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The mail is here, so let's see what's on people's minds.

From Bruce F.:

Giving Dave Gettleman the keys to Giants' kingdom for another draft/ free agency cycle worries me. He has not drafted top-notch prospects to fix the O-line or the pass rush/linebacker positions. Rather, he has spent draft capital on a running back that has no line to block for him and defensive back end players who have not come close to playing competent football.

His free-agent signings, something you have touched on, have been overvalued (Solder), terrible (Omameh) and average,(Ogletree). Drafting a QB was a given, so let's not take that into account for this argument.

If the Giants finish with a 2-14 record, which at this point seems quite possible, do you give Gettleman and company another year?

Thanks for the letter, Bruce. I think I do give Gettleman another year to turn this around--didn't George Young, whom I don't believe was ever an NFL general manager before being hired by the Giants in 1979, get at least three years before he got the franchise pointed in the right direction?

Gettleman fixed the Panthers and got them to the Super Bowl, and I suspect that's going to be one of his arguments (plus if he is up on his Giants' history, he can also point to George Young and the three-year plan he put in place that worked).

And while I want to make it very clear that I don't agree with everything he's done--more on that in a moment--I understand most of his reasons for doing what he did when he did it.

I suspect it's easier to sweep out the coaches rather than dump the GM and leave the coaches in place. And given John Mara's past statements about craving stability in the organization, I can't see them creating a major upheaval two years after the last one.

Regarding Saquon, if you watch his college tape, most of his big runs came on outside rushes, which he hasn't been asked to do much with the Giants--how you can blame Gettleman for what the coaching staff has done to neuter Barkley's outside rushing ability is beyond me.

Regarding the OL, Hernandez might not have taken a huge leap forward, but ask yourself how much coaching has to do with that? Hernande is still the best offensive lineman this team has, and it's not even close.

As for the tackles, you don't draft just for the hell of it. You have to find the right fit. When you make up your mind to draft a position, you'll get yourself into trouble.

Regarding Solder, would you have rather the Giants have stayed with Ereck Flowers at left tackle? This is a problem I've been screaming about for years; when you have bad draft classes, you have to overspend on marginal guys. In this case, a marginal player represented an upgrade over a draft bust.

And regarding the defensive backfield, has it occurred to you that the coaching might be the problem? It's one thing if one player isn't making the grade, but when a group of players is struggling, you have to stop and ask yourself if it's the coaching (which I truly believe it is).

One of the most glaring moves by Gettleman that's sticking in my craw is the Leonard Williams trade. As I wrote last week, what is it that Gettleman saw in four years worth of film that no one else saw that warranted giving up two draft picks?

And given what Williams has put on tape so far as a Giant, I shudder to think he might compound that decision by signing Williams to a massive contract.

From Stephanie E.

Have the Giants seen enough of Jones not to be interested in the upcoming quarterback class?

Hi Stephanie. No, I don't think anyone has asked me that question, so thanks for submitting it. I do believe that Jones has shown he can be a franchise quarterback, but with that said, I suspect that they'll continue to add quarterbacks in the coming years to develop them with the hopes they get another Jimmy G. they can flip for draft picks.

From Mark M.

At this point, it becomes an issue about rooting for the Giants to lose to obtain better draft picks next year. (Not just the first round, but every OTHER round is also moved up). What are your thoughts about this? Does it make you less a Giants fan if you "hope" we do well but end up losing the game to get higher draft picks?

Hi Mark. I won't sit here and judge anyone who decides to root for the team to lose, but at the same time, I will never, ever endorse the idea because it goes against everything I stand for. 

I played sports as a kid, and I can remember many times playing injured or tired, and it bugged the heck out of me when we didn't win. It also bugged the heck out of me when I didn't think people were giving the same effort I gave. 

That's my feeling on the topic, but again, if you or anyone else want to root for a tanking, go ahead. Just don't try to sell the idea to me.

From Josh F.:

In your most recent article about moving on from Coach Shurmur, you cited a Philly Voice article about the average age of NFL teams to debunk a claim by Pat Shurmur that the current Giants roster is historically young. The data in the article you pointed fails to disprove his claim.

The important factor to consider is not the average age of the entire roster, but the average age of the starting players. Players like Zack DeOssie and Eli Manning skew the average up. On offense, the (healthy) Giants start five players who have at most three years of NFL experience Evan Engram, Will Hernandez, Saquon Barkley, Darius Slayton, and Daniel Jones.

There are even more young players starting on defense (again when healthy). The Giants have variously started Dalvin Tomlinson, Dexter Lawrence, DeAndre Baker, Jabril Peppers, Ryan Connely, Lorenzo Carter, and Grant Haley (not to mention the new merry-go-round of DBs Love, Ballentine, and Beal). All have three years of experience or fewer. This accounts for an incredibly high percentage of snaps.

Average Age Per Snap (a stat which does not exist but should) would be necessary to assess the validity of what Shurmur said. I think there is room for debate about whether youth is an acceptable excuse for this pathetic season. Regardless, the article you cited was an inaccurate measurement of whether the team is "young" in the first place.

Josh, thank you for the kind words, but I'm going to stand by what I wrote (and if you don't believe the data in that article, have a listen to what Mike Garafolo had to say about Pat Shurmur's claim that this is a "historically young" team.

Also, you wrote, "The important factor to consider is not the average age of the entire roster, but the average age of the starting players." Sorry, but I disagree because football is a game of substitutions, so you must include the entire roster.

You do raise an interesting question about average snaps per age. I don't know if this will suffice, but this table is from Pro Football Reference, and it gives a look at the age of the players.

Time permitting in the off-season, I'll try to create a detailed table showing age and the total number of snaps for all the Giants players. I won't be able to do the entire NFL as there won't be enough time to see where they stack up, but I think I can put the Giants' data together.

From Ira C.

Ever since the Giants switched from Eli to Jones, I have been convinced that management was in full rebuild mode, using this season to give experience to their young players with an eye towards using the upcoming salary cap situation and very high 2020 draft position to build a team for 2020 and beyond. Do you agree?

Hi Ira. Yes, I agree that they've been in full rebuild mode. I think had they come out and said that right from the start, maybe things might not have been ugly, but at the same time, I understand why they didn't admit to a full rebuild from a marketing perspective).

Sometimes I can't help but wonder if the Giants were honest with themselves and where they were as a team or if maybe they overestimated what they had. Only they can answer those questions, though.

From Throwback Fan:

How does the time Daniel Jones has in the pocket compare to the league? Are there any comparisons of running holes open among the teams? Is this talent, coaching, schemes, injuries, or a combination of all?

What's up, TBF? According to PFF, Jones averages 2.73 seconds to throw, which is third among quarterbacks with at least 350 dropbacks and averages 2.88 seconds in the pocket, tied for seventh among that same sample size.

I'm not sure exactly what you mean by "running holes" open among the teams, but I believe the following chart from the official league stats is what you're looking for.

rushing

 As for your final question, I believe it's a combination of all three, though I will continue to insist that this isn't a 2-9 team. 

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