MOVE IT OR LOSE IT
Giants must find way to win or season will quickly be over
WE’VE been down this road too many times before with the Giants, who have started 0-2 in four of the past five years. It might not seem like much in the span of a 16-game season, but anyone familiar with the NFL knows that 0-3 is the start of nothing to play for.
The worst-case scenario played out last year when the Giants lost their f irst five games, then were 2-10 when head coach Bob McAdoo and general manager Jerry Reese were fired. The hiring of Dave Gettleman as the GM and Pat Shurmur as the head coach offered a new regime, a fresh beginning and a chance for a new culture. So far, all we’ve gotten is the Same Old Giants.
An 0-2 start is not death. The 2007 team proved that, though it took a heroic goal-line stand to beat Washington in Week 3 to save a season that ended in glory. The Giants need that kind of heroic effort against the Texans on Sunday afternoon at Reliant Stadium.
“No one is panicking over two losses,” wide receiver Sterling Shepard said. “We’ve just got to get things on the right track and get things moving in the right direction. But I’ve got a bad taste in my mouth right now. I’m itching for a win, and the team needs it.”
You don’t need a degree in mathematics to understand 0-3 means little chance of making December interesting much less being in a playoff race. The sense of urgency should be obvious. Still, the Giants aren’t about to let the desperate Texans (0-2) see them sweat even though they’ll be playing without cornerback Eli Apple and quarterback chaser Olivier Vernon.
“Everybody knows getting a win is always crucial,” said Vernon, who will have missed all three games with an ankle injury. “You always want to go out there and get a win.”
The Giants started 0-2 in each of Tom Coughlin’s final three seasons as head coach, finishing 7-9, 6-10 and 6-10 respectively. Last year’s 3-13 embarrassment under McAdoo was supposed to be a bad memory. This 0-2 beginning carries perhaps more potential ramifications than any of them.
Let’s face it: Except for 2016, when McAdoo went to the playoffs in his f irst season, the Giants have had a losing culture. Their last Super Bowl win was 2011. They’ve made one playoff appearance since, and last year set a franchise record for futility. It’s one thing to work in a building with four Lombardi Trophies and pictures of Hall of Famers on a wall and feel part of a winner. It’s another thing to play like one and the Giants haven’t done that in a while.
Something will be reinforced Sunday in Houston: The ability of the new regime to overcome adversity or a continuation of losing that is in danger of infecting the 2018 season.
“Everybody is focused,” Shepard insisted. “Everybody is locked in. We had a great week of preparation, so I feel like guys are locked in and ready to go. We’ve got to put some points on the board. That’s where it starts. We’re going to do a good job this week of getting that done.”
Shurmur has taken an even-keeled approach, reiterating in public his confidence in his players, while privately demanding better execution.
“I think the important thing is just go through the process,” Shurmur said Friday. “The message today was to make today the best Friday and keep going, keep moving. We feel good about the plan we put in place. Now we’ve just got to go out and execute it. ”
There should be no holding back. The Giants need to find a way to win, whether it’s with a goal-line stand or a game-winning touchdown. Otherwise, it’s starting to feel like “Same Old Giants.”