Two weeks ago, it seemed as if the Giants were primed for big things in 2017. They were the trendy pick to win the NFC East and considered, along with the Cowboys, one of the top two teams in their division.
Two weeks into the season, the Giants are not in turmoil, but they are in trouble. Their defense has allowed just three touchdowns through two games and yet the Giants are 0-2, winless because their offense has been somewhere between dismal and pathetic. Sure, Odell Beckham Jr. did not play in the opener and was limited in the second game dealing with his high ankle sprain, but scoring one touchdown and 13 points in two games is unacceptable.
It is late early for the Giants. Their defense has not been lights-out, but the same defensive performance could have generated a 2-0 record. It is the offense that is to blame, so much so that Ben McAdoo for the first time Tuesday did not swat away questions about his future as the play-caller.
“We can’t keep doing the same thing over and over again, that’s insanity,’’ McAdoo said. “It’s not working. So we’re gonna look to make some changes this week, like we did last week, maybe a little more drastic this week. If that means me giving up play-calling duties, that’s something we’ll look at, we’ll talk about.’’
Pointing out what has gone wrong is a time-consuming chore. Here are five of the greatest problems:
Yeah, Ereck Flowers
The vultures are circling for Flowers, the third-year left tackle with first-year problems. When the No. 9 player in an NFL draft turns out to be a bust it can set a franchise back. This is where it is heading with Flowers. It is debilitating to swing and miss on a top-10 pick. It is even worse to refuse to admit the mistake and move on. It is only two games into the season, but giving up three sacks to Lions defensive end Ziggy Ansah and looking helpless in the process is not a healthy situation for anyone.
It’s not just Ereck Flowers
This year’s offensive line assembled by general manager Jerry Reese is last year’s line. Chew on that for a moment. After assessing the play of the five starting offensive linemen in 2016, this assessment was made: we’re good.
Justin Pugh and Weston Richburg are legitimate starting NFL offensive linemen. Bobby Hart at right tackle is a seventh-round draft pick who most likely would not be starting anywhere else in the league. John Jerry is a 31-year-old guard who might be on his last legs. Only in Giants World were these linemen considered quality starting material.
The running back rotation
McAdoo’s stubbornness must be put to the side with Paul Perkins, the second-year running back anointed in the spring as the starter. It is not working and if McAdoo does not make the change to Orleans Darkwa it is a troubling hint at an intractable nature in the second-year head coach. Perkins in 14 rushing attempts this season has 26 yards, averaging 1.9 yards per attempt. Darkwa in six carries has 31 yards, a 5.2-yard average. Darkwa runs harder and more decisively. Perkins is more patient and, behind this offensive line, patience is not a virtue.
Does Odell have any help?
Taking a dynamic receiver off the field changes the way a team plays offense but it should not shut down the whole darn operation. Even without Beckham, there should be enough firepower with Brandon Marshall, Sterling Shepard and rookie tight end Evan Engram.
Marshall through two games looks shot. That does not mean he is shot, only that he has yet to do anything to prove otherwise. Shepard, the second-year slot receiver, is reputed to be a yards-after-catch guy but that is not the case. At least Engram looks like the real deal.
Is Eli too old?
This is one of those hushed-tone conversations the Giants may have to soon start to address. Manning is 36 and most of this is not his fault. But some of it is. His lack of mobility was brutally evident when compared with Matthew Stafford, who has never been mistaken for a scrambler.
There is no doubt, Manning is sensing the rush coming at him more than he did 10 or even five years ago and that is a problem. He does not trust his protection — can you blame him? — and his feet are getting jittery. The Giants need more from the franchise quarterback, a player costing $19.7 million on the salary cap this year (and $22.2 million and $23.2 million the next two years).