Post by GordonG on Oct 13, 2017 19:33:47 GMT -5
1. Pat, if the Giants were to go against type and fire Jerry Reese, who do you think might be a competent candidate for the GM job?
I do not think the Giants don’t have a successor on the team, which if you recall is how they’ve filled the spot (Young to Accorsi to Reese). Personally, I might see if Dave Gettleman is interested in returning or maybe make a pitch for John Dorsey or the guy Washington let go (whose name escapes my memory). But in all fairness, it’s too early to go there and speculate.
2. If Giants end up with the 1st overall pick, do you see Eli Manning as the QB in 2018?
Yes. You’re assuming the first overall pick is a quarterback. Who’s to say it won’t be a running back or an offensive lineman? I think unless an injury dictates otherwise, Eli will be behind center next year.
3. Is this a super bowl (or close to it) roster? And yes, I know the O line is weak, but teams win with weak components.
It’s hard to call an 0-6 roster a Super Bowl roster. Remember they got to 0-6 with Odell, with Eli, with Pierre-Paul and Snacks and most of the others who helped them get to 11-5 last year. I do think there is talent on the roster, but right now for whatever the reason, they’re not getting all they can from that talent and I think the reason why is that the talent doesn’t complement what the coaches want to do or the key pieces they have.
For example, they need a power offensive line to block for Eli yet the offensive line is far from being a power line. Of the running backs, other than maybe Wayne Gallman, do they have anyone who can run to the outside? The problem is that with all the patchwork done on this team over the year you have a bunch of puzzle pieces that aren’t really forming a clear picture.
4. If the roster's decent, then what the heck happened, OR, could it be anything but an abject failure at the coaching level?
I think it’s a combination of things. Start with my answer to the previous question above and you can also throw in coaching—it’s clear to me that McAdoo, despite all his talk about wanting to be heavy handed, wants little to do with running the football.
What he has to understand is he doesn’t have the same personnel as the Packers. I sometimes suspect he’s trying to jam a square peg into a round hole. You can also throw in injuries, a failure to upgrade the offensive line (or better yet an overestimating of how good the talent is), and bad luck. I don’t think there is any one thing you can say is responsible for this mess.
5. Hi Pat. How has Evan Engram felt about his NFL experience so far? What kinds of things has the Coaching Staff asked him to emphasize this year? Do you think he's adjusting ok to the NFL and the routes he's asked to run?
I’ve spoken to Engram a few times over the last few weeks—awesome kid, by the way. He’s very grateful and humbled to be in the NFL and wants to stay here for a long, long time. I’ve heard nothing but great things about his work ethic and his willingness to learn new blocking techniques and such. I also think that while he’s still learning his craft, he’s been a bright spot in an otherwise dismal year.
6. Pat, If/When Jerry and Richburg get healthy, will that move Bobby Hart to the bench? He was basically abused the entire game by Ingram and Bosa. Moving Jerry back to LG, Fluker at RG, and Pugh at RT seems a better/safer option then playing Hart at this point.
That’s a really good question and I’m not sure I have an answer for you. I know they’ve been working out offensive linemen (a little too late I think, but better late than never?)
What I will say is this—and I hate to sound like a broken record—I was concerned about the backup depth at offensive tackle coming into camp. Then I saw Adam Bisnowaty go backward, my concern grew bigger.
I think they might have to stick with Hart moving forward unless something out of the blue happens (hello Branden Albert). But I do not believe Hart to be the long-term answer at right tackle, and if the Giants don’t address the offensive line this coming offseason, then I give up.
7. Pat, Eli Apple and Darian Thompson have really struggled this season. In your opinion do you see either or both as long-term solutions for the Giants? Is there any chance that Apple gets the Antrel Rolle treatment and is eventually shifted to free safety?
I think of the two, Apple might be a longer-term solution. What you forget is that a strong pass rush really helps the back end of the defense. The Giants pass rush this year has been invisible and that’s hurting the back end of the defense. There are other circumstances I believe to be affecting Apple’s play this year, but I think the lack of a pass rush is the biggest thing.
As for Thompson, one of my biggest concerns coming into this year was how well he’d respond to the surgery he had and my fears are being proven correct. Until proven otherwise, I believe you’re never the same after surgery and Thompson is proving me right once again with his consistent being a step or two too late to get to the ball. I also believe the Giants don’t have a true free safety on their roster right now.
8. NON Giant question.... Is Aaron Rogers the best football player (not just QB) you've ever seen - and is it even close.?
Lawrence Taylor, and it’s not even close.
(Gordon's comment: Totally agree)
9. Pat, you mentioned last week you thought both Reese and McAdoo will be back next year. Do you think there will be any changes in the coaching staff? Front office / scouting departments?
(See answer to question 11 which I answered first.)
10. Are any of the Giants lineman starting material on any other team than this one?
Great question. I think you can make a case for Justin Pugh and maybe Richburg, even though his play has gone backwards. Flowers and Hart? No thanks.
