Las Vegas oddsmakers have the 2019 New York Giants winning only six games during what may be Eli Manning’s last NFL season.
Remember when the New York Giants were coming off a postseason berth right as the Cleveland Browns followed a 1-15 campaign by losing literally every game of the 2017 season? Somebody who hasn’t followed the NFL over the past 19 months or so would probably have a lot of questions after seeing CG Technology Sportsbooks project the Browns to win nine games in 2019 and the Giants to go 6-10, as ESPN’s Ben Fawkes wrote.
Such an individual also wouldn’t recognize much of the Big Blue roster, minus quarterback Eli Manning and wide receiver Sterling Shepard.
Saquon Barkley looks like arguably the best young running back in the league, but Odell Beckham Jr., Landon Collins, Eli Apple, Olivier Vernon, and Damon Harrison, among others, all have different employers. Essentially, anybody drafted or signed by former general manager Jerry Reese shouldn’t get too comfortable living in the New York region before this fall’s trade deadline.
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It’s understandable oddsmakers and fans are down on the Giants ahead of the draft. New York was never getting full value for Beckham for any team because that’s the way things go when you trade a superstar at any position. Faith in Manning among passionate supporters and outside observers is as low as ever, and maybe even nonexistent. The Giants are a poor September away from embracing the tank either with or without the two-time Super Bowl MVP in the lineup.
Breathe, everybody. Relax. We’ve not yet reached the first weekend of April. Give general manager Dave Gettleman and company the opportunity to disappoint you during the draft before making plans to order NFL RedZone so you can guarantee yourselves meaningful and entertaining football on TV the final two months of the year.
New York’s 5-11 record from last season is awful on paper and in the standings, but don’t forget at least three of the club’s one-score defeats could’ve gone differently on different days with different bounces and different circumstances affecting the outcomes of those contests; and that’s not including the Week 17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
It’s also worth noting taking the field without Beckham in the lineup won’t be new for anybody who’s been with the organization the past two years. The 26-year old capable of serving as the top playmaker at the position when fully healthy and fully committed appeared in 16 of the team’s last 32 contests. His injury history is quite lengthy for somebody with under five full seasons on his resume.
Neither the Philadelphia Eagles nor Cowboys appear on the cusp of dynastic runs. Carson Wentz needs to show the Eagles he can remain under center for 16 consecutive starts without a physical setback forcing him from the lineup. Dallas signal-caller Dak Prescott may enter the preseason facing a contract year. The Washington Redskins can’t name a full-time starting quarterback for the season this spring.
An optimist can locate several potential non-division wins on New York’s schedule. The Miami Dolphins may be the worst team in football. The Buffalo Bills remain a work in progress. The New York Jets are headed in the right direction but will also be good for a clunker or two. Coach Kliff Kingsbury may put the Arizona Cardinals into a reboot the first night of the draft. Neither the Tampa Bay Buccaneers nor Detroit Lions are all that imposing today.
Order of games could be the biggest determining factor for New York’s record both before and after the final day starters can be jettisoned for assets. An early losing streak could result in Shepard and others attracting interest from contenders and guaranteeing the Giants don’t flirt with winning six games by Christmas.
Gloom and doom hover over the franchise before Easter. This squad will unquestionably be up against it months down the road. Remember, though, that a handful of games often turn an average team into one with a winning or losing record. It’s a parity competition, after all.