The Giants Awkward Place

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Last week, I spoke with Earnest Christian on his “EJ Talks Football” podcast and in our ramblings concerning NFL free agency, we discussed the current position of the New York Giants. It was a difficult spot for me because I have a hatred for this franchise that goes longer than a quarter of a century. I will not get into why I loathe this franchise so much, but I will say, the reasons have scarred me since a young boy till now.

As a fan who roots against the Giants, last year was a great season. The Giants looked pitiful, the fans were frustrated and the season was over from the start. But if one is to really step back and analyze where the Giants are at right now, it is a really, really awkward place to be.

The Giants are a team that sit with the number two pick in the NFL draft. The Giants also have a terrible offensive line (one of the NFL’s worst), an aging quarterback in Eli Manning (whose talents have been diminishing for years and may be at a “rock-bottom” point) and a stalled contract negotiation with stud wide-receiver Odell Beckham.

Source: Patrick McDermott/Getty Images North America

When it comes to the offensive line, there are already talks that free agent guard Andrew Norwell signing with the New York Giants is already a “done-deal.” If this is so, it represents the Giants moving in the right direction in the off-season, but it certainly cannot stop there. Maybe the Giants look to free-agent tackle Nate Solder to help solidify a rebuild of the offensive line or they look in the draft. In this year’s class, quite possibly the best player is Notre Dame guard Quentin Nelson. The Giants taking Nelson number-two overall though would be doubtful, and if this was the course of action they’d want to take they would likely trade down a few spots. . .just a few.

When it comes to Eli Manning and the quarterback situation of the New York Giants, new general manager Dave Gettleman, has told the New York fans and media that Eli Manning will remain as the team’s quarterback. This was unexpected by many considering how Eli Manning has played in the last few seasons, and also considering that this seemed like a good time to just break free and draft new blood under center for the future with the number-two overall pick. Instead, the Giants have given the cringe-worthy statement of keeping the decrepit QB at the helm. If this is true, this means the Giants have no interest in Josh Rosen, Josh Allen or Sam Darnold. This doesn’t mean other teams don’t though. The Giants can easily trade out of this spot for a mini-ransom of sorts, which is ideal for a team in their position. Also, keeping Eli Manning in there for another year, really does no damage to the rebuilding model – if the model includes acquiring pieces to an offense that would be better for a new quarterback to control.

Source: Al Bello/Getty Images North America

Finally, we come to the Odell Beckham drama. With a heavy emphasis on the word “drama” because that’s all Odell is. Well to be fair, he’s also a top-five wide receiver in the league, and one of the two biggest play makers in football (next to Antonio Brown). With that being said, Odell wants to be the highest paid receiver in the league. Oh sorry, the highest paid player in the league. Yeah, no thanks. This comes at a terrible time for the Giants, but this is a business. Odell is playing his hand correctly and you can’t blame him. The truth is, Odell is a star. A star in New York. That equates to bigger things than just the football field. But in the same breath, Odell is someone who came into the league with injury issues. Last year he started the season missing week one with an ankle injury and then had his season cut off due to a left ankle fracture in week five. Odell also has the reputation of being a petulant child and a general pest. He has a huge target on him from defenders all over the league because he tends to show boat and talk trash — BUT he is the best player on this roster. . . by far. The question here is, do you really pay a receiver that much (we’re talking in the ball park of $17 million a year) while rebuilding? Even if Odell signs a deal of a realistic $14-$15 million a year – where does the sense come in for all of this? Teams that have the wide-outs with big contracts only make noise if the rest of the team is solid – like the Steelers or the Falcons — but even then – no championships.

This is a very awkward time indeed for the New York Giants. If I said I feel bad for them, I’d be lying through my teeth. The petty little demon inside of me is grinning ear to ear.

By the way, we only discussed their offense and how they should go about fixing that. . .this defense gave up the second most yards in the NFL last year as well. . .so uh. . .Good Luck out there with the rebuild G-Men.

G.W. Gras

twitter @GeeSteelio