Jerry? No way—when he was signed here, he was supposed to be a backup. Fluker? Depends on the system being run—in the Giants system, no, he’s not necessarily a starter.
Brett Jones? He’s solid, but his size continues to be worrisome, so I’ll give him a “maybe.” Chad Wheeler is raw, but he has potential so maybe in a year or two my response would be yes.
11. What's the pulse on McAdoo and his current job status after all the head-scratching events that have taken part while he has been HC (Odell's sideline antics, the unnecessary boat trip before the playoff game, Eli apple questioning the "culture" of the team, Janoris Jenkins reportedly walking off the field before the Chargers game was over, and now the DRC drama)? It looks like from an outsider prospective that he's losing control of the team, and that never bodes well for a Head Coach. If McAdoo has indeed lost the locker room and this team wins less than 4 games, how can the Giants justify bringing back McAdoo and Reese? Seems like we are heading in a direction that will result in a total house cleaning
I don’t get that impression. I know that’s what the fans want, but sometimes you have to let cooler heads prevail.
I do not believe McAdoo is going to be shown the door after this season. I think you could make a case for him based on the offensive line and what management gave him—or didn’t give him. You can definitely make a case for the injuries, which began in Week 2.
Now does that mean there won’t be changes? No. I strongly believe that management might push the issue about the play calling for the same reason I would—McAdoo has yet to show he can manage the sideline effectively and call the plays, and if nothing else, his failure to go out to the field when Beckham was lying on the ground in pain because McAdoo had his face buried in the play card is, to me, the straw that broke that camel’s back.
We could also see some assistant coaching changes, though I don’t know just yet where (I can guess, but I’d rather not.)
If anything, I think we should keep an eye on Jerry Reese’s department as I could see changes there. But then again, ask yourself if you start to upset the apple cart now or do you wait until Eli goes and THEN sweep out the old guard. That’s the X factor—do you really want Eli to have to learn a new system at this stage of his career?
12. How does Jerry Reece explain going from a super bowl team to 0-5 and the answer not involve HIS personnel decisions?
File that question away until the bye week as that’s when we’re supposed to hear from Reese. I don’t want to speak for the man until he’s had a chance to answer for himself.
13. If you were the owner of the Giants, what if anything would you be doing at this point in the season?
As of this moment, I wait it out. I know the popular sentiment among the fans is to do something, even at the bye week, but if I’m ownership, I wait until after the season and then I sit down with Reese and McAdoo and I demand answers. And if I don’t get the answers I want, then I think about going in another direction.
I do not think the Giants don’t have a successor on the team, which if you recall is how they’ve filled the spot (Young to Accorsi to Reese). Personally, I might see if Dave Gettleman is interested in returning or maybe make a pitch for John Dorsey or the guy Washington let go (whose name escapes my memory). But in all fairness, it’s too early to go there and speculate.
2. If Giants end up with the 1st overall pick, do you see Eli Manning as the QB in 2018?
Yes. You’re assuming the first overall pick is a quarterback. Who’s to say it won’t be a running back or an offensive lineman? I think unless an injury dictates otherwise, Eli will be behind center next year.
3. Is this a super bowl (or close to it) roster? And yes, I know the O line is weak, but teams win with weak components.
It’s hard to call an 0-6 roster a Super Bowl roster. Remember they got to 0-6 with Odell, with Eli, with Pierre-Paul and Snacks and most of the others who helped them get to 11-5 last year. I do think there is talent on the roster, but right now for whatever the reason, they’re not getting all they can from that talent and I think the reason why is that the talent doesn’t complement what the coaches want to do or the key pieces they have.
For example, they need a power offensive line to block for Eli yet the offensive line is far from being a power line. Of the running backs, other than maybe Wayne Gallman, do they have anyone who can run to the outside? The problem is that with all the patchwork done on this team over the year you have a bunch of puzzle pieces that aren’t really forming a clear picture.
4. If the roster's decent, then what the heck happened, OR, could it be anything but an abject failure at the coaching level?
I think it’s a combination of things. Start with my answer to the previous question above and you can also throw in coaching—it’s clear to me that McAdoo, despite all his talk about wanting to be heavy handed, wants little to do with running the football.
What he has to understand is he doesn’t have the same personnel as the Packers. I sometimes suspect he’s trying to jam a square peg into a round hole. You can also throw in injuries, a failure to upgrade the offensive line (or better yet an overestimating of how good the talent is), and bad luck. I don’t think there is any one thing you can say is responsible for this mess.
5. Hi Pat. How has Evan Engram felt about his NFL experience so far? What kinds of things has the Coaching Staff asked him to emphasize this year? Do you think he's adjusting ok to the NFL and the routes he's asked to run?
