Poll results: Giants fans err on the side of panic

Maybe not full-blown panic, but there’s definitely concern

New York Giants fans were high on their team heading into the 2024 season.

Our season-opening poll had the overwhelming majority of fans believing the team would exceed expectations and surprise this year. It’s safe to say that the Giants have certainly been a surprise after the first two weeks, but not in the way anyone wanted to see.

Falling to 0-2 almost always spells doom for a team’s chances for success in a given season. Just two teams have overcome an 0-2 start to make the playoffs since 2020, and while that doesn’t doom the Giants’ season in and of itself, the trends are worrisome.

In light of the trends regarding 0-2 starts, outlets around the NFL media sphere are wondering whether fans (and franchises) should be panicking over slow starts. That was the question we put to the Big Blue View community, asking if you were panicking or exercising patience with the Giants.

Giants fans are split, with 56 percent of fans choosing “panic”, while 44 percent chose “patience”.

A 12-point split isn’t exactly tight, however it’s closer than you might expect given the 56-point drop in fan confidence following the Giants’ Week 1 loss to the Vikings, dropping from 78 percent to 22 percent. Granted, fan confidence rebounded a bit following the loss to the Washington Commanders. But still, just 29 percent of fans believe the Giants believe the team is heading in the right direction. That’s even with the depths of fan despair in 2023.

Of course, “Panic” and “Patience” are fairly vague terms that can mean different things to different people. That’s why I asked you to expand on your choice in the comments section.

One of the most common responses is that panicking over results implies that you have expectations. That’s also the reason why NFL.com opted to not include the Giants at all in their “Panic or Patience” survey of 0-2 teams. They wrote, “Yes, nobody should be surprised to see flawed teams like the Broncos or Giants sitting in the winless category after Week 2.”

Pro Football Focus, on the other hand, has the Giants’ panic index at “EXTREMELY HIGH”, writing,

Daniel Jones and Brian Daboll entered 2024 knowing it was a make-or-break season, and the damage might already be irreparable.

Despite playing better in Week 2, Jones has still been a below-average quarterback, ranking 20th in PFF passing grade (minimum of 20 dropbacks) with only one big-time throw across 70 attempts. The most damning part is that the Giants’ offensive line is actually protecting him much better — ranking sixth in pass-blocking grade — not to mention that both Malik Nabers and Wan’Dale Robinson have flashed.

New York’s defense has been better than the offense, but still not as stingy as expected. Only three players (Dexter Lawrence, Micah McFadden and Dru Phillips) have PFF overall grades above 71.0, as Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux have yet to find their footing on the edge.

Shane Bowen’s defense could fare better as the season progresses, especially expecting more from its three-tiered talent. But it’s hard to fathom that Big Blue’s offense will improve much from its ranking of 26th in expected points allowed per play. With nothing but formidable matchups upcoming, things could get ugly fast — potentially leading to Jones’ benching.

Personally, I fall into the category of “patience”. Not because I believe the Giants will turn their season around, or because I had no expectations for the team. I do believe they have good pieces at multiple positions on their roster and are currently underperforming compared to their talent level.

Rather, I just don’t think a “nightmare” season is the worst outcome for the team.

Fans have shown a lot of frustration that the Giants can never seem to “finish the rebuild”. My counter to that is to ask what have the Giants done over the last seven years would suggest that they’ve even started a rebuild? Back during the Gettleman days, former BBV contributor Dan Pizzuta invoked the wisdom of Ron Swanson with respect to the Giants’ “win while reloading” philosophy.

To my mind, a season that would not only position the Giants to add more blue chip talent but also convince them to abandon half measures is worth enduring. It might not be fun or even comfortable, but neither is doing the things necessary to get back in shape if you let yourself go.

It’s understandable to not be happy with the start of the Giants season and be distressed with how things have gone. However, embracing the suck might (finally) give the results that make being patient worthwhile.