It was with mixed emotions that I watched the Giants win, in a convincing fashion against a heavily favored Broncos team that had dominated some other teams.  Surprisingly the Giants’ offense displayed strong running game against a team that has not allowed much to running backs all year.

There are a number of reasons for this.  One was clearly the addition of D.J. Fluker (ultimately instead of Hart) on the offensive line.  The second was the reconfiguration that put Pugh back at tackle where his athletic abilities are probably best suited. We have been positive on Darkwa for a while and he was great. It should be clear that Perkins will not get his starting job back when healthy.
 
They didn’t post overall gaudy numbers and passing to wide receivers was virtually non-existent, but they did what they needed to do and controlled the game.
 
JPP had a big game for the first time all year. With Vernon injured, that was desperately needed. The Giants improved against the run led by the typical all-world Snacks Harrison.  Thankfully a mediocre quarterback like Simeon could not expose the fact that DRC was benched via suspension.  Interceptions tend to be random and come in bunches.  The Giants got 3 after doing very little for the first 5 games. Simple mean reversion.
 
As a realist I know there is no chance for the Giants to make the playoffs. In that regard they would be better off planning for the future as discussed in last week’s blog. The fact that there are articles about the path to the playoffs is absurd but also an indication that they won’t give up in time for the trading deadline. It would be a wasted opportunity to not set themselves up well for next year.
 
Seahawks Preview
The Seahawks are not the team they once were.  They never were as good on the road as in Seattle but none of their victories have been that impressive.  While the Giants played above their heads last week and materially benefited from the one-time surprise that comes with Mike Sullivan being newly responsible for play calling, the Giants have a few things working for them this week.  For one, it appears likely that Sterling Shepard will return from his ankle injury. It’s a really big deal specifically because of how many good receivers have been lost and the fact that they are down to guys who were mostly unemployed a few weeks ago.  Given the comparison it’s a meaningful upgrade.  Having some receivers to go along with a newly found running game could provide reasonable offense.
 
On defense DRC returns from his one game suspension and that will materially help the secondary.  On the D line, Olivier Vernon could come back.  Given the very weak Seahawks tackles, he and JPP could wreak havoc.  The Giants are 6.5 point underdogs at home.  I think they keep the game close and it would not surprise me if they came away with a win.

​-Ari Glass
 

Time to Suck for Sam?
 
The rallying cry of Jets fans coming into the season was to be bad enough that they would get the first pick in the draft and be able to take the # 1 player in the coming draft which was expected to be USC quarterback Sam Darnold.  The Giants season is over. 
 
It was really over prior to this past weekend’s loss to the previously winless Chargers, but now is officially over. Not only did the Giants lose yet another game they were leading the 4th quarter, this one had them suffer significant injuries at wide receiver, most importantly the gruesome injury suffered by Odell Beckham.
 
He is out for the year with a broken ankle and it was so bad that you need to wonder if he will ever be the same player he was.  The Giants will sign Travis Rudolph from the practice squad and former Giant, Tavarres King.  Rudolph looked great in the pre-season and I think will surprise people.  He doesn’t have the measurable (40-yard dash time, height), but will be productive if given the chance.
 
More importantly, 0-5 has an advantage. The early trade deadline in the NFL of October 31, usually leaves team within shooting distance of a playoff game and afraid to dump assets.  To be sure, there are other reasons trades don’t happen too much in the NFL. Integrating into a new system is tough, and salary cap ramifications, specifically the requirement to accelerate un-accrued bonuses, prevent a lot of trades from happening.
 
Between the 0-5 record and the injuries to star players the Giants will have 100% support from their fans to give up on any premise of being competitive this year and can start planning for the future.  This of course could have major ramifications if the Giants start their own Suck for Sam campaign.  It would be giving up on the last couple of productive years from Eli Manning (arguable but consider the line in front of him and his lack of running game support prior to deciding he is finished) and also giving up on the prospects of Davis Webb.  Of course if they do get the top pick they could also do what’s been done recently, which is trade top picks for a ton of picks and players that can build a team for years to come.
 
The Giants can start trading away any parts they have that can be plugged in elsewhere. Serviceable parts that could help other teams if the other teams were to have injuries could include a John Jerry or D.J. Fluker, or a Shane Vereen.  None are great but each could have value to other teams with injuries and none have un-accrued bonuses that are too large to eat.  The likeliest piece of trade bait is DRC.  He plays at very high level, can impact a team materially and is on the last year of a contract so wouldn’t have much left in un-accrued bonus and not be that expensive for a half a season rental for a good team who needs improvement in the secondary.  While I’m sure the Giants would love to have him back, he is on his last year of his contract so any signing would be a full market price next year anyway.  He could theoretically still sign with the Giants next year if each were so inclined.  For a team on the cusp of competing in this year’s playoffs, I could see him potentially generating as high as a second round pick in return (as opposed to the others which would garner no better than a 5th round pick at best).
 
On another note, the Giant’s ran the best they have all season. Gallman looked good and aggressive again and Darkwa looked very good before he got hurt again.  I don’t see Perkins getting his starting job back any time soon.  It should be noted that the Chargers are notoriously weak against the run so a week’s stats should be taken with a grain of salt, but they still looked a lot better.  Part of me wonders if Brent Jones at his natural center position can make enough of an impact that you could add Weston Richburg to the list of trade-able parts with value before the traded deadline.

Perkins didn’t look like the same running back even before he got hurt.  It wasn’t just the line.  He seemed lack both vision and burst.  Part of it seemed to be a confidence thing.
 
McAdoo continues to make bad decisions in play calling and clock management.  Going for 2 on their last score was a bad idea when they were at the 2-yard line.  It was colossally stupid when they were moved back to the 7.  He is almost lucky Odell got hurt and the game is irrelevant.  Otherwise it would be the big story of the week.
 
Olivier Vernon’s absence certainly hurts the Giants. They cannot generate an organic pass rush without him in there.  Without him JPP can be doubled.  It’s important to have two guys who are plus rushers as only one can be double teamed leaving the other to have a better chance at getting to the quarterback.  He was ineffective playing injured, so hopefully some real recovery time can get him healthy and back.
 
I’m a loyal fan so I will still watch the rest of the games, but it will be a painful season to watch. I hope they at least develop all the youngsters and even potentially let Davis Webb play some ball.  What do they have to lose?
 
On a side note, I think the Knicks may have an even lower winning percentage this year than the Giants.  That is another story for another time on another blog.
 
-Ari Glass