Every week before the Giants’ kickoff, I tell myself, “Well, it can’t get much worse.” And every week, they prove me wrong in the most ridiculous way possible. Going into New England to face the AFC’s top seed in primetime, I didn’t think the Giants had a great chance to win, but I still expected better than what we got.
The thing that jumped out to me more than anything else was how unbelievably bad the special teams have become, and how they’ve somehow gotten worse and worse over the past few years.
Not only did they allow a 94-yard touchdown return, but Younghoe Koo delivered perhaps the most egregious blunder I have ever seen on a football field. The Giants’ kicker (their third of the season, mind you) lined up for a field goal, ran toward the ball… and just didn’t kick it. He literally kicked the ground and didn't even make contact with the ball.
Football was invented in 1869, and I can guarantee you that has never happened before, until now, courtesy of the New York Giants.
The Giants were never in this game, the 33–15 final score making it look closer than it actually was. But instead of diving into the play-by-play, I want to focus more on the players themselves, because that’s where the real story of this game is.
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| image via Eric Canha of Eric Canha-Imagn Images |
At this point in the season, already eliminated from playoff contention, with two of your three young stars out for the year, the worst thing that could possibly happen for New York is further injuring your most important young player, Jaxson Dart.
As most of you know, Dart missed the last two games with a concussion he suffered in Chicago after taking a massive shot to the head on a designed QB run. To protect him in his first game back, interim head coach and play-caller Mike Kafka made it clear he wouldn’t call any designed runs for Dart.
While Kafka kept up his end of the bargain, Dart did not. Refusing to slide or throw the ball away multiple times. Instead, he took unnecessary hit after unnecessary hit. The worst came on a 2nd-and-13, when Dart tried to tightrope down the sideline for a first down rather than step out of bounds. He stayed in, fought for an extra yard and got absolutely leveled by Patriots linebacker Christian Elliss. The hit was ruled legal, and it was, but it ignited a full-on brawl on the Giants’ sideline as teammates stormed in to defend their young QB.
When asked about protecting himself postgame Dart said, "No, look, I understand the question, but this is football....I'm going to get hit if I'm in the pocket or outside the pocket. I feel like I played this way my whole entire life. It shouldn't be any shocker to anybody if you followed along with my career...We're not playing soccer out here. You're going to get hit. Things happen. It's just part of the game...guy made a good hit,"
As much as I love Dart, he’s in the wrong here. In a lost season, there is absolutely no reason to put yourself in harm’s way and risk further injury, not just to yourself but to the entire team.
To me, this only reinforces the bigger issue: there is no mature voice in this Giant's locker room. Big Blue is in desperate need of a head coach who can actually get through to Dart and teach him how important it is to change his playstyle. But it's not just Dart who needs coaching.
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| (image via abc7ny.com) |
Abdul Carter was benched for the second time last night after showing up late to yet another team meeting. The first time, he was held out for the opening drive. This time, he missed the entire first quarter.
For a guy you spent the third overall pick on, a player you expect to build the franchise around, this kind of behavior absolutely cannot continue.
With the Giants on bye next week, I get a brief break from this mess. But leave a comment and let me know if you want me to dive into some NFL power rankings or something else for next week's blog. I’m open to suggestions.
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