First-and-10: Ten Thoughts Before the Giants-Eagles Game

Our weekly perspectives column takes a look at the return of Eli Manning and the future of this franchise, among other topics.

1. The pingpong table, cornhole toss, and card games were supposed to build bonds between teammates that were so strong that they could hopefully reach the point where they could complete each other's statements.

But instead of 53 guys sharing cabs at the end of the day, each player seems to go his separate way. Sure some guys buddy-up during the open locker room portion, but for the most part, you see guys sitting by themselves, their faces in their phones, or the headphones glued to their ears as they try to shutout the world around them.

This locker room has come a long way from being the dynamic atmosphere it was during the good ol' days--you remember, when the Giants were competitive?

Those were the days when the Michael Strahan, Antonio Peirces, Antrel Rolles, Shaun O'Haras, Justin Tucks, and Brandon Jacobs didn't think twice about saying what was on their mind, PC or no PC. Those were the days of veterans who proactively took younger teammates under their wings and rode them not to be mean but because they believed in them.

Now? Yes, you have some veterans who are trying to be big brothers to the 25 players who are 25 years or younger, but there's that something--camaraderie--that's missing.

Head coach Pat Shurmur tried to build that camaraderie by allowing for some recreational activities to be placed in the locker room. The hope was that as teammates might learn something about one another that they could take to the field.

Based on the results on the field, the experiment failed, and at one point, it was decided by the team's veteran leaders to put a stop to the games (though they did start to creep back into the picture not too long ago).

Unfortunately, that doesn't appear to ha, despite being thrust together only between teammates, create some good-natured competition and allow for a group of strangers to become so close that they could mostly finish each other’s sentences.

2. If general manager Dave Gettleman should survive the changes that are coming after this season ends--and I believe he will--my greatest wish is that this team stop loading up the roster with players and coaches from a previous life.

I get it; there's something to be said about being familiar with those you surround yourself with, but at some point, the crops dry up, and it's time to try something new.

I also think that's a bad look when you keep going back to the well of your past. People change--players aren't the same they were when you had them years ago. And coaches? Well, if you look closely, some of the coaches are only familiar with one system so that when the time comes to adjust, they can't.

There are 31 other teams, and I find it hard to believe that when it comes to player personnel and even coaches that there aren't qualified candidates that don't have some past working relationship with the Giants' brass.

I would hope that as the Giants continue to evaluate how they're doing things that they begin to step outside of their comfort level and tap into players and coaches from other systems a little more frequently than they have in the two years of the Gettleman-Shurmur regime.

3. The NFL Network reported that rookie quarterback Daniel Jones is likely to miss 2-4 weeks with his moderate high ankle sprain.

No surprise here as for a quarterback to survive out there, he needs to be able to do two things that, as of last week, Jones could NOT do.

The first is plant and push off his injured ankle, in this case, Jones' right ankle. And I'm not talking soft throws. I'm talking bang-bang types that are common in the game.

The second is to be able to bail out if, in trouble, which, let's face it, Jones has been under pressure a lot since taking over the starting job. If he can't roll away from pressure, he risks a worse injury.

But here is the other thing no one is talking about. If Jones rushes back, then there is a chance that his mechanics will be compromised, meaning he'll likely end up putting more arm into his throws rather than executing a smooth delivery.

So besides not wanting to see the kid injured wore, the last thing I'm sure the coaching staff wants is for all the work he's done with his throwing mechanics to be compromised if he should come back too soon and then subconsciously compensate for his injury.

4. The Giants put out a weekly news and notes release with statistics and milestones and one of the notes on last week's release, in particular, caught my eye, as follows:

The Giants have eight (out of 10) draft choices that have started at least one game this season. No other team has started at least eight draft choices this season. Indianapolis started nine in 2018.

Why did this catch my eye? Pat Shurmur has mentioned the youth movement as a quasi excuse for the team not doing well, yet I found it interesting that the Colts, who have started nine draft picks last year, still managed to get to the playoffs.

The moral of the story is coaching is everything, folks. If you're not getting the most out of your youth, then something is rotten in Denmark.

5. I like Evan Engram. He's a nice, respectful young man who works hard and does everything he's asked to do.

Well, almost everything. Engram cannot stay on the field, and what's that old saying? That the best ability is availability.

So if I'm the Giants, who have until early May to decide on Engram's option year, I probably don't pick up his option year. He's yet to make it through a 16-game season, and I can't see committing big money to a player who per history probably won't give me anything close to a full season.

6. Regardless of how Eli Manning plays Monday night and beyond (assuming he plays beyond Monday night), I don't see things changing at the end of the year.

I still think the team will move on from Manning and that regardless of how many wins (if any) he is likely to generate in his farewell tour, there are going to be significant (and long overdue) changes on the coaching staff.

So yes, even if Manning somehow wins two, maybe three out of these last four games, that shouldn't be an excuse to make any changes for 2020--not when you consider Manning won't be on this team in 2020.

7. I've been following football for long enough to apply logic in what I see when it comes to injured players. And for what it's worth, despite that quarterback Daniel Jones was able to do some light movement Saturday without his a walking boot until he can run AND plant off that injured right ankle with no issues, I would be stunned if we see him.

To be clear, I do think Jones will return before the end of the season. But I think Wednesday's practice is going to give us a very good idea of how close he is to returning next Sunday when the Giants host the Dolphins.

8. I might be the only person who thinks this, but I was somewhat bothered when Saquon Barkley was asked during his weekly presser about the Giants having lost nine of the last ten games against the Eagles, and Barkley said, "Really? Didn’t know that.”

That's not a knock on Barkley so much as it is on Pat Shurmur. I get it that he likes to stay in the moment, but this is a team that has proven time and again that it needs every little edge it can find, which means that sometimes you need to break out of the moment and be aware of history.

9. We can all probably agree that second-year guard Will Hernandez doesn't look like he's taken a big step forward. But before we lay the blame solely on the coaching (and yes, it is to blame), how much of a factor has it been for Hernandez to play next to left tackle Nate Solder, whom I suspect has been banged up all year, and center Jon Halapio, who has struggled?

If the offensive line is supposed to work in unison and there are instances where Solder is beaten, or the wrong line call is made, isn't it fair to wonder how that's affecting Hernandez?

I still think he's going to be a special player. But I sure hope that he'll be surrounded by a new position coach and some new talent next year.

10. I have no idea what John Mara and Steve Tisch are thinking regarding the coaching staff, but if I had to lay money down, I'd say that the defensive staff is going to be gutted.

The thing that bothers me the most about the Giants' defensive staff is that I don't think defensive coordinator James Bettcher, who before coming to the Giants, had three years of experience as a defensive coordinator for the Cardinals, can adjust to the, um, cards he's dealt.

I suspect that he only knows one way of doing things and that as a result, you have some guys who are playing out of position and who are not delivering the goods.

I'm looking at Lorenzo Carter, for instance--is it a good idea to line him up with his hand in the ground when chances are he's going to face a guy who outweighs him by about 50 pounds?

And I've often wondered if Leonard Williams might look better in a classic 4-3 defensive front.

I know the Giants have put forth some 4-3 looks, but what has irked me all year is how those 4-3 looks aren't true 4-3s like the good ol' days.

I'll take my prediction a step further about the defensive staff being swept out by saying that I wouldn't be shocked if the next coordinator brings back a classic 4-3, which I think might be better suited for this team's talent.

We'll find out in less than a month as to what changes are planned, but I suspect they're going to be big ones.