As a diehard New York Giants fan, I could only watch last Sunday night’s performance against the Cowboys with extreme agony and frustration. Jerry Reese, who I have not been the biggest proponent of in recent years, has done a solid job of formulating one of the best defenses in the league and an offense with many weapons. Yet, as we know, he has completely disregarded the offensive line. It has now been a problem the problem for a couple of years, where Eli does not have enough time to complete a pass down field, while the running backs have no holes to hit. It is further disturbing that he has disregarded this unit, while division foe the Cowboys have shown through using their top round draft picks on offensive lineman, you can develop into a solid team who competes for the playoffs each year with a homemade offensive unit. But now we are in the regular season and it is too late to worry about moves that should have been made in the offseason (even though the idea of trading for an offensive lineman sounds great, the only time Reese has made an in-season trade was for Jon Beason at the start of the 2013 season). So, let’s look at how the Giants can improve and make changes on the fly this season, to make them a Super Bowl contender.
- Ben McAdoo must relegate his play calling duties– As someone that we can definitely consider a young head coach, McAdoo is overwhelmed by attempting to call plays, while managing the entire game and dealing with head coaching responsibilities. Not only were McAdoo’s play calling atrocious in game one of this young season, but his ability to get the offense into any sort of rhythm was also apparent. McAdoo relegating his play calling duties would mean turning the reigns over to Offensive Coordinator Mike Sullivan. Even though Sullivan has not called plays in his NFL career, he is still a better alternative to McAdoo, who would then be able to solely focus on head coaching responsibilities.
- Make Orleans Darkwa the lead back– Orleans Darkwa stats from Week 1: 3 car, 14 yds, 4.7 avg. Paul Perkins stats from Week 1: 7 car, 18 yds, 2.3 avg. Even though Darkwa was limited in attempts, he showed that he is more capable as the lead back the second-year mad Paul Perkins. In his short NFL career Perkins has been atrocious. That might have been best exemplified this preseason, where he seemed to slug for 2 or 3 yard gains each time he got the ball. Darkwa provides more of a power back option for the GMEN, which might fit better with their offensive line struggles, as he can gain a few extra yards after contact, which is necessary due to the lack of holes. Also, I am not asking for a split backfield committee that we had to deal with last year, but Darkwa to take the bulk of the carries. With Perkins we know what we are getting, and it’s not pretty, so let’s go out on a limb and try to see if Darkwa can be the workhorse the Giants are missing.
- Let Landon Collins roam the field– Last year, Landon Collins was more than just an average NFL safety playing above the linebackers, but would line up tight on the line against a receiver or inside the box. While only watching the game on TV, and being restricted by its directivity, it seemed as if Collins was playing more of the conventional safety position against the Cowboys. There were a few instances where Collins manned up against a receiver, but it did not appear that he attacked the quarterback much. Last year, Collins was able to put fright into the eyes of opposing quarterbacks when Spags let Collins make plays in all different defensive positions. With their lackluster offense, the Giants need for their defense to make plays, more specifically with pressure to quarterbacks and the forcing of turnovers. Jason Pierre-Paul and Olivier Vernon do a solid job of providing pressure, but when Collins was providing highlight reel plays last year, the defense seemed to jump to an elite class. Collins did not stuff the stat sheet in Week 1, but I would almost expect Spags to make sure he is more involved in the game plan come Week 2 against the Lions.
