GO BIG OR GO HOME
With a loaded defense and new weapons on offense for Eli Manning to play with, the Giants have their sights set on a deep postseason run
I T WAS a successful, yet strange head-coaching debut for Ben McAdoo in 2016, as the Giants qualified for the playoffs for the first time in five years and finished with a gaudy record of 11-5. Yet McAdoo’s expertise — offense — was a major disappointment and actually held his team back, winning despite barely scoring enough points to beat anyone. Still, the name of the game is wins and losses, and the Giants were, if not golden, certainly sterling silver until it all unraveled in a dreadful 38-13 playoff loss in Green Bay. For McAdoo’s second season at the controls, expect more scoring but, facing a rugged schedule and four challenging cross-country excursions, nothing will come easy. McAdoo’s oft-stated goal to “put the fifth trophy in the case’’ might gain some momentum if a few loose ends get tied up, particularly on the offensive line. The franchise quarterback, Eli Manning, is 36 and knows he has got a shot this year, as long as he is upright and has at least a credible running game to lean on from time to time. If he can stand tall in the pocket, Manning to Odell Beckham Jr. will continue to be a feared combination but not the only option it was too often in 2016. Just their luck, the Giants play a league-high four games against teams coming off their byes, another difficult wrinkle in a schedule that contains long-distance trips to Denver, San Francisco, Oakland and Arizona and home games against tough opponents such as Seattle and Kansas City.
Changes were needed to an offense directed by McAdoo that too often failed to secure the ball or score enough points. His attack was relentlessly predictable in 2016, running 90 percent of its plays from “11 personnel’’ — three receivers, one running back, one tight end. According to the analytics website Football Outsiders, that is the highest percentage of 11 personnel in a season in NFL history. The league average in 2016 was about 60 percent. The front office addressed these issues and the Giants should be more difficult to deal with — as long as that offensive line holds up.
OFFENSE
For a team coming off an 11-win season, it is remarkable how poorly the Giants performed on offense in 2016. Their rushing attack was 29th in the league. They were 26th in scoring at a moribund 19.4 points a game. Eli Manning threw fewer touchdown passes (26), more interceptions (16) and for fewer yards (4,027) than in any season since 2013. To help fix the mess, prolific receiver Brandon Marshall was signed in free agency, pass-catching tight end Evan Engram was taken in the first round of the NFL draft and veteran blocking tight end Rhett Ellison was signed. These moves should make the Giants more sound and explosive and give Manning more toys to play with. The addition of a fullback, rookie Shane Smith,