If the New York Giants want to be successful in the New Year and moving forward there’s almost certainly one place they can start. New York has enjoyed one of their most successful seasons of the past 4. Struggling to get over .500, it’s not for a lack of talent on this team. They’ve had some of the better drafts in recent memory and even started over with a new head coach. So going into the new year, where do the Giants start?
(Speaking as the New York Giants) “Our New Year’s Resolution is to end the sideshow.”
[embedit snippet=”Rick ads”]
The Giants “coulda, shoulda, woulda” has gone on long enough. There’s been way too much talent on their roster to not challenge for the division each year. As much talent as they’ve had, they’ve also had a ton of excuses. “It’s the coaches, it’s injuries, they don’t have enough talent at (blank)” Stop it. If the Giants want to go out and be legit contenders for seasons to come it’s time to get their house in order.
Sure you can go back to Jason Pierre Paul’s injury as a season changer but that’s not even the worst offender. They’ve got a distraction brewing in their number one wide receiver. Throw out all the arguments about how talented Odell Beckham Jr. is. He’s easily a top 5 receiver. Unfortunately for the Giants he’s on the same trajectory as Chad “Ocho Cinco” Johnson. No really, break down the two careers and see how they parallel.
Step 1. Become one of the league’s best receivers, check.
Step 2 . Become a fan favorite, check.
Step 3. Pull a bunch of sideline antics such as a “future HOF” jacket or propose to a kicking net, check.
Step 4. Be cut because your distraction eventually outweighs your production, TBD.
Step 5. Have another team give you a shot you blow because of off the field issues, TDB.
Between the sideline antics and the numerous amateur party videos, there’s a red flag waving. There’s no reason not to love what you do. However when loving a lifestyle becomes bigger than what keeps your feet on the ground there’s an issue. Maybe OBJ is just having fun and loving the life right now. Maybe it’s nothing, but if Giants keep heading down this path of firework accidents and antics, it’ll be a long time before they’re back to Super Bowl form. Championships are won off the field as much as they are on it. If your passion isn’t football, if you’re not having fun playing football anymore it’s time to refocus your priorities. The Giants could be good, but they seem more distracted by the life of a superstar athlete than building their careers.
New York can be a dynasty if they buckle down and focus on football. Winning seasons aren’t coming consistently enough. Too often they disappear against playoff teams. It’s time for the Giants to end the sideshow and focus on being a winning football team.