The Brian Daboll Giants won’t be sneaking up on the NFL this season … but there are growing reasons to consider in them as an ascending team that is not going to be any counterfeit one-hit wonder.
As smart, tough and dependable rookies, Daboll and GM Joe Schoen orchestrated a crawl for a franchise that had been stuck in place for too long that became a walk on the wild-card side, and it will not be unreasonable or unrealistic to expect the Giants to begin to run now in a league where there are arguably only a dozen or so teams that may dare to dream the Super Bowl dream — they usually ought to be one in every of them, more contender than pretender, as are the Aaron Rodgers Jets.
Are they there yet? No. Is regression possible? In fact. Can they get there? It’s May. In case you can’t dream “Why Not Us?” now, when are you able to?
The Formula:
The Eagles became 2022 NFC champions largely because Jalen Hurts made an astronomical leap, and now that Daniel Jones is a $40M Man, he’ll face great expectations to make a sufficiently big leap to honor the franchise quarterback mandate and lift his team.
In the end, Jones has been arrange to reach his second 12 months under Daboll and offensive coordinator/play caller Mike Kafka.
He now has:
- An elite TE and large goal in Darren Waller;
- Speed demon receivers in rookie Jalin Hyatt and Parris Campbell to enhance nice surprise Isiah Hodgins, and the return of a healthy Wan’Dale Robinson and Darius Slayton;
- The most effective offensive line he has had to maintain him upright and open holes for Saquon Barkley once the “Gold Jacket Guy” gets his contract quagmire resolved. Rookie C John Michael Schmitz is plug-and-play and elite LT Andrew Thomas is confident in a second-year jump from RT Evan Neal.
As much as his legs are a useful weapon, Jones has no excuse to not exceed his profession high of 24 touchdown passes set in his rookie season. Hurts threw 22 TD passes last season to associate with his 13 TDs rushing (a part of his 760 yards on 165 carries) regardless that he missed two games following a Week 15 shoulder sprain and even was compromised within the playoff rout of the Giants.
Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale is convinced he can have a greater run defense alongside Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams with the additions of LB Bobby Okereke and DTs Rakeem Nunez-Roches and A’Shawn Robinson, and if he’s right, then the Giants are poised to stop the run and have some fun, as former GM Jerry Reese liked to say. Martindale was disgusted allowing 5.2 yards per rush and a 144.2-yard average in 2022.
If No. 1 draft CB Deonte Banks is pretty much as good because the Giants think he’s, that may help make Kayvon Thibodeaux a double-digit sack threat in his second season, especially if Azeez Ojulari can stay on the sector as his bookend.
And in a league where so many games are decided at the top by a field goal, Graham Gano, dontcha know.
And that kickoff return coverage? Oh yeah, never mind.
Such is the bull case for the Giants. In fact there’s a bear case: There’s rampant parity that at all times provides surprises; the schedule-makers did them no favors; the Eagles remain the team to beat within the division in addition to within the conference; trusted safety Julian Love bolted for Seattle; the sweet, innocent climb of a 12 months ago is over and done.
The argument that the Giants closed the gap on the Eagles is mitigated by the character of that gap, and the Super Bowl runners-up added DT Jalen Carter and OLB Nolan Smith to their impressive collection of Georgia Bulldogs and predator pass rushers. Giants loyalists can comfort themselves with this reality: They were fortunate to maintain Martindale and Kafka while the Eagles lost each their offensive and defensive coordinators to head-coaching jobs with the Colts and Cardinals, respectively.
The Giants usually are not one in every of the elite alongside the Chiefs, Eagles, 49ers, Bengals and Bills. Without delay they appear like they belong in a second tier with the Cowboys, Ravens, Chargers, Jets, Seahawks and several other others.
It helps that the Coach of the 12 months is the coach of the Latest York Football Giants. Daboll knows his football. He knows his team. Knows his quarterback. Ask the $40M man. He has created an environment conducive to success. He injected energy and bravado right into a culture that was desperate for each. Same guy day by day. Same guy every week. A coach to consider in.
Giants co-owner John Mara at the top of every season perpetually tried to persuade himself that the arrow was pointing up, until the Giants hit all-time low and he knew that it was time to blow all of it up and fire GM Dave Gettleman and HC Joe Judge. Mara knew that he needed to regain the trust of his fans, and he has.
Too early to conclude that the sky is the limit, but blue skies over 1925 Giants Drive.
