New York Giants/Jets: Blunders in Big Apple, What’s Next?

New York City has not seen a winning football team in eight years. Both the Jets and the Giants are becoming disgraces in the NFL. Both are in very similar positions in 2020. Starting off the year 0-3 is tough for any team. But, when you have a young quarterback it makes it just that much harder. The Jets were abused on Sunday losing 36–7 looking absolutely abysmal on both sides of the football. The Giants found a way to top that losing 39-7 vs the San Francisco 49ers backups. Kyle Shanahan’s bunch is dealing with a ton of injuries but that did not seem to hold them back on Sunday. Nick Mullens outplayed Daniel Jones and was able to torch the Giants defense in the second half. Big blue was unable to take one snap in the red zone all game. This is inexcusable for the Giants considering, many thought coming into the year they would start to show some progress. Darnold threw three interceptions Sunday, which cost his defense field position and an opportunity to stay in the game. Both of these young quarterbacks are facing the most scrutiny they have yet to endure in their young careers. That being said the scrutiny they are receiving is going to be way worse in a media capital city that has not seen winning in almost a decade. The NFL is better when a team in New York is competitive. Losing seasons are becoming the norm for both of these franchises. Here are the steps both teams are going to have to take to make any type of change.

The Giants

Move on from GM Dave Gettleman

Dave Gettleman took over for the Giants just three seasons ago at the GM position. He has made some moves that seem decent but others are really head-scratching. The Giants top draft picks have had a hard time staying on the field. Both Evan Engram and Sterling Shepard consistently miss games. When they are out there for Daniel Jones to use they do not seem as effective as they should be. On Sunday, Both Andrew Thomas and Jabrill Peppers were injured during the game. The Giants just seem to keep getting worse. This fanbase has been looking for any type of progression from their team. They continue to see nothing but a complete failure. To blame a 0-3 start on a rookie head coach who had a shortened off-season is not fair. Joe Judge did not pick this roster nor did he have multiple off-season’s to collect players. This falls in the hands of GM Dave Gettleman. His tactics seem outdated and his stubbornness with the media only makes things worse. There’s no excuse for not being able to put a better product on the field in three seasons. Many fans and analysts found a way to blame Eli Manning in his last couple of years. The truth is the Giants aren’t a good team no matter who is behind center. The surrounding cast that this front office has built is not enough to compete in this league. If the Giants can’t show any type of progression in the next few weeks Gettleman will be fired before the season ends. There are only so many excuses that the Giants can make. It is starting to fall in the hands of ownership and who they hire. The Giants passed on many solid GM candidates when hiring Dave Gettleman. Many fans wanted ESPN analyst Louis Riddick to become the GM three years ago. They chose Gettleman instead who was in his mid-60s and on his second go-around with New York. The Giants need to move in a different direction here to build a different culture. A new GM to bring in young and more talented athletes to this roster is the next step.

Make a decision on Daniel Jones

The longer the Giants wait to make a decision on Daniel Jones the more their rebuild gets destroyed. The way the season is going the Giants will be selecting in the top 5 to 2021 NFL draft. It’s going to be very difficult for them to pass on a quarterback heavy class. Jones has 13 more weeks to prove he is the guy they need going forward. Wins are not what the Giants are going to get this season, but to see growth from this young quarterback and this roster is necessary to avoid major change. If Jones and his New York giant counterparts continue to play like this many will not be returning and wearing blue in East Rutherford next season. It is becoming too hard to watch this team continue to disappoint week after week. There was no excuse for the Giants to get blown out on Sunday and their schedule is only getting more difficult. If Daniel Jones continues to lose games, the Giants are going to be forced to make some decisions they never wanted to make. Jones is a good guy with a great work ethic, but at the end of the day is the talent there? That’s the question the Giants are going to have to ask themselves in the next coming weeks. With quarterbacks like Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields available next season Jones has to be remarkable down the stretch in 2020 to keep his job.

Need to acquire other playmakers that will bring competition to Gettleman’s draft picks.

