New York Giants wise to give Eli Apple a fresh start

The New York Giants are wise to give cornerback Eli Apple a fresh start heading into team activities, training camp and the preseason.

New York Giants cornerback Eli Apple had a horrible 2017 season. There’s no nice way to say it. Apple performed poorly, at best, in multiple outings, he earned himself a team suspension, he was called a “cancer” by teammate Landon Collins in late December and he irritated and angered fans, and possibly people within the organization, with his social media posts and habits.

Perhaps worst of all were the instances where Apple appeared to show little effort and/or quit on plays. These lowlights didn’t exist only in the eyes and minds of upset fans watching in person or on television. As Dan Duggan of NJ.com wrote in November, a pair of moments in which Apple failed to impress angered teammates during a film session. By the time the end of New York’s disastrous campaign ended, Apple seemingly had one foot out the door. A trade or even an outright release wouldn’t have shocked anybody following the situation.

Neither of those happened, and Apple is, as things stand following the opening of the team’s offseason workout program, scheduled to be on the roster past the NFL Draft and heading into training camp. New head coach Pat Shurmur and new general manager Dave Gettleman appear willing to work with Apple, for at least a little while, before giving up on him.

Shurmur and Gettleman aren’t alone. Collins told reporters on Monday that everything is good between he and Apple, per SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano:

"“Yeah, we talked. Definitely, we talked,” Collins said. “We buried the hatchet a while ago. That’s my guy, that’s my brother. I’m always going to have his back and we know what we have to do.”"

Collins and Apple don’t need to be best friends who routinely defend each other in public or go out to steak dinners as a pair during offseasons, but they need to work together if the Giants are to put last year’s 3-13 record out of memories. Few people on the roster, Apple and Collins included, covered themselves in glory last fall. Collins has a better overall resume, which is why his poor performances are more forgivable among members of the Giants faithful.

Football is a “what have you done for me lately” endeavor, so Apple’s impressive rookie year now lives mostly in old YouTube highlights. The harsh truth with Apple is that his career may never be what it was in early January 2017. Players lose form and their way. Game film displays weaknesses, and an inability to improve and mature, when needed, sinks young talents. It happens every year.

It’s on Apple to do the work necessary to avoid becoming another statistic and another instance of a wasted draft pick made by a franchise becoming far too familiar with making such noteworthy miscues. Former player and current radio analyst Carl Banks tweeted on Monday that everything he noticed from Apple was “positive” and that “his energy and body language was awesome,” whatever that means and is worth on April 9.

The most promising number regarding Apple’s future with the Giants is 22, the age he turned last August. He is, theoretically, still closer to his rookie year than his physical prime. He hasn’t lost any of his 6-foot-1 height or the athleticism he showed on the field in 2016. There’s potentially something there that can be molded if the right coaches get their hands on him.

Betting on Shurmur and company to be those coaches is New York’s best chance of getting the most out of Apple’s status. His bad games and perceived attitude issues are hardly secrets around the NFL. The Giants wouldn’t even sniff receiving anything resembling equal value for the former first-round selection on the market today. Trading him would be an act of completing a transaction either just to do it or in an attempt to add to the locker room by subtraction.

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Outside of his age, the most important figures for Apple’s tenure with the Giants are attached to his contract. According to Spotrac, Apple’s cap hits remain below $5 million for the final two years of his deal. He’s on a discount, and he is going to have to prove to the Giants or other franchises he is worth a second payday down the road. As much as he can turn things around before March 2020, he could also find himself out of the league before then.

It behooves all involved to start anew, forget about the past and hope the future is brighter. Shurmur and Gettleman may not have drafted Apple, but they have little to lose in providing him with a fresh start before summer arrives. What Apple does with this second beginning will have a major role in where he stands next winter.