Despite Winless Start, Giants' Promising Foundation Offers Optimism

It's easy to throw up your hands in disgust and frustration over the New York Giants' 0-2 start, its fourth such start in as many seasons and the seventh time int he last eight years the team has failed to get off to the fast start.

While no one is arguing that Giants fans deserve better, this 2020 version of the New York Giants isn't quite like the other underachieving teams put on the field that has no doubt caused many a frustrated fan to hurl the remote at the television.

Joe Judge, the rookie head coach of this team, has done far more right than he has wrong in trying to get this group on the right track despite the unusual off-season that robbed them of those all-important snaps necessary to create the on-field cohesiveness.

Judge has preached discipline and accountability to his players, and so far through two seasons, they have responded. He has set the gold standard for showing that he's not above getting dirty (see his participation in the camp-ending slip-and-slide drill).

And he has shown at least three times that the outside world knows of. The first time took place when he rushed to cornerback Corey Ballentine's side when it looked as though the defensive back was hurt a lot worse than he ended up being.

The second time when receiver Derrick Dillon was let go from the practice squad with a paycheck, so he could spend a week with his newborn child. More recently, when he came across the field to help a fallen Saquon Barkley to his feet.

Judge has the team on the right track, but to ask him to replicate the success of the 49ers from a year ago is asking a little too much.

The 2019 49ers, remember, were a team that had a stellar defense and which not only returned to systems that were already in place but a core personnel group that was firmly in place and which had a chance to jell the year prior despite injuries ripping through it.

The Giants? Their offensive line rebuild project isn't quite complete, not if you believe that draft picks Matt Peart and Shane Lemieux are part of the unit's long-term future. Both picks weren't deemed ready enough to unseat veterans Cam Fleming and Kevin Zeitler this year, but don't be stunned if at some point later in the year if injuries strike.

The injuries? Yes, every team has them, and no team likes to use injuries as an excuse, but it's never been about the number of injuries as it's been about the quality of players lost.

This is a team that lost rookie safety Xavier McKinney, a guy being groomed to do a lot in that defense. This team also lost special teams ace Cody Core, an underrated yet critical injury. And does anything need to be explained regarding what the Giants have lost with both running back Saquon Barkley and receiver Sterling Shepard now on injured reserve?

These injuries, as well as some other circumstances, have forced the Giants to turn to one-year contracts at critical spots, such as edge rusher (Markus Golden, Kyler Fackrell), running back (Devonta Freeman, Dion Lewis), defensive back (Logan Ryan), and kicker (Graham Gano).

There is a lot to be optimistic about, starting with the program Judge has built of accountability between the coaches and the players. There is also a very promising young foundation in place that includes Jones, Andrew Thomas, Lorenzo Carter, Barkley, Shepard, Dexter Lawrence II, and Dalvin Tomlinson, to name a few.

But there is still work to be done. With the salary cap expected to drop after this year, decisions on some of the high-priced contracts like Zeitler, Nate Solder, and receiver Golden Tate will need to be made.

And the Giants, who are already down two draft picks after trading their fifth-round pick to the Jets in the Leonard Williams deal, and a seventh-rounder to the Broncos for cornerback Isaac Yiadom will need to supplement some of the missing pieces on the team, such as a legitimate No. 2 cornerback and a No. 2 running back.

It might look right now like this team is a long way away from being anything worth talking about, but there is a lot to be hopeful of once this partially completed picture receives a few more strokes of paint toward being complete.