EAST RUTHERFORD – To say last season ended terrible was an understatement.
Going from where the Giants started last season to where they finished was the equivalent of dating Miss America and then ending up with Roseanne.
Such were the highs and lows of their season last year. One that began with plenty of promise when they were 5-0 dissolved in the middle of the year and eventually swept away at the end.
When it was all over last season in Minnesota, with the Vikings rubbing the Giants noses in it in much the same way other teams had done so during the season, the one hope that you had was that the team as a whole would take notice.
One person that took notice was the team’s principal co-owner, John Mara.
“I’m unhappy at everybody, Mara said after the Giants finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs for the first time in four seasons. “ It’s just not acceptable to perform like that. There are 8-8 seasons and there are 8-8 seasons, but this one felt a lot more like 2-14 to me.”
“I saw a lack of mental and physical toughness and quite frankly, a lack of effort over the last weeks (Carolina and Minnesota outscored the Giants a combined 83-16), Mara continued. That’s just something I never expected to see from this group of players.”
With that, Mara issued a challenge.
Losing, especially in the manner that team did last year was not going to stand. You get to do this for one year. Let it happen again, and serious changes will come.
The Giants built up too much equity over the past few years with their play that perhaps they spoiled themselves. When things got rough during their four game losing streak that effectively ended their season, they were defiant in saying that everything would be fine and they would correct problems.
Problem is, the problems continued.
They continued to the tune of statistically, the second worst Giants defense in the history of the franchise, allowing 427 points, and giving up 40 points or more five times.
Before the year, they built themselves up as a team free of holes. However, most of them did not find themselves on the practice field. The ones that did quickly found themselves in the trainer’s room shortly thereafter.
A team known for its power running game could never get on track from the outset. It would have its occasional moments, but fought inconsistency from Week 1. The inability to establish their strength compromised them in other areas. This forced Eli Manning into many more passing situations, and though he had his best statistical season, the Giants are never a better team when the team has to resort to “throwing first”.
Bad decisions, turnovers, poor special teams and the collapse of the defense all played a role in the team having a bad season. It is the reason most of them were not purged after the year, but instead, brought back to show that last season was an anomaly and this nucleus of team still had the same fire that made them champions just three seasons ago.
Most of the offense remains intact despite some of their imperfections last year.
The question that looms is whether the offensive line still possesses the same ability and strength to be a reestablished force.
Defensively, a franchise that prides itself on that side of the ball still has the talent to be dominant assuming they all can get on the field and perform.
Last year, Bill Sheridan took the fall for the player’s performance or lack thereof, replace by Perry Fewell, a man who worked with Coughlin back when he was in Jacksonville and was the defensive coordinator with Buffalo.
His task is to make this defense breathe fire again and restore what Coughlin calls “Giants Pride”, something that went away in an avalanche of points, poor execution, mindless decisions and uninspired play that led many to believe the team quit as the playoffs slipped away.
For the Giants, it starts with running the ball and playing defense, an old football axiom for success, but something they could not accomplish with the same proficiency in 2009.
Many of the faces from successful season’s past are still here.
The talent is here on this team to regain their status among the NFC’s elite.
Now, it is about putting back together what was broken a year ago.
It is time for this team to get to work.
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