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Reader Mailbag | Gauging Success, a Role for Eli Manning and More

The holiday weekend mail is here.
Patricia Traina|

Thanks for the question. Why do the Giants make the playoffs? I have always believed that if a team has more than enough talent and a solid caching staff, they can potentially catch the league off-guard. 

Look back at 2016 when Ben McAdoo was in his first season as head coach. Did anyone realistically think the Giants would make the playoffs then?

Thanks for the question, Renato. If Eli Manning takes on any role with the Giants, my guess is it will be behind the scenes. This needs to become Daniel Jones' team, and I don't see how that happens if Manning is out there front and center.

It reminds me of when Tom Coughlin resigned but still hung around the facility for his workouts, which I'd be willing to bet made for an awkward situation for Ben McAdoo. 

While I get it that the Giants have a soft spot for Manning and always will, I don't know that it would be fair to put him out there front and center where the minute something goes wrong with the offense he's put on the spot for his opinions.

That's a tough one to answer. It depends on how successful the giants are, for starters, and what, if anything, opens up elsewhere. 

If I had to guess, I would say the odds of them keeping all four of the one-time head coaches at the college and pro levels are slim, but hey, stranger things have happened.

I'd highly recommend the LockedOn Giants podcast. <wink>

Hi Eric. I think when it comes to linebackers, a lot of people put too much emphasis on the number of tackles. A guy can have 100 tackles, but if 90 of them come outside of seven or more yards down the field, is that really a successful season? (Answer: it's not.)

I think you have to look at the big picture. What percentage of Martinez's tackles come within seven yards of the line of scrimmage? How many plays is he funneling to others for stops or pass breakups? What is his pressure total? 

So many other factors considered that it had to attach a single stat to determine if signing him was a smart move.

Thanks for the question. In having given this some thought, I think the biggest issue is going to be ensuring all your athletes are in optimal football condition so that their play speed can match their mental processing speed.

The new CBA now allows for a more extended acclimation period, so teams will e able to ease their returning players into the workouts. That's a good thing, and I think the training staff in particular need to be very vigilant as to how certain guys are moving.

As for getting up to snuff on the actual execution of the plays installed in the spring, I suppose there might be a temptation to cut back on the fundamental drills, but I can't see Joe Judge, after making that such a point of emphasis, doing that.

So for me, the biggest obstacle isn't so much how they'll get up to speed; instead, the question is, will all the players be in optimal condition to have a fighting chance at getting up to speed? 

Hi Ashleigh. A strength and conditioning coach does a few things, including designing workout programs aimed at improving strength, flexibility, and stamina, or, in the case of a rehabbing player, targeting specific areas. 

He also usually monitors the players'' performances in these workouts, checking for proper form and, above all, any excess wear and tear on the body that might necessitate adjustments.

A strength and conditioning coach will also evaluate a rehabbing player to see how his flexibility and range of motion is coming along post-injury. To that end, he can work in concert with the training staff to arrive at the right diagnosis for a player.

As for how COVID-19 has changed everything, the biggest difference is that the S&C coach isn't able to visually supervise the players on the workouts they're doing to make adjustments or recommendations.

I don't completely agree with your statement that the receivers are "average at best." What are you basing that on? 

I'll give you that at times some last year had trouble separating down the field with any consistency, but I think you also have to look at the entire picture, e.g., was there enough time for a play down the field to develop?

I do think will be a lot of 12 personnel used this year, but I don't necessarily agree it will be for max protect (which by definition includes the five offensive linemen, a tight end AND a running back). 

I can't see the Giants using max protect, which sacrifices the passing game, for the sake of running the ball all the time as that creates an imbalance and makes the offense easier to predict. 

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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