Ron Boswell asks: Ed, as the start of the new season begins this weekend, I was curious about your thoughts on this. When Shurmur was fired after Jones’ rookie season I had two thoughts. One, that Shurmur was not a good HC and deserved to be let go. The other thought was coming off a rookie season that showed some promise for Jones how would the change in coaching staff impact his development. We now know any hope for Jones was derailed when Judge and Garrett came to town. With Mara’s past comment “We’ve done everything possible to screw this kid up since he’s been here” referring to Jones, do you think that is something Mara and co would take into consideration regarding Daboll and Dart? Personally, I’m hopeful this is a 7–8-win team and the question will be a moot point. However, if the team wins 4-5 games but Dart looks the part of a franchise QB what’s your opinion on if Mara keeps Daboll around to see his development through?
Ed says: Ron, that is the big question that affects the future of the franchise. I don’t know if there is a magic number of victories that Daboll needs to keep his job. What I do know is that John Mara is very cognizant of the mistakes the organization made in dealing with Daniel Jones. He may never have been a great quarterback as I think we understand his limitations, but I always thought that given the proper support he could have reached an Andy Dalton/Ryan Tannehill level on a consistent basis.
I believe the last thing Mara wants to do is repeat the mistakes the organization made with Jones by putting Jaxson Dart in a constant head coach/GM/offensive coordinator spin cycle. I think Mara will be looking for reasons to keep Daboll for at least another year rather than looking for reasons to fire him. I think Daboll gets another year — unless this season goes so badly that there is no other choice but to move on.
Jim Jordan asks: So, what’s up with Darius Slayton? He didn’t get a single target in the preseason and I don’t remember his name coming up much during camp coverage either. I know the coaches were trying to use reps to evaluate the multitude of young receivers in camp, and Slayton is a known commodity. But I would think with a complete turnover of the QBs on the roster this offseason, they would want to take some time to develop a bit of chemistry going into the season. Am I overthinking this?
Ed says: Yes, Jim, I think you are overthinking this. Slayton got plenty of work with Russell Wilson, and probably Jaxson Dart, during the spring and summer. There is no issue there.
Carl Wittenberg asks: The offensive line has taken a lot of heat over the last several years. Clearly blown assignments or missed blocks are the individual lineman’s fault, but how much of the line’s “failure” can/should be attributed to a quarterback misinterpreting the defensive set and/or not adjusting and/or communicating protections correctly?
Ed says: Carl, yes, sacks are a quarterback stat. Some sacks are on the quarterback for not reading the defense correctly or being indecisive and holding the ball too long, or flatly refusing to throw the ball away.
This is actually something to watch, and something of a concern, with Russell Wilson. He has been sacked 78 times over the past two seasons, fifth-most of all NFL quarterbacks. That is not necessarily because he was playing in front of terrible offensive lines. It is because over the past few years he has been one of the slower quarterbacks to deliver the ball, which is backed by looking at the numbers from Pro Football Focus. That may have been fine when he was younger and had more escapability, but he will be 37 this season. He gained just 155 yards rushing last season and averaged 3.6 yards per attempt, both career lows. It’s clear he doesn’t move the way he used to.
Now, none of that is to absolve the offensive line play. Still, not every sack is the offensive line’s fault, and it is worth paying attention to.
Walker Joyce asks: As I predicted a couple weeks ago, Andrew Thomas’s injury bug will continue to haunt this team. I also said this may be true about prima donna Nabors’ various ailments.
One down and one to go.
If this pair is disabled, a promising season could quickly go up in smoke..and today, that seems likely. DAMN!
I’ve been following the Giants since the Y.A. Tittle era, so I have a solid historical perspective. From where I sit, players who’ve gone under the knife in the last two decades have taken longer to recover than guys on other clubs. Is it time for Ronnie Barnes to retire? Does the medical staff need an overhaul like the rest of the organization has had?
That’s how it seems to me. What say you?
Ed says: Walker, I am so tired of the ‘blame Ronnie Barnes’ game and the ‘overhaul the medical staff’ cry every time there is an injury. I honestly can’t stand it anymore.
Let’s start with Ronnie Barnes. He is the team’s head athletic trainer and carries the title of senior vice president of medical services. He is NOT a doctor. He is also NOT part of the strength and conditioning staff. His job is not “training” athletes. His job with players begins once they do inevitably get hurt. Giants players always speak highly of how they are treated and the services they are provided with as they rehab injuries.
The strength and conditioning staff gets changed constantly. Aaron Wellman, who heads that group as Executive Director of Player Performance, is in his second tour with the Giants.
I’m not buying the ‘Giants players take longer to recover’ stuff. Where is your evidence? Do you have the medical training to compare one player’s injury to another player’s injury and know the factors involved in the recovery?
If the Giants were really concerned about the long-term impacts of Andrew Thomas’s injury, would they have just restructured his contract to push $3 million into each of the next four years? I have wondered why Thomas has taken longer to heal than Theo Johnson, but Thomas is 60 pounds heavier and, again, every injury is different. Thomas also had to undergo a second procedure to remove the screw in his foot, something Johnson apparently did not have to do.
I don’t mean to be strident in my answer, but at some point there has to be acceptance this it’s football and guys get hurt. And no two recoveries are the same. There isn’t always someone to blame.
