Giants’ problems go much deeper than QB

It took just two games for the Sam Darnold vs. Saquon Barkley debate to ramp back up for the Giants.

With 37-year-old Eli Manning swarmed early and often by Cowboys defenders and his offense rendered in effective in Sunday night’s 20-13 loss, the questions arose over the wisdom of the Giants’ decision in April to use the No. 2 overall pick on Barkley, the running back out of Penn State, instead of Darnold, the quarterback who instead fell to the Jets.

It didn’t help that the loss dropped the Giants to 0-2. If you subtract a 68-yard touchdown run in the opener, Barkley has just 66 rushing yards (averaging 2.36 yards per carry) and no other scores. Darnold, meanwhile, has shown plenty of promise for the 1-1 Jets.

But the problems plaguing the Giants offense run much deeper than at the quarterback position.

Manning is not the sole or even primary reason the attack ranks 28th with 289 yards and 14.0 points per game. Darnold also largely would have struggled under similar circumstances.

The root of Manning and New York’s issues lie squarely in a flawed strategic approach and an ongo- ing adjustment period for coaches and players.

When the Giants hired Pat Shurmur to replace Ben McAdoo as head coach, expectations heightened for a quick turnaround and an invigoration of an offense that hasn’t recorded a 30-point outing since the final game of the 2015 season.

Not only would Shurmur inherit a two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback, but he more notably would have a healthy Odell Beckham Jr. at his disposal. With the team later opting for Barkley, the group would also have a game-breaking figure who could be a centerpiece of the attack.

But the offense can’t even find its footing. Manning’s passer rating of 84.5 ranks 21st in the league. He has taken eight sacks and has one TD pass. Meanwhile, Beckham doesn’t have a score through two games and Barkley has yet to produce consistently.

But the Giants do have both the pieces to work with and a chance to turn their season around if they modify their approach.

The Giants struggled mightily on Sunday because of an inability to adjust to what the Cowboys threw at them. Dallas’ defense worked to force Manning to get the ball out quickly.

As a result, the linebackers backed off and gave Manning the underneath targets. The bulk of the time, that wound up being Barkley, who notched a franchise-record 14 catches in one game. Meanwhile, the Cowboys harassed Manning often, racking up six sacks and hitting him eight more times. Beckham managed four catches on nine targets for 51 yards.

Manning’s line did him no favors. Three new starters and one position change have left the unit in disarray. And the loss of center Jon Halapio, who suffered a season-ending broken ankle, only exacerbated protection issues.

After the game, critics blamed Manning’s decreased mobility for much of the Giants’ struggles. But the team had numerous missed assignments, according to Shurmur. “This is a new group, new philosophy, new plays, and we just have to keep grinding threw it,” Shurmur said.

That grind has to begin with Barkley, more as a ballcarrier and less as a receiver. He has averaged 14 rushing attempts per outing and Sunday mustered 28 yards on 11 attempts.

Barkley is built to be a workhorse back, and that means 20 to 25 carries a game. If New York can avoid falling to an early deficit, that workload will help both the rookie and his linemen develop a better rhythm while also ensuring the offense doesn’t become onedimensional. A healthy running game also will help Manning because it will open up the play-action passing attack and better use Beckham.

From there, the Giants can begin to live up to their potential.