It’s been a rough five-year stretch for Big Blue. But can a new regime and a busy offseason reverse the recent misfortunes of the New York Giants?
It’s a proud franchise that has been down and out of the playoffs for the past five seasons. And truth be told, the last time the New York Giants won the postseason game was more than a decade ago. In 2011, they finished 9-7, allowed more points than they scored but eventually knocked off the New England Patriots, 21-17, at Indianapolis in Super Bowl XLVI.
Since then there’s been one playoff appearance and it was a humbling 38-13 loss to the Packers in the 2016 wild card round at Lambeau Field. A few head coaches have come and gone since the Tom Coughlin Era came to an end.
But now it’s 2022 and the new men in charge are general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll – each late of the Buffalo Bills. There are plenty of new faces via free agency and the draft. But which three additions stand out above the others?
New York Giants top offseason pickup no. 3: RB Matt Breida (Buffalo Bills)
The five-year pro will be playing for his fourth team in as many seasons. Matt Breida is a former undrafted free agent from Georgia Southern who spent his first three years in the league with the San Francisco 49ers. And the underrated performer enjoyed his best days with Kyle Shanahan’s club. In 2018, he made a career-high 13 starts and in 14 contests rolled up 1,075 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns.
In 2020, he was dealt to the Miami Dolphins and spent this past year with the Buffalo Bills. Breida provides solid depth behind Saquon Barkley, who looks to bounce back from a pair of injury-plagued seasons.
New York Giants top offseason pickup no. 2: G Mark Glowinski (Indianapolis Colts)
To say the team’s offensive line has been underwhelming in recent years would be a big-time understatement. Then-general manager Dave Gettleman appeared determined to address these issues in free agency and the draft.
But the club gave big money to former Patriots tackle Nate Solder and he proved to be a huge disappointment. In 2018m the Giants used a second-round pick on highly-regarded Will Hernandez. But his four-year tenure with Big Blue was inconsistent as best and he’s now a member of the Arizona Cardinals.
This offseason, new GM Joe Schoen went out and added a pair of battle-tested interior blockers in Jon Feliciano and Mark Glowinski. The former, who spent the past three seasons with the Bills and was released by the club earlier this year, will line up at center.
Glowinski was a fourth-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks back in 2015 but really made his bone the past four seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. The seven-year pro brings a lot of savvy to a unit that has been shaky at best in recent years.
Keep in mind that the Giants used the seventh overall pick in April’s draft on highly-regarded tackle Evan Neal, who has drawn mixed reviews so far. If all these new faces can gel sooner than later, the team’s offense could rebound from a dismal 2021.
New York Giants top offseason pickup: OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux (Oregon)
Getting after opposing quarterbacks never used to be a problem for the Giants. Throughout history, they have had some of the best pass rushers in the NFL annals. A little over 40 years ago, Pro Football Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor changed the game. A little more recently, defensive end Michael Strahan enjoyed a successful career and also wound up enshrined in Canton, Ohio.
From Justin Tuck to Osi Umenyiora to Jason Pierre-Paul, the franchise always seemed to have a big-time pass rusher. And now the club’s new regime hopes it has struck gold in former University of Oregon standout Kayvon Thibodeaux, who will line up at outside linebacker in new defensive coordinator Don Martindale’s scheme.
The 6’4”, 254-pound prospect will be playing opposite promising Azeez Ojulari. The 2021 second-round pick from the University of Georgia led Big Blue with eight sacks as a rookie. There could be a little competition between the pair of young performers which will only benefit the team.
“He said he has goals he wants to reach,” explained the fifth overall pick in April’s draft, “and we’re just going to keep pushing each other to get there.”
The Giants finished with just 34 sacks in 17 games this past season. Ironically, that’s the same number of QB traps that the Baltimore Ravens finished with under Martindale in 2021. That’s a number that must increase this year.