Category: Football

Not Expecting Much from Giant 2016 Draft

Posted on by metbaseball

Based on their past draft performance, I don’t have high expectations about how the New York Giants will do in the 2016 draft. They have two many needs: defense line, safety, linebacker, offensive line, end, running back. So where do they start? With the “best” player available? Unfortunately, since Joe Don Looney they have not been that good at identifying them. For example, in 2012 their pick of David Wilson seemed to be an overreaction pick after the Bucs selected Doug Martin the pick before. Both Bobby Wagner and Lavonte David were still available, but then the Giants rarely draft linebackers in the first few rounds. (Who’s behind that thinking?) Further, in 2016, the top two linebackers, Jaylon Smith and Miles Jack, are both recovering from significant injuries, which should make them even less attractive to the Giants. They need help NOW. The next highest-rated linebacker, Leonard Floyd, is rated #13 on NFL.com’s top 100, but he only weighs 231, NFL.com labelling him “painfully thin.” In 2015, the Giants were the ninth worst against the run, so if they were going to draft a linebacker, they need a run stopper.

Safety? They are as weak at safety as Popeye is without his spinach. NFL.com gives their top-rated safety, Duke’s Jeremy Cash, only a 5.68 rating. That is not a rating worthy of a #10 pick. Further, NFL.com states that “Cash is much too stiff to be asked to make a living in coverage and any team considering him will likely view him as a box safety,” something the Giants do not need to spend a high pick on. So, let’s eliminate the safety position as the one to spend a top pick on.

To be continued

Giants In Need of Change

Posted on by metbaseball

Despite losing it last two games in pathetic fashion, the football Giants still are voicing support for their coach. However, counting this season and the previous two, the Giants have one of the worst records in football over the last three games: they’re 3-8. And even if they win the final game of this season, they’ll still have won only 33 percent of those critical games. Should the coach also be spared of blame for that result?

No matter how the team does in its last game this season, change is needed, and the coach is not the only one whose performance needs review. The GM has drafted a number of players in the upper rounds who haven’t made a difference when they get on the field, Clint Simtim and Travis Beckum two examples.

The bottom line: Bill Cowher is available.

Giants’ draft may not improve team

Posted on by metbaseball

The more I learn about the players the Giants drafted in the 2010 draft, the more I question GM Jerry Reese’s drafting ability. I think it’s over-rated. In a post-draft interview, he didn’t even know that Philip Dillard played outside linebacker last season.

Reese’s most questionable pick was Jason Pierre-Paul. Last season for South Florida he had only 6.5 sacks while starting only seven of the team’s 13 games.

If I were the Giant’s GM, after the Seahawks drafted Earl Thomas I would have traded down several picks to try to get another second-rounder. The Patriots have showed how smart it can be to do that.

Their third pick, Chad Jones, is also a questionable one. According to Russ Lande in the Sporting News, “He takes consistently poor angles and is a very poor tackler. He has poor instincts and plays so far back he struggles to even get involved in the play.” That’s not someone I would want to play safety on my team.

If I were to grade the Giants draft, I’d give them a C-. I think Reese took too much of a risk drafting Pierre-Paul #15 and then Chad Jones in the third round.

Football Giants need major changes

Posted on by metbaseball

It will take a miracle for Giants GM Jerry Reese to put a contending team on the field in 2010. The team has too many needs. It needs to upgrade its safeties and linebackers, and add a defensive tackle. Plus, its offensive line is aging. (In previous drafts, the Giants could have drafted both Joe Thomas and Nick Mangold, but didn’t.) And its main running back, Brandon Jacobs, is too injury-prone. (They should have re-signed Derrick Ward.)

Why Reese didn’t upgrade both the safety and linebacker positions this past season befuddles me. For example, in the last draft he selected only two players who made a difference: Nicks and Beatty. Simtim and Beckum weren’t difference-makers. Barden didn’t play until the last game. Brown didn’t play at all because of an injury. Bomer, though not injured, didn’t play. And their final two draft choices, Wright and Woodson, didn’t even make the team.

Finally, of their three major free agent signings, Boley, Canty, and Bernard, Boley and Canty missed too many games because of injury and Bernard underperformed.

It’s unlikely that Reese will be able to acquire through the draft and free agency enough quality players to fill the Giants deficiencies, so unless a miracle happens and he does, don’t expect the Giants to be a playoff contender next season.