This Giants team hands out second chances and opportunity for new beginnings with the same players every year. No matter what system they were playing in they can’t seem to produce on the field or stay healthy. This is not an excuse for Daniel Jones' struggles but a fact that you cannot succeed at the quarterback position without elite playmakers. The Giants are missing their best playmaker and are showing everyone that they have no one else besides Saquon Barkley to make plays with the football. We have seen flashes from Evan Engram, Sterling Shepard, and Darius Slayton but when times get tough these players continue to disappear.  The Giants continue to sign older players to try to provide depth on their offense but always tend to overpay for what they are getting. If the Giants still believe in Daniel Jones come the 2021 season they need to find him some reliable targets as he has never had before. This does not just go for the offense. The defense also needs playmakers besides the expensive free agents they sign in the off-season. The inability to have a consistent pass rusher and a solid coverage linebacker hurt this defense tremendously. The Giants’ playmakers on the defense have trouble staying on the field as well. Their best players on defense come from the interior side of the football and the importance of that position is increasingly going down in today’s game. The idea of having players on the outside who can run stop and rush the passer is becoming necessary. New York seems to have too many guys who can only do one thing. Joe Judge stressed versatility before the season started and the Giants seem to have none of that. In their three losses, they have been forced to play special teams quality players in a heavy snap count that exposes their defense. Whether it is a do-it-all wide receiver or a pass rusher who has speed and size to consistently get to the quarterback the Giants need some extra juice to win more football games.

The Jets

Fire Adam Gase

When Adam Gase first took over as the New York Jets coach there was a lot of optimism bringing his knowledge of the quarterback position to help Sam Darnold. None of that has seemed to go to plan. The Jets front office seems to be in shambles just like their coaching staff. On Sunday, Sam Darnold threw for only a 168 yards with a 47.0 passer rating. Gase’s ability to scheme around the quarterback's weaknesses is disappearing. The Jets traded the best player in the off-season in Jamal Adams to the Seahawks and they seem to be running out of options to get his production from anywhere else on the field. The decisions the team has made in the past few years have been really concerning and should give them a reason to move on from Gase. The head coach does not seem to have a grasp of the team nor a game plan to stay competitive in games versus mediocre teams. If the Jets don’t wanna ruin and scare away any of their young talented players they must move on from their head coach immediately before this gets worse.

Move on from Darnold 

Sam Darnold very much like Daniel Jones has shown flashes of brilliance. There are some plays when you see Darnold escape the pocket and make a tremendous throw you would think he could be a franchise quarterback in New York. It has been three years now and people are tired of waiting on the progression of Darnold to make him an elite quarterback in the league. It is taking too long for the USC product to make his jump and the Jets best option may be to try to target a quarterback in this draft class. They are going to be in the Trevor Lawrence conversation come April. A new quarterback could give this team the energy and fresh start that they desperately need. The Jets may be low on options for Darnold to use in this offense but it’s no excuse for the consistency he has turning the football over. If the Jets are in the top three of the NFL draft next season there is no possible way for them to pass on the quarterback. If Sam Darnold continues to lose throughout the season they are going to look for trade partners allowing them to take a quarterback in round one. A player like Trevor Lawrence would immediately attract coaches to the Jets, as well as other talented young players looking for a new home.

Rebuild the offense

When the Jets signed Le’Veon Bell many thought he’d be a great sidekick to Sam Darnold. That has not been the case and Bell has struggled when he has been asked to take the workload. This season he has already suffered a hamstring injury that forces them to play Frank Gore as their primary back. Bell was supposed to be the main feature in this offense; his inconsistencies and health issues have forced the Jets to play with all the marbles in Darnold’s hands. The fact is that Sam Darnold does not have good enough weapons nor pocket presence to succeed with what the Jets have given him. It may not be fair to judge Darnold on the lack of scoring but he has not shown enough for the Jets to pay him to be their guy in the future. Joe Douglas needs to re-create this roster in a way where they can succeed with the young quarterback whether that is Darnold or more likely their next draft pick. Mekhi Becton was a good start for this Jets team to grab as their future at the tackle position but they seem to lack speed and play-making ability on the outside. The lack of quality wideouts and inability to gain consistency at the tight end position has put Darnold in a tough spot. How much could any quarterback do with what Douglas has given him to work with?  This whole offense needs to be rebuilt right away before the Jets lose some of their really sound defensive players because of their inability to win.

In conclusion, this season will not consist of either New York team in the postseason. The remaining games may not mean much from that standpoint but if these teams do not show any growth expect them to look a lot different come next season. These are scary times for New York football fans unless you are from Buffalo

Writer

-By: Sam Kirk