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New York Giants Mailbag: The "What's Going On?" Edition

Let's check in with the readers to see what's on their minds this week.
Patricia Traina|
New York Giants Mailbag: The "What's Going On?" Edition
New York Giants Mailbag: The "What's Going On?" Edition

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New York Giants

If you'd like to submit a question for the mailbag, please send it to nygiantsmaven@gmail.com. Note: Some letters may have been edited for clarity/length.

Javier, I love your enthusiasm and positivity, and I can see where you'd find the glass to be half full, given that they did keep the score relatively close through three quarters. That said, besides the tackling, I had issues with the offense being unable to sustain drives. I thought Daniel Jones didn't play well. And I am not sure what the coaches were thinking with some of what we saw--it was almost as though they outsmarted themselves. 

Jeff, it could just be a coaching preference or a matter of GO being more clearly audible than HUT, which could theoretically be mistaken for a loud grunt, e.g., UGH!, in a noisy environment.

Dan, you need mobile, athletic offensive linemen to run effective screens. When was the last time this team had that?

(From Alan W.) Is the problem with the Giants run defense that they only play with two down linemen most of the time? By my count against the Cardinals, they played 43 snaps with two down linemen and only 21 with 3. I don't consider Jihad Ward a lineman and didn't count his snaps. Can you stop the run this way? Is it that Martindale prefers to give up a bunch of rushing yards to have more players defend against the deep pass?

Thanks for the question, Alan. The run defense's problem is two-fold: guys not getting off blocks and hence getting caught up in the wash and missed tackles. I do think there are weeks where Wink Martindale is willing to concede against the run to stop the pass, but that said, you can't be allowing your opponent to move the chains on you at will.

(From Traimayne P.) Will the Giants finally go out and grab some free agents left to replace some offensive line players who cannot seem to get it right? Should I have to mention names?

Who are they gonna grab, Traimayne? Don't you think they would have made a move by now if there was a quality offensive lineman on the street? 

Never say never, Andrew, but with that said, if you're the Giants, I think you first look at the cause of the team's problem and see if they're fixable before trading away pieces. I also don't see people trading for Leo or Adoree, given their contracts, but again, you never know.

Probably not. First, what team will give up an edge rusher worth anything? Second, this team doesn't have many assets to spare next year. But I do think adding another edge player is vital. One of my concerns about this team going into this season is that they don't have a No. 3 guy at that spot.

Ed, I think the biggest surprises and disappointments are one and the same. I'm surprised the defense seems to have sharply regressed from last year. The sloppy tackling, the lack of impact plays, and the lack of that dog mentality have me wondering just what is going on with that unit. I am also not thrilled with the coaching on offense. We saw all kinds of cool things in the summer that looked promising, and now, suddenly, they're scrambling to figure things out.

I am. Daboll and his staff have always been so meticulous with little details, so I don't understand why this happens at least once per game. I'm not sure what the problem is--are the players not hearing the call due to the noise, perhaps? So I'm not sure how they correct it short of having certain personnel groupings stay together on the bench.

There is nowhere to go but up. We can sit here and panic and say the season is over or try to find a silver lining. I know the latter is tough, but this coaching staff navigated through some tough times last year; you'd have to think they can do so again this year.

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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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