A CIRCLE
In Giants’ Lion King saga, lots
The Giants are such a mess that it brings to mind one of the saddest and ultimately heartwarming tales of all time. No, it’s not the story that Ben McAdoo showed the Giants at the beginning of training camp about Frasier, the over-the-hill turned sex-crazed lion who lived out his final years as the king of the jungle, which was an interesting way to get the players fired up for the season. Frasier was a good guess, however. It’s the Lion King, silly. The Giants used to be the gold standard of the NFL. They were a little late getting to the party in the Super Bowl era but have won four titles starting in 1986, which puts them in second place by themselves in the last 30 years behind only the Patriots, who have won five.
They had a seamless transition in 2005 when patriarchs Wellington Mara and Robert Tisch passed away within three weeks of each other and the baton was handed to John Mara and Steve Tisch. The Giants won their last two Super Bowls under their watch. So far, so good. The East Rutherford Pride Lands never looked so healthy.
But now Scar has taken over and is setting brush fires that turn into dumpster fires without warning. The Pride Lands are being destroyed.
Who plays Scar in this Big Blue movie?
Let’s just say it’s a combination of highpriced actors:
Players with no regard for discipline and with no clue about the storied tradition of the franchise; coaches who fail to impose sanctions until it’s too late; the owner who runs the team on a daily basis curiously developing a managing style of acting reactively instead of proactively; a general manager who refuses to be publicly accountable; and, the best player on the team who thought it was a good idea to take a boat ride on the SS Dysfunction in Miami seven days before a playoff game and nine months later walked on all fours in the end zone in Philly and then lifted his right leg as if to pee. Stay classy, Giants. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie deserved his indefinite suspension, but it also seems like it’s a makeup call by McAdoo, Jerry Reese and John Mara to try and create a culture change after Odell Beckham created one of his own with his antics. DRC’s actions may have prompted just a private meeting if it happened before OBJ’s peeing in the park episode, but if that embarrassing lack of respect resulted in the Giants taking back their team from the players, then it will be a good thing.
Nowhere in OBJ’s contract did it say he got to set policy, but he is such a great player, but also so volatile, that