Defections and injuries have left a void
The New York Giants have shed a lot of leadership over the past two seasons.
Saquon Barkley is with the Philadelphia Eagles. Xavier McKinney is a Green Bay Packer. Julian Love and Leonard Williams are with the Seattle Seahawks. Daniel Jones is a member of the Minnesota Vikings. Andrew Thomas and Dexter Lawrence are out for the season due to injuries.
The Giants now have a lot of players trying to find their way in the NFL, or young veterans who have not yet stepped into leadership roles.
So, as the Giants try to hold things together as a 2-10 season winds its way to its inevitable disappointing conclusion, where is the leadership going to come from?
Brian Burns and Bobby Okereke qualify as established leaders. Who else is going to step into the void?
“Nobody is ineligible from leading,” said veteran wide receiver Darius slayton. “If you’re going to do the right thing and set the right example and encourage guys and bring guys along, then anybody can lead.”
Can rookies like first-round pick Malik Nabers or second-round pick Tyler Nubin lead despite their newness to the NFL?
“If you ask me from a real standpoint, in my personal opinion, this is a not for long league. So, telling guys that you have to wait until after a certain amount of time to be a leader is kind of like, it’s smoke and mirrors because the average is only three years,” said edge defender Kayvon Thibodeaux. “So, it’s like how long do you expect a great player to come in and not say anything? That’s kind of not realistic. And then on the other side of that, I think it’s beneficial. Obviously, we hope that the speaking up and everything else is uplifting and for the greater good of the team.
“I’m a guy that believes this is a meritocracy. So, if you make plays, you have a voice. If you don’t make plays, you don’t have a voice. That’s the name of the business. So, I would say for young guys coming in, continue to make plays first, and then be an impact in leadership.”
Linebacker Micah McFadden, a third-year player and two-year starter who continues to become more important to the defense, admitted that young players need to find their place.
“The more you produce, the bigger your voice is. Guys listen to the leaders and the people who are leading from the front and doing their job and executing at a high level,” McFadden said. “So, there’s always that process that goes from high school to college when you come in as a freshman and you’re kind of back at the bottom of the totem pole and then again in the NFL. It’s definitely a unique experience and something you weigh the waters in and find your place.”
One of the challenges of the last five weeks for the Giants will be to find out if there is enough leadership, even emerging leadership, to hold the locker room together.
