George - Let me digest Giants OL coach Rob Sale's comments on Wilson. What in Coaches heaven has Rob Sale DONE? Absolutely nothing! Who has he produced at the NFL level? Perhaps he hasn't done his job at the elite and highly paid level he was supposed to do? Because no one else on their OL has gotten any better (other than super talented Andrew Thomas).
Giants OL coaches have been lacking for a while now. Pleased to hear this "friend" of head coach Judge is rumored to be leaving! Not saying Wilson (great size & strength & ability at Georgia) is the answer, but let's give him some more time to develop with some better coaching!
George, I share your concerns about Rob Sale and his fit for the offensive line coaching job. I think in retrospect, given such a key position, they should have gone with an experienced NFL coach, and I'd like to see them name Pat Flaherty the O-line coach if Sale does indeed leave.
That said, a player has to want to be coached. If Isaiah Wilson wasn't dependable--don't you find it odd that he's had to miss practice three different times with what was termed as an illness?--then I'm not sure what Sale was supposed to do.
You asked what Sale has done and who he produced at the NFL level. Um, does getting Andrew Thomas straightened out count for anything? What about nick Gates before his injury? Again, guys have to want to be coached. That said, I'm sure Sale's airing the dirty laundry involving Wilson and Matt Peart wasn't appreciated by the head coach as much as it was appreciated by the media and the fans wanting to know what was going on.
From Edward O. - I don't believe a thorough discussion of the needs for next year can take place until we have a better idea of what we can expect from Blake Martinez, Shane Lemieux, and Nick Gates. Is it too early to make an educated opinion on their effectiveness for the 2022 season? Is there any medical information available now?
Hi Ed. All we know at this point is Blake is moving around on his own, as is Gates, the latter with a noticeable limp. I'm sure we'll learn more in the coming weeks. I hope all the injured guys are on the mend and will be ready to roll next year. Not sure if that will be the case, but you never know. I would say keep an eye on the cap and see what, if anything, they do with those higher-priced contracts belonging to guys who are injured.
The latest from Giants Country
From Luis M. - How do postgame interviews work? Are there regulations on how direct one can be? Sometimes I see Tom and others giving Joe so much room to stall us. We know the team sucks, but we still ask, "How do you think special teams did today, Joe?". Why not ask, "Joe, every punter in the league averages 45 yards per punt. The Giants averaged 36.8 against philly. Why was the team so bad?"
Hi Luis. No, there are no regulations regarding postgame interviews other than being professional and abiding by the time limits set.
I've found that television and radio folks who need a sound byte tend to ask the more obvious questions. And from a written media reporter's perspective, we often might know the answer, but we're seeking validation from the coaches.
Lastly, when has Joe ever sat there and answered a direct, pointed question such as "why is the team so bad?" Look at some of his pressers where some of the questions have been pointed and show me where he's thrown the team or a player under the bus. He hasn't. So I'm not sure what fans expect the media to do when we ask them questions, and they don't get answered.
From Christopher K. - Two weeks ago, I saw something I've never seen in the part of NE where I live. The Giants/Dallas game was not on FOX, and instead, the Bills/Panthers game was on. In the past ten years, fewer Giant games have been broadcast in this area. This year no games (except prime time) have been broadcast.
Doesn't ownership see this due to their inept way of managing the football operations?
Hi Christopher. As I understand it, the television revenues are split evenly among the 32 teams, and it doesn't matter as much if a team is part of the "Game of the Week" programming or is broadcast in a smaller area. It can potentially hurt a team in marketing and merchandise sales, though I'm not sure the Giants are hurting in those areas either.
As for the choice not to air the Giants-Dallas game, I think everyone knew it would be lopsided, and let's be honest, if you were a television network executive, would you have aired that game? I know I wouldn't have.
From Bruce F. - With the Giants cap-strapped, talent poor, and facing another turnover in management, what will the new GM have to do to fix this "Giant" mess?
Very easy, Bruce. Draft better, trim the fat (bloated contracts) and, I suspect, restructure a few deals to push money into future years when the new television revenue kicks in. I'm working on a detailed plan, but thus far, I think this might take two years to get straightened out fully.
From Scott M. - Who is the best late-round draft pick the Giants have had in the past 5-10 years? Who is the best mid-round draft pick the Giants have had in the past 5-10 years?
What's up, Scott? Thanks for being a loyal listener--and for the challenging question. For clarification purposes, I'm trading "late round" as rounds 6-7 and id-round 4-5.
Okay, that said, the best mid-round pick, IMO, is Julian Love, Round 4, 2019. No, he's not a Pro Bowler, but the versatility he brings to the table is underrated, in my opinion.
Late round? I'm going to go with Tae Crowder (round 7, 2020), only because he's worked his way into the starting lineup and has stayed there, even when Blake Martinez has been healthy.
Mid-round in the last ten years, I'll go with Devon Kennard (Round 5, 2014). Although he didn't work out here, I think that was more a result of coaching than a lack of talent. Late round, I guess I'll go with Markus Kuhn (Round 7, 2012) as he stuck around and was a decent enough rotational piece in the defensive line.
But yeah, as far as there being an Ahmad Bradshaw or a Jessie Armstead in the last ten years, that's a big-time stretch.
What's up, Mikey? I think you'll see Daniel Jones and Kenny Golladay back. I think Saquon Barkley and Devontae Booker will return, as will Eli Penny. I could see Nick Gates and Shane Lemieux back if they're both healthy.
I'm not sure I see Kyle Rudolph returning, and I think I would move on from Evan Engram and re-do that tight end spot. I suspect Darius Slayton will be back. So yeah, there will be quite a few people back next year, including some I didn't mention.
You need to remember that they don't have an abundance of cap space, so they might not have a choice but to keep some of what they currently have. And let's see what the new offensive coordinator brings to the table first, as some of the skills on this team might carry over.
From Jeff - It's frustrating seeing Saquon and Booker hit the line only t find a free defender right there ready to tackle them. Why don't the Giants have Eli Penny lead the way to get a running start and have better vision to see who needs blocking?
What's up, Jeff, and sorry I missed this question when I did the last Twitter Tuesday podcast. I think the problem with constantly putting the fullback out there is you're not only broadcasting what you're looking to do, but you're taking a player who maybe gives you a few more options off the field.
The answer, as I see it, is to fix the offensive line and hope that Barkley does a little less dancing behind that line and starts just hitting the hole instead of pitter-pattering.
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