Did anyone else need to see a cardiologist after the Giant’s latest victory? Us here at 366 Sports had the opportunity to see the Giants live against Jacksonville at TIAA Bank Field (AKA Metlife South) and although we were overjoyed, it left us reaching for a defibrillator too. There were several unfortunate events that took place that got us there (*cough* officiating and player clock management *cough*), but we won’t go there and will relish the victory. After planting the invisible “Daboll County” flag over Duval, it didn’t take long to also reflect on the several drops that Giants’ receivers left on the field while leaving points on the table as a result. This is not the 1st or last time this will happen, but this is something that can be mitigated some with prompt attention. Regardless of opinion on the 6-1 start, a playoff team needs to do the best they can to be ready for January Football (rebuilding or not). With a lack of truly dominant teams this season, anything is possible. Here is how the Giants can prepare.
The free agent market is the easiest place to start as there are several candidates on the street that can help right away. I would imagine the Giants did not hit this hard as they wanted to stick with the lowest dollar receivers (given their cap situation), but their hot start has them with a need to find some upgrades if they want to have a chance at a postseason run. Going the free agent route prevents the need for sacrificing draft picks, so that should keep the “rebuild first” crowd happy. The issue is there isn’t a significant upgrade here besides 1 or 2 names and going this route might be the least fruitful. There are better avenues, but they may or may not be popular for the long term rebuild.
Another route the team can go is the trade market. There are many options to choose from, but the cost has a wide variance. They sadly did lose out on the most logical target in Robbie Anderson, as he was only owed league minimum this year due to a Carolina led restructure of his deal. The obvious gem of the market would be Carolina’s DJ Moore and acquiring him would make the Giants a more viable threat in the air. The cost unfortunately, is likely too high for them to make the move along with having to haggle with Carolina to take salary off this year’s books. One can also make the case for Houston’s Brandon Cooks, but his age makes him a pure “must win now” player while Moore is younger and with a longer contract. The Giants can go after Pittsburgh’s cost efficient Chase Claypool, and while this would be the most realistic in terms of cost, his bottom tier ability at separation renders him to no more than a younger Kenny Golladay (his mental discipline is historically lacking too). The Giant’s best shot will be looking at New England’s receiver room as their receivers are monetarily cheaper and less costly in terms of capital. Kendrick Bourne was notably clutch for New England last year and through a couple of San Francisco playoff runs as well. Either way, they will need to maneuver the cap some to make these work, but there is one last thing that won’t affect the cap.
The final option is to roll with what you have and hope for the best. It is not the most optimal route, but it appears to be the option the Giants are likely to take based off media perception. They will have to hope Wan’Dale Robinson grows up overnight and becomes like Steve Smith Sr. They will have to hope Kenny Golladay stops pouting and get healthy to help this team win too. Most of all, the most talented receiver on their roster must get over himself hiding behind his Twitter page and get healthy to help this team like he said he could. WE ARE TALKING TO YOU KADARIUS TONEY!
To conclude, I am fully aware that this team has no business to be where they are at right now. The Giants can lose the rest of the season and this year would likely still be panned as a success by virtue of record despite their clear lack of collective talent. I also know what such a good early record means to the morale of the fans/team and it should not be taken for granted. The last few years of Super Bowl winning teams have indeed had mostly prolific Quarterbacks, but one can make the argument that the X factor to 4 of the past 5 Super Bowl champs have been defensive plays more than offensive plays. Scoring is down as a whole in this league in 2022 and most of the typically best teams have fallen inexplicably flat on Sunday more than once this year. There is no reason to believe that the Giants can’t stumble into a deep playoff run. Nobody expected Nick Foles to outduel Tom Brady in the Super Bowl and yet it happened. It is not always the best team that wins a championship, as sometimes the hottest team is at the right place at the right time winning it all. That can possibly be the Giants this year, but they are going to need some help to get there 1st. Get it done, Big Blue!