The bye week is now over for the New York Giants, that one relaxing weekend for the fans of ‘Big Blue’ who finally didn’t have to worry about their team losing this Sunday.
Now sitting at 1-6, all playoff hopes are done for the Giants who have to begin focusing on 2018. They’re headed for a top pick in next spring’s NFL Draft and while they don’t have as many holes as most teams in their position, they have a lot of work to do.
Three things to watch from the Giants post-bye week:
1. Go to the Darkwa side
The numbers don’t need to be gaudy. In fact, behind that offensive line, they likely won’t be. But the Giants need to establish a table of talent at the running back position. Paul Perkins has struggled this year and the most promising player out of the backfield is Orleans Darkwa. Give the little-used running back some run and reps to see if he can be a possible answer to the running woes or possibly even a component for next year.
The Giants don’t need to find lightning in a bottle, merely someone who shows promise. The offensive line will be overhauled this offseason so if there is potential, that player could emerge to be the feature back next year.
2. Go all in on the young guys
The Giants have some promising young pieces on their team, ranging from the aforementioned Perkins to last year’s draft picks such as Darian Thompson, B.J. Goodson and players this year such as first-round pick Evan Engram and defensive linemen Dalvin Thompson, a fellow rookie.
These players are going to be the future of this franchise and a big part of the youth movement in the future. Time to expand their roles and see what they can do, even if it is at the expense of established veterans who take a much bigger chunk of the salary cap.
3. Don’t coach for now
The tendency of a head coach in this position will be to try and eek out a few wins, no matter what it might take to do so — all done solely to try and enhance job security. But Ben McAdoo has to be willing to think outside the box here.
This year is now all about 2018, with the Giants needing to establish depth and young talent. They’ll need answers moving forward and the rest of this year should provide that.
If McAdoo wins a few games with his veterans, then what does he prove? This team was supposed to be a playoff team. But if he can hang in games and get a couple wins with the new, young guys then maybe he can save his job. It’d certainly be more impressive than the one win he has right now.