I’ve spoken to Engram a few times over the last few weeks—awesome kid, by the way. He’s very grateful and humbled to be in the NFL and wants to stay here for a long, long time. I’ve heard nothing but great things about his work ethic and his willingness to learn new blocking techniques and such. I also think that while he’s still learning his craft, he’s been a bright spot in an otherwise dismal year.
6. Pat, If/When Jerry and Richburg get healthy, will that move Bobby Hart to the bench? He was basically abused the entire game by Ingram and Bosa. Moving Jerry back to LG, Fluker at RG, and Pugh at RT seems a better/safer option then playing Hart at this point.
That’s a really good question and I’m not sure I have an answer for you. I know they’ve been working out offensive linemen (a little too late I think, but better late than never?)
What I will say is this—and I hate to sound like a broken record—I was concerned about the backup depth at offensive tackle coming into camp. Then I saw Adam Bisnowaty go backward, my concern grew bigger.
I think they might have to stick with Hart moving forward unless something out of the blue happens (hello Branden Albert). But I do not believe Hart to be the long-term answer at right tackle, and if the Giants don’t address the offensive line this coming offseason, then I give up.
7. Pat, Eli Apple and Darian Thompson have really struggled this season. In your opinion do you see either or both as long-term solutions for the Giants? Is there any chance that Apple gets the Antrel Rolle treatment and is eventually shifted to free safety?
I think of the two, Apple might be a longer-term solution. What you forget is that a strong pass rush really helps the back end of the defense. The Giants pass rush this year has been invisible and that’s hurting the back end of the defense. There are other circumstances I believe to be affecting Apple’s play this year, but I think the lack of a pass rush is the biggest thing.
As for Thompson, one of my biggest concerns coming into this year was how well he’d respond to the surgery he had and my fears are being proven correct. Until proven otherwise, I believe you’re never the same after surgery and Thompson is proving me right once again with his consistent being a step or two too late to get to the ball. I also believe the Giants don’t have a true free safety on their roster right now.
8. NON Giant question.... Is Aaron Rogers the best football player (not just QB) you've ever seen - and is it even close.?
Lawrence Taylor, and it’s not even close.
(Gordon's comment: Totally agree)
9. Pat, you mentioned last week you thought both Reese and McAdoo will be back next year. Do you think there will be any changes in the coaching staff? Front office / scouting departments?
(See answer to question 11 which I answered first.)
10. Are any of the Giants lineman starting material on any other team than this one?
Great question. I think you can make a case for Justin Pugh and maybe Richburg, even though his play has gone backwards. Flowers and Hart? No thanks.
Jerry? No way—when he was signed here, he was supposed to be a backup. Fluker? Depends on the system being run—in the Giants system, no, he’s not necessarily a starter.
Brett Jones? He’s solid, but his size continues to be worrisome, so I’ll give him a “maybe.” Chad Wheeler is raw, but he has potential so maybe in a year or two my response would be yes.
11. What's the pulse on McAdoo and his current job status after all the head-scratching events that have taken part while he has been HC (Odell's sideline antics, the unnecessary boat trip before the playoff game, Eli apple questioning the "culture" of the team, Janoris Jenkins reportedly walking off the field before the Chargers game was over, and now the DRC drama)? It looks like from an outsider prospective that he's losing control of the team, and that never bodes well for a Head Coach. If McAdoo has indeed lost the locker room and this team wins less than 4 games, how can the Giants justify bringing back McAdoo and Reese? Seems like we are heading in a direction that will result in a total house cleaning
I don’t get that impression. I know that’s what the fans want, but sometimes you have to let cooler heads prevail.
I do not believe McAdoo is going to be shown the door after this season. I think you could make a case for him based on the offensive line and what management gave him—or didn’t give him. You can definitely make a case for the injuries, which began in Week 2.
Now does that mean there won’t be changes? No. I strongly believe that management might push the issue about the play calling for the same reason I would—McAdoo has yet to show he can manage the sideline effectively and call the plays, and if nothing else, his failure to go out to the field when Beckham was lying on the ground in pain because McAdoo had his face buried in the play card is, to me, the straw that broke that camel’s back.
We could also see some assistant coaching changes, though I don’t know just yet where (I can guess, but I’d rather not.)
If anything, I think we should keep an eye on Jerry Reese’s department as I could see changes there. But then again, ask yourself if you start to upset the apple cart now or do you wait until Eli goes and THEN sweep out the old guard. That’s the X factor—do you really want Eli to have to learn a new system at this stage of his career?
12. How does Jerry Reece explain going from a super bowl team to 0-5 and the answer not involve HIS personnel decisions?
File that question away until the bye week as that’s when we’re supposed to hear from Reese. I don’t want to speak for the man until he’s had a chance to answer for himself.
13. If you were the owner of the Giants, what if anything would you be doing at this point in the season?
As of this moment, I wait it out. I know the popular sentiment among the fans is to do something, even at the bye week, but if I’m ownership, I wait until after the season and then I sit down with Reese and McAdoo and I demand answers. And if I don’t get the answers I want, then I think about going in another direction.