The Kings Of Inconsistency

From 2005-2012, the New York Giants never had a losing season and they won a pair of Super Bowl Championships. Even during that run, the Giants were an enigmatic team as they had seven years in which they started the season with a record of 6-2 only to stumble in the second half of the season. The past few years have seen the Giants core players of that era retire or move on to other teams as this organization is trying to hold it together around quarterback Eli Manning. But the last two years have seen the Giants finish the season with losing records while this year they’ve simply been an up and down team. And after 11 games, the Giants are 5-6 as one of the first things that they should ask themselves is what could have been for them.

In four of the Giants six losses this year, they had a lead entering the fourth quarter only to watch it evaporate. And after losing this past Sunday to the Washington Redskins, the Giants will have to dig down deep in order to find some December magic if they are going to navigate to the postseason.

There was a time when the Giants organization was known for being physical at the line of scrimmage with a powerful running game and a strong offensive line, but that is now a thing of the past. This year the Giants are 28th in the National Football League in rushing and they are well on their way to having a fourth consecutive year in which they have not produced a running back that gained at least 1,000 yards. This ineffectiveness to run the football has hurt the Giants due to the fact that they have not been able to put games away in the fourth quarter with their running game. And with the Giants ineffectiveness to run the football, it has put more pressure on Manning to carry this team.

Manning is in his 12th year as the Giants starting quarterback and he is still the face of their franchise. Manning is a two-time Super Bowl MVP and he has become the most prolific passer in Giants history. But Manning has thrown a red zone interception in two of the Giants six losses along with a key fumble during the team’s Week 2 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. However Manning still has a flair for the dramatic which included leading a comeback victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Week 5 and throwing 6 touchdown passes in Week 8 during a 52-49 loss to the New Orleans Saints. Manning hasn’t played behind the best offensive line this year which sometimes has seen him to force the football and that also comes back to the Giants lack of a running game.

Rashad Jennings, Shane Vereen, Andre Williams, and Orleans Darkwa have all gotten carries this year for the Giants. But all four players simply lack explosiveness as the Giants have only had three runs go for more than 20 yards this season.

The Giants have wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who has rapidly become one of the best pass catchers in the National Football League, but he is the only real threat in the Giants passing game as wide receiver Reuben Randle has been inconsistent during his four years in New York while wide receiver Victor Cruz has not played this season for Big Blue due to a calf injury. The Giants have lacked a top notch tight end since the days of Jeremy Shockey which was nearly a decade ago. And the Giants lack of a pass-catching threat at the tight end position hurts them in the red zone as it forces Manning to attempt to make something out of nothing down there which has led to some costly turnovers.

Defensively the Giants have the worst ranked unit in the National Football League as they are surrendering nearly 420 yards per game. The Giants are also last in the NFL in sacks with just 12 and 31st in opponents third down conversions as they’ve been unable to stop drives and keep opponents off of the field. The Giants suffered a blow to their defense over the summer when defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul lost his right index finger during a fireworks accident. Pierre-Paul did return to the Giants last month, but he has yet to record a sack. And whereas the Giants had a bevy of players that could rush the passer during their two recent Super Bowl runs, they no longer have that depth on their defensive line.

On both both sides of the football, the Giants are lacking enough play makers which falls at the feet of team general manager Jerry Reese. Reese has been the Giants general manager since 2007 and he had his hand prints on a pair of Super Bowl Titles for the organization. But lately the Giants have been a team that has lacked depth on both sides of the football which has shown up in the fact that they have been unable to make the postseason since winning it all in 2011.

Tom Coughlin has been the Giants head coach since 2004 and he lived up this promise when he took over as he vowed to restore the Giants to what they once were. Coughlin has always been a detail oriented guy which makes it hard to grasp that the Giants have been unable to finish as they’ve blown five, fourth quarter leads this year. Coughlin is 69-years of age and he is the current elder statesman as far as head coaches in the National Football League. And with Coughlin’s age and the Giants inconsistencies, you’re going to hear about the possibility of him no longer being the team’s head coach. The Giants have gone three years without a trip to the postseason and it is tough for a head coach to maintain his job in the NFL with that long of a postseason drought. But Giants co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch run an organization that is typically loyal to their head coaches as New York has only employed six head coaches since 1979.

In being unable to defeat the Washington Redskins this past Sunday, the Giants allowed a golden opportunity to go by the wayside as they could have put a stranglehold on winning the NFC East. But the Giants now find themselves tied with the Redskins for first place in the NFC East with Washington holding the tiebreaker due to a better divisional record. The Giants are far from out of it, but now more than ever, it is time for them to get it going.

The Giants have been an up and down team all season long and one thing that they have going for them is that they have yet to click on all cylinders in a game this year as there is a possibility that it could all come together for them down the stretch. The Giants will take on the New York Jets this Sunday as there is never any love lost between these two teams that share MetLife Stadium. And although that the Giants still have a puncher’s chance to make the playoffs this January, we really don’t know what will happen for them during this month as it has been very tough to get a gauge on this inconsistent team all season long.