WOE! WOE! WOE!
Giants, Jets ready to open weekly gag gift
The Giants and Jets didn’t wait until Christmas to put coal in fans’ stockings, they essentially have been doing it most of the season. The hapless 2-12 Giants head to Arizona today, and the fading Jets host the desperate Chargers.
G LEN DALE, Ariz —What Giants fans endured this season was an organizational meltdown the likes of which only Browns fans can comprehend. Only old-timers who witnessed The Fumble back on Nov. 19, 1978, can recall such a soul-crushing crumbling of Giants Pride that has left a gaping hole in all Big Blue hearts. Everybody pray for the Next George Young. Because this was the season that went from Supe to nuts: The star who mused about becoming the highest-paid player in the game couldn’t make it last Oct. 8. The coach who followed Tom Coughlin so seamlessly as a rookie could not follow himself — the offensive guru never started guruing and failed to reach 30 points. The general manager betrayed the 36-year-old franchise quarterback, who found himself ducking for cover and wishing he had Michael Vick’s legs. And mourning the unconscionable end to his Ironman streak because the owner trusted the head coach with a plan to evaluate Davis Webb, and he went with Geno Smith instead. The defense lost its edge and its hunger and its swagger.
The first omen that there might not be a Mara Christmas for you, the Giants fan, came in Cleveland on the night of Aug. 21, when a Browns cornerback named Briean Boddy-Calhoun went low, and down went Odell Beckham Jr.
It was only the beginning of McAdoo’s Law: What can McAgo wrong will McAgo wrong.
Santa isn’t wearing a No. 56 jersey, and he won’t be leaving any playoff berth under your Christmas tree.
You are home on Christmas Eve and maybe you are watching your 2-12 Giants against the Cardinals, and maybe you are not. And no one can blame you if you are not. Your 2-12 New York Football Giants!
A team trying to avoid the ignominy of a franchise record 13th defeat. A team that will live in infamy. A team so dysfunctional on and off the field that an ownership that changes general managers as frequently as Halley’s Comet is visible fired GM Jerry Reese and on the same Black Monday it deactivated coach Ben McAdoo’s key card.
Even Ray Handley made it to the end of his second season.
John Mara and Steve Tisch on Nov. 13: “Ben M cA doo is our head coach and has our support .”
John Mara on Nov. 29, after Rams Giants 17, and 0-9 49ers 31, Giants “There’s no guarantees in life.”
A guarantee there would have been ugly protests and demonstrations at the ensuing home game against the Cowboys had McAdoo been allowed to stay on the job after he implemented the half-brained quarterback plan that left Eli Manning fighting back tears.
It was a colossal communications failure completely devoid of common sense that wracked Mara with guilt for his failure to ensure that Manning be treated with the dignity and honor that he deserves.
There were a series of “Ripley’s Believe It or Not” moments that doomed the season long before McAdoo and Reese were swept away: To wit:
Left tackle Ereck Flowers surrendering three sacks to Ziggy Ansah on national television in Week 2, after which McAdoo cited “sloppy quarterback play,” following a fourthand-goal-at-the-2 delay-of-game penalty.
Beckham’s Stupid Pet Trick after the first of his two touchdown catches in Philadelphia the next week, not enough to prevent Jake Elliott from booting a 61-yard field goal as time expired because Eli Apple allowed Alshon Jeffery to catch a 19-yard deep out and step out of bounds with one second left.
Mara summoning Beckham to his office for an act-like-a-Giant sitdown.
Beckham’s season ending on a cart in tears in Week 5 —along with Brandon Marshall’s season and Dwayne Harris’ season — with a fractured ankle.
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie earning a one-game suspension for violation of team rules on an 0-5 team beginning to fracture.
A man-bites-dog upset in Denver when McAdoo relinquished playcalłing duties to offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan.
Janoris Jenkins deciding he didn’t need to be with the team following the bye and earning his one-game suspension.
The immature and inactive Apple tweeting on the sidelines during the Cowboys game, a violation of the league’s social media policy.
And all those raucous Eagles fans in the MetLife seats last Sunday ... not exactly a Mara Christmas.
So a season from hell soon ends in a sorry whimper with an interim GM and interim coach and GM interviews and Webb being Hackenberged and the NFL draft, Super Thursday to you, the Giants fan wishing on Sam Darnold or Josh Rosen, four long months away. Ho, ho, ho? No, no, no. Woe, woe, woe. Sometimes, football really is a game of Grinches.