We will do a quick recap and then talk about what is next for the Gmen.
Another game, another metaphor for this losing season.
- Coughlin not going for it on 4th down a few times at the Eagles ~39 yard line.
- Opponents Running Backs and Tight Ends killing the Giants Safeties and Linebackers.
- Batted balls at key moments in the opponent’s red zone that somehow swing the entire game.
This 2015 season has been one long nightmare rerun. One thing we have discussed on twitter far more than here on the blog is not getting enough Vereen snaps/touches and reducing Andre Williams’ roll in the rotation. While we have generally been positive on McAdoo this year in terms of Eli’s efficiency, not lining Vereen up on the Line of Scrimmage and using more Jennings is poor. The only thing we can add to all of this (filed under the category: ‘As good and as bad as his coordinators’) is- Where is Coughlin to help McAdoo and the team in this light? Absent again.
Wonder: “You have no freaking right to complain after what I went through again today with my Jets. My team is down 19-17 and at the BUF 10, pick by McKelvin. No matter how bad it gets, at least you’re not a Jet fans.”
We have spent the last week talking about who is to blame for this season. Coughlin defenders talk about a weak roster and injuries. Reese supporters talk about the old man cutting Jones and making a bunch of bad decisions which could have had the team with 10 wins easily. Interestingly, there are no Barnes supporters. Do you know why? Because outside of you readers of this NY Giants blog and about a handful of members of the media, nobody has even heard of him. I had heard of him before this year but thought he was one of the Giants doctors. So I never paid much attention to him. Little did I know that he has so much “juice” inside the organization. When I queried Giants fans I watch games with at the local bar in Houston about him, none of the 3 even heard of him. So it is hard to have any meaningful discussion about how to fix things with people who do not see the contributions/responsibilities in their full light.
There was a powerful graphic during today’s broadcast: The NFC Least has not fielded a Wild Card into the NFC playoffs for the last 6 seasons (2010 to present). Considering the only win was XLVI, when the Giants were 9-7 with ~ 10 miracles, it demonstrates what a low bar we have had for the entire Giants organization. Through it all these past 4 years, the Giants have come up short. We even put it to lyrics from Adele.
This past week we made the case that Coughlin, Reese and Barnes should all be replaced. If you gave me my choice of which one would go first, I would vote for Barnes off the island because I believe the deleterious effect from injuries has been consistent and toxic to the culture. Imagine showing up to work and every other day someone else who is contributing meaningfully is out sick. After a while, too many things are consistently going wrong. Whoever is the leader or the human resources guy is not going to be completely responsible for the company missing revenue or whatever their performance metric is. I am not making excuses for Reese and Coughlin. I am merely arguing that medical/conditioning is ripping the team apart and it needs to get fixed along with HC and GM.
Barnes does not have to be replaced to have the Giants see better results. It is quite possible for Barnes to wear one less hat, bring in the right person to make the 21st Century changes (even if that is just a new S&C coach via the new Head Coach), and get out of the way. My sense from reading about Barnes is that he does not get out of the way. He is proud of how wide his scope and authority encompasses. This is a non-doctor who 3+ decades okay was talking about what the players should be eating before Game Day. So why should I think this leopard is changing his spots and is hands off? He’s had way too many opportunities to change. So it is time for external change.
We had an interesting exchange of tweets with Ralph Vacchiano of the NY Daily News yesterday.
@RVacchianoNYDN @Stevekais53 1st- that’s incorrect re soft tissue injuries https://t.co/sWnbPdCKZj 2nd- Barnes proudly claims supervision.
— Andy Furman (@UltimateNYG) January 2, 2016
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The thread is much longer but the important thing here is that Vacchiano is parroting the line from Mara at the end of the 2014 season when Mara explained that “we cut down on the soft tissue injuries and all of a sudden we get all of these broken bones and torn tendons…” So we linked to our October 2015 post where we listed 6 hamstrings, 4 calves, 2 more pectorals and 2 groins. 14 more SOFT TISSUE injuries at midseason alone. After that rebuttal, we got crickets from Ralph. You see, the mainstream media (it’s not just Ralph.. he just gets punished for being nice enough to reply to me from time to time) is not investing the time to look into it. How else could he make such a huge mistake? Even if the Giants were doing well on soft tissue this year (they did not), the pectoral tears alone were a huge indictment. But over the summer, Vacchiano again rejected any notion that an MD Physiatrist Professor who specializes in Sports Medicine could unequivocally explain that Beatty’s pectoral injury was due to too much strength (heavy lifting) and not enough range of motion (conditioning). So who do you trust? A journalist passing judgment on a remote MD specialist passing judgment on the Giants S&C program, OR a remote MD specialist passing judgment on the Giants S&C program? The correct move is for the journalist to research the matter further. Once again, all we saw from the media in this regard was crickets. Is it any surprise that almost no one has even heard of Palmieri, let alone Barnes? So what we get from the media re postseason moves is… Reese AND/OR Coughlin?, when it is actually Reese AND/OR Coughlin AND/OR Barnes? The medical/conditioning program is an integral part of the dysfunction over the past 4 years when the Giants did not make the playoffs. Is it a shock that 7 consecutive years of injury underperformance (greater AGLs) completely coincides with that statistic that has buried Coughlin.. 1 playoff appearance the past 7 years? Yet no one likes to discuss it.
More on Coughlin. Late yesterday, we had another piece in the Daily News offering self-righteous indignation at the Giants organization for having the nerve to give Coughlin such a disgraceful exit. How could the Giants treat a man who had given the Giants 2 Super Bowls so badly by forcing him out like this? This kind of story makes me want to puke. How about this alternative view of history:
1) Coughlin knew the stakes going into this season. Remember, if Mara told every man, woman and child that it was “win or else” this time last year for next season, I am fairly certain that Mara told Coughlin in extremely simple terms- I am giving you another year to make the playoffs or I will expect your resignation. Coughlin replied, that is fair, I have not delivered for 3 consecutive years, thank you for giving me the opportunity to make it happen in 2015. And that was it.
2) The NFC East s*cks. Low Bar for Tom. See the reference to the Fox graphic in the 6th paragraph above. 6 years of a bad division. It was so easy for the taking and he still came up short. Next.
3) TC had his fair share of blame, even if Reese and Barnes made his life harder. But Barnes did not cut James Jones. Reese did not underutilize Vereen. Reese and Barnes did not have a brain fart vs DAL.
4) Spare me the sanctimonious hypocrisy by the media. To cry for the Head Coach’s treatment when they are collectively silent for weeks and years of Coughlin assuming responsibility, it wears a little thin. Where is the reporting on underachievement re the organization in talent and medical? Build a case analytically and consistently.
5) THERE IS NO FREAKING TENURE. I absolutely loved this piece by Mike Vaccaro this morning. Nailed it.
6) I don’t think Coughlin is going to need therapy for being unloved upon a 12 year exit. Here is $7 million reasons why, from 2015 alone.
Next, we will see actions in coming days from the Giants. I am particularly interested in hearing from John Mara. He was the one who was rosy with optimism about how everything was coming together for 2015 back last year. He was keeping the band together. What are his comments about the medical a year later when the problems undermined yet another season? Is Reese going to get another pass? Mara is the boss of all of these people. He was sick of the losing last year. What is he now?
The blog will be here in the offseason to discuss the playoffs, Giants needs, plans, changes, and of course the Draft.
I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support, comments, and just being solid Giants fans. I love this forum. It is a labor of love. Getting through an ugly season like 2015 is a little easier with people like yourselves in our community. Please have a Happy and Healthy 2016. Go Gmen!
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