Alex Sunderland asks: Different version of the ‘when will the rookie take the reigns’ question…
While the front office seems set to move forward with James Hudson as the first off the bench at LT…would we be better off letting the impressive Mbow get those reps instead? If Thomas misses a few weeks, how long of a leash do you think Hudson would have before getting supplanted by Mbow?
From my viewing, it looks like they offer a similar floor (slight edge to Hudson there), with Mbow definitely offering a higher ceiling.
Ed says: Alex, there might come a time when the Giants would put Marcus Mbow at left tackle. If James Hudson gets hurt and Andrew Thomas isn’t ready, that would be one scenario. The other scenario would be if Hudson is a complete disaster, which I don’t expect to happen. Do I expect him to play like an All-Pro? No. He just needs to be competent.
Reality is, Mbow was a right tackle in college. He did not play on the left side in college. He showed the Giants in preseason that he could player there if he needs to, but in my view a rookie who has never played left tackle in a game that counted should never be Plan A.
Matt Carey asks: A lot of anxious commentary from Giants fans throws Jaxon Dart into the starting role by mid season. Could anything good really come from such a scenario? The primary culprit would probably be another o-line meltdown and in that case, Dart would be next Danny-dimes running for his life to loud boos.
Ed says: Matt, I continue to believe the best-case scenario is for Dart to sit as long as possible. For that to happen, the Giants need to win enough games and Russell Wilson needs to play well enough to keep him on the bench.
The reality, though, is that Brian Daboll is under pressure. Dart is the quarterback he has banked his future on. There is no way he loses his job without ever getting Dart on the field and giving ownership a good look at what a Dart/Daboll pairing might look like going forward.
Gregory Riley asks: Long time reader here and even longer Giants fan going back to the glorious 1956 season. I am interested in your opinion on the reports that GM Joe Schoen rejected trade offers for Jalin Hyatt, Daniel Bellinger and Jameis Winston. If you were the Giants GM would you have traded any or all of them and why? Also to expand on those decisions do you think Schoen as a rule overvalues his draft picks (thinking Evan Neal, Hyatt, Bellinger and others) to the point of hurting the team.
Ed says: Gregory, I think one of the hardest things for any general manager to do is to take the emotion and the desire to be right about a draft pick out of the equation and to honestly value players he is invested in.
Any good GM always listens to offers. He is willing to hear how other teams value his players and to consider whether or not the return he might get would help the team more in the long run than the player being talked about.
The only one of the three players you mentioned I would have considered trading is Bellinger. I think Bellinger is good all-around player, good enough to be a solid TE2 for many teams and an adequate TE1 for some. With the Giants, though, he’s kind of stuck. Theo Johnson is a better, more dynamic receiver. Chris Manhertz is a better blocker. Thomas Fidone is a younger, cheaper player with upside. I thought the Giants might look to move Bellinger both because of the depth they have and to get some cap relief. They chose not to.
I would not have traded Hyatt or Winston. As much as Hyatt has not lived up to expectations, who is WR4 if you move on from Hyatt? Gabe Davis signed with the Buffalo Bills. Gunner Olszewski is not a proven receiver. Beaux Collins in an undrafted free agent. As for Winston, the Giants signed him with both this year and next year in mind. That hasn’t changed. If someone makes an overwhelming offer I would consider trading him. Otherwise, no.
Jack MacMullen asks: Do you have any insights on why Trace Ford is not on the team in any capacity? Many thought he’d be on the (53), or at least a definite piece of the PS.
Ed says: Jack, I don’t know anyone who thought Ford would be on the 53-man roster. As for the practice squad, I did think he would be a guy the Giants would like to keep there. They chose to stick with Tomon Fox. a player they have worked with for a couple of years, and to add inside linebackers Zaire Barnes and Swayze Bozeman from outside the organization.
I don’t have any real insight on that, other than they must believe the players they have kept have a better chance to help them.
Glen B asks: While the Giants have done a lot in the off-season to bolster it’s defense, have they addressed perhaps it’s greatest weakness last year, the inability to stop the run? No doubt their pass rush and defense this year should be really good, but who will be the new run stuffers that were missing last year. The Commanders will certainly try to run the ball down our throats the first week.
Ed says: Glen, this is a question many people have. The Commanders should, and mostly likely will, test the Giants’ run defense.
I have to think adding Roy Robertson-Harris, Darius Alexander and Chauncey Golston will help the run defense. A healthy Bobby Okereke should help the run defense. Abdul Carter’s athleticism should be a plus against the run.
I believe the personnel is there to improve in the run defense. The biggest question, for me, is still going to be how well they hold up when Dexter Lawrence is on the sideline.
Greg Kolton asks: Hey, Ed. What are your thoughts on asking the Jets about trading for Evan Neal now that Vera-Tucker may be out for the season? I think if the pick or player received back are high enough, we should pull the trigger.
Ed says: Greg, I haven’t seen anywhere that the Jets are asking about Neal. Honestly, why would they? Potentially, he could be a good guard. Was there really enough evidence of that in the summer for a team to trade a draft asset for him right now? I don’t know about that.
You always weigh whether the offer you get is more valuable to your future than the player you have right now. I think the Giants would listen if the Jets, or anyone else, called. The other part of the equation is whether or not the Giants are OK with the backup situation they have, with Josh Ezeudu on IR and Jake Kubas on the practice squad.
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