NO MORE EXCUSESS
Boomer: Giants have given Eli tools to win
It’s win now and win eventually
We already have seen the fruits of these differing strategies by the Giants and Jets on draft night when the teams selected players at No. 2 (Saquon Barkley) and No. 3 (Sam Darnold) who will define the future of both franchises. Now, it will play out starting this week when the teams open the regular season hoping to erase what was a nightmare 2017 for both teams.
Barkley’s talent appears undeniable, Odell Beckham Jr. is back with a $95 million deal, Evan Engram was a bright spot in his rookie season and Eli Manning has a new blind-side protector in Nate Solder. The Giants have shown an unwavering confidence in the aging Manning with a lack of a Plan B evident by the release of backup Davis Webb.
“They are in all-in mode right now,” NFL CBS analyst and former Jets quarterback Boomer Esiason said. “I think this team is poised for a comeback. I know that they have a very tough schedule and have to go against the AFC South starting with the Jaguars, which is not easy.
“I think there’s a whole new feel around the team. I think [GM Dave] Gettleman has done a great job of getting the Giants back to the status they were prior to last season. This could be a huge year for a 37-year-old quarterback. I am somewhat in awe of the talent around Eli. That’s about as good as it gets in the NFL if you look at it from an athletic talent perspective. There’s no excuses, there really isn’t. A quarterback with the history of Eli should have no problem exploiting all that talent.”
The excuses were aplenty last season for Manning and there was a convenient scapegoat in coach Ben McAdoo, who mishandled the quarterback’s benching so horribly he was fired a week later.
“I think last year he probably got a little tired,” Esiason said. “There was a lot of heavy lifting when Odell went down. There were problems in that locker room. I don’t think his personality is such to have to want to take all that on.
“He’s not like his brother. But I think they’ve gone to great lengths to get rid of all that stuff. No outside negativity now, all the players seem to be really into it. “Pat Shurmur’s coaching staff is energetic, especially on defense. [Manning] has one of the best offensive coordinators in football now as his head coach. So this to me should be a rejuvenation year for him. He should be excited, really looking forward to getting out there with all these guys. I don’t see why this can’t be one of his best years ever.” The Giants are the ones with the new regime, but the Jets are the ones preaching patience with coach Todd Bowles and GM Mike Maccagnan entering their fourth season. This has been billed as a growing season for Darnold, who proved during training camp and preseason that he could start the Jets’ opener Monday night in Detroit with Josh McCown playing the role of mentor. Brian Griese, who is calling the Monday night opener for ESPN, thought starting McCown was the more prudent route and is concerned that the Jets’ quirky start could be an impossible gauntlet for the USC rookie. “As a rookie it’s hard enough to start the season opener, but they have three games in 11 days (Monday, Sunday, Thursday) and that’s a pressure-cooker of preparation,” Griese, an NFL quarterback for 11 years, said. “And as a rookie you just haven’t learned how to prepare fofor the NFL defense. [Lions coach] Matt Patricia is a seasoned and well-respected NFL mind that you are going to go up against. There are certainly some barriers and challenges for Sam, but at the same time he has proven that he is a very mature individual.”