Although many states are experiencing a heat wave this week as they are reaching numbers in the triple digits, there is some good news as the fall is right around the corner. Football is back as of this week as camps begin for all the teams.
The New York Giants are coming off a record of 6-10 and are entering a new era. This season is the first year where there will be a new coach leading the team as former offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo became the Head Coach. He ended up replacing Tom Coughlin, who was the head coach since 2004. Also, this is a team that has been riddled with injuries the last few years that have derailed them from making the playoffs. The last time they made the playoffs was in 2011 when they would go on to win the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots.
One key for the Giants in the upcoming season is to beat every team on their schedule, but more importantly, beat the NFC East teams. Since the New York Giants last made the playoffs in 2011, the winner of the NFC East has had an above .500 winning percentage against teams in the NFC East. In 2012, the Redskins had a 5-1 record within the division; In 2013, Philadelphia had a 4-2 record within the division; In 2014, Dallas had a 4-2 record within the division; and last season, Washington had a 4-2 record within the division. They all ended up winning the division and in those years the Giants were at .500 or had a losing record within the division.
Some could say the Giants have a rather easy schedule this season. Before their bye week in Week 8, only 3 of the Giants’ opponents had a winning record in 2015. They are the Redskins (9-7), The Vikings (11-5), and the Packers (10-6). If everything goes well, there is no reason why they can’t be 5-2 by the Bye Week. There is a very good shot that the Giants can have 10-11 wins this season. Also with how easy their schedule is this season, they should have to rely on beating their divisional opponents greatly, but they don’t want to have to worry about that because in the last four weeks three of the opponents are their divisional rivals.
Another key for the Giants is to avoid a major storm of injuries. I am fully aware that injuries are essentially part of the game, but if you’re the Giants and want to finally make the playoffs, then you need to try and not have major injuries. Since Odell Beckman was drafted, all people have been saying is the duo of Victor Cruz and him is one of the most dangerous duos. They have not played a full season together, so it will be nice to see that finally.
Also, it would be nice, and I see as a key to them having a successful year and with who they picked up in free agency, they can have one of the most formidable defenses in the NFL. The Giants were built on defense for years with players like Harry Carson, Carl Banks, Michael Strahan, and Justin Tuck to name a few.
Overall, if everything goes well for the Giants and they don’t get hit with the injury bug, then this could be a magical season for Big Blue. However, if everything goes wrong, then this could be a miserable year.