The Giants group’s most constant downside the final decade has been their lack of ability to correctly consider who they’re.
Generally they screw it up by overvaluing their very own draft picks and gamers, as possession and GMs Dave Gettleman and Joe Schoen constantly have executed. That leads them to disregard apparent holes on their roster that outsiders can see plain as day.
Generally they do it by believing their crew is nice when it’s not. That leads them to signal or commerce for gamers to improve their present crew when they need to be amassing belongings for the long run, not sacrificing them for minimal short-term acquire.
Generally they do it by scapegoating a participant for being the issue, like Colts 7-1 quarterback Daniel Jones, when their points go means above and past that particular person.
Generally they do it by trusting the unsuitable individuals to make choices, as John Mara and Steve Tisch have executed with Schoen and Brian Daboll.
Generally the Giants‘ misevaluation skills trickle down to the players’ mindsets, too, as Dexter Lawrence demonstrated Wednesday when he mentioned he believes he’s enjoying nicely.
That is how unhealthy groups keep unhealthy yearly. They refuse to look within the mirror, and once they do, they inform it what they wish to hear quite than shutting up and utilizing their eyes.
Now it’s time for the 2025 model of this Giants identification check.
The following three days will show whether or not the Giants (2-6) perceive who they’re — and who they don’t seem to be — or if self-preservation and blue-colored glasses will blind them to essentially the most prudent path.
There’s a totally different variable that complicates their resolution this yr, nonetheless. His title is Jaxson Dart.
Amid the entire Giants’ distress, poor draft picks, horrible recreation administration, fineable sideline outbursts and accidents, the Giants have one feather of their cap:
Dart, their late first-round decide and the NFL’s offensive rookie of October, has proven promise on the sport’s most vital place. So there’s a must assist Dart and get one thing out of the second half of this misplaced season.
Meaning Schoen could proceed to attempt to purchase and purchase gamers as an alternative of promoting on the commerce deadline.
There may be nothing inherently unsuitable with that in a vacuum if Schoen, for instance, needed to extract an electrical playmaker like Jaylen Waddle at a reduction from a Miami Dolphins crew that simply fired GM Chris Grier.
That conceivably might assist Dart proceed to develop, get to this season’s end line and enhance the crew for the long run multi functional shot. Particularly since Dart’s two prime weapons, Malik Nabers (torn ACL) and Cam Skattebo (main ankle surgical procedure), are out for the yr.
Nonetheless, the Giants aren’t a playoff crew. Not even shut. In the event that they suppose including Waddle goes to revive this season into competition, they’re loopy.
And letting Schoen make that sort of commerce at this juncture is enjoying with fireplace.
Schoen’s Giants have misplaced 20 of their final 25 video games. They’ve a .347 successful proportion (20-38-1) on his watch.
The GM might be motivated as a lot by desperation as the rest, and in case you suppose Schoen is above making a commerce so as to add one or two wins to his 2025 season to attempt to make it to 2026, you haven’t been paying consideration.
This franchise runs on social media and optics.
The extra prudent course could be to do nothing, to let low-cost veteran pickup Ray-Ray McCloud be Dart’s cheap improve Sunday in opposition to the 49ers (5-3) and past.
Probably the most prudent motion could be to promote some gamers to amass future belongings. The one downside is the Giants don’t have a lot value promoting.
None of their fringe gamers will fetch significant draft picks from different NFL groups. And the one means they’d have one thing value promoting is that if Lawrence, Kayvon Thibodeaux or Jameis Winston requested a commerce.
And to date none of them have executed that. Winston received’t. Thibodeaux received’t.
We’ll see about Lawrence if Sunday’s recreation goes badly once more and the warmth continues to show up on him.
That’s why the Giants are about to indicate everybody who they’re within the subsequent few days.
Daboll will present if he’s capable of keep away from going to 2-7 coming off a 3-14 season.
Schoen will present if he’s performing in the very best curiosity of the crew or himself.
Lawrence will present if he has extra maturity than he and defensive position coach Andre Patterson confirmed this week.
The Giants, who can set a franchise report for 11 straight highway losses subsequent week in Chicago, will present in the event that they know who they’re.
Or in the event that they haven’t modified a bit, to their very own detriment.
