Giants 2022 Season Outlook
Pump those brakes and embrace a proper rebuild
Ever since the Giants parted ways with former head coach Tom Coughlin after the 2015 season, they have been mostly bad. I mean really bad. Like, “move their games to my old MacBook Pro so I can enjoy RedZone on the big screen” bad.
The team has floundered in a post-Coughlin and even post-Jerry Reese environment, although it was certainly apparent the latter needed to be replaced when he was. The issue of course, was who Giants ownership (hello, John Mara) decided to hire as their replacements.
Under the stewardship of GM Dave Gettleman — a hire who never inspired much confidence in me — the Giants somehow managed to go from bad to worse. It’s one thing for a franchise to be bad and then embrace a proper, if unenjoyable, rebuild. It’s another for a franchise to not properly rebuild, and instead “re-tool” year after year, making aggressive signings in free agency and using top-end draft capital on the wrong players.
Enough about one of the worst GMs in franchise history, one who we’re reminded of nearly daily with each passing report of the cap space hell the Giants find themselves in.
The New Guys
Onto the present and the future, in which the team seems to be embracing what will be a full and painful rebuild. This is what I’ve been begging for for years. A true rebuild in the post-Coughlin, post-Eli, analytics-driven league the Giants find themselves in. Instead of relying on an out-of-touch GM working with a Wii remote, the Giants managed to hire the Assistant GM of one of the most successful franchises of the last few seasons.
Joe Schoen, someone who clearly understands positional value and how to operate within the modern NFL, is now in charge. He brings with him a forward-thinking approach, one that put the onus on surrounding Josh Allen with not only the weapons and line needed, but also the offensive scheme to fit to his strengths. Speaking of offensive scheme, along with Schoen comes the former OC for Buffalo, Brian Daboll, to take up head coaching duties.
Daboll has worked under some of the most successful programs across collegiate and professional football — hello, Nick and Bill — and additionally has the experience outside of the Belichick coaching tree, working with Sean McDermott, a disciple of Andy Reid. Daboll, along with new OC Mike Kafka (also a Reid disciple) should more than adequately bring the Giants offense into the 2020’s.
The 2022 Outlook
For the first time in years, I am genuinely excited and optimistic about the direction in which the Giants are heading. The team is effectively using the 2022 season to see who’s worth keeping around long-term and who isn’t. It’s crucial for Schoen and Daboll to assess the talent on the roster and see who should remain as a building block for future success.
Given their success in Buffalo, they’ve earned the benefit of the doubt. I will be totally fine with the decisions they make, knowing they’re part of the broader plan and not a one-off decision made to appease a section of the fanbase.
Speaking of this, I can tell — at least through my time on Twitter — that many Giants fans are still glued to every single decision the team has made this off-season. As for me? Not so much. We are just entering the start of what will be a multi-year rebuild for this franchise. Is it going to be enjoyable right off the bat? No shot. But will it pay off down the road, provided Schoen and Daboll get the time they need? Yes.
This is the key point I need Giants fans to remember: this will take time. The decisions made in summer 2022 will be a distant memory come preseason 2023. Joe Schoen has a horrific cap situation to work through (thanks, Dave!) and key decisions to make after this season (the status of their 2018 and 2019 first rounders, for starters).
I know for a large number of Giants fans, the idea of a true rebuild is a tough pill to swallow. Well, too bad! This is how you build up a franchise properly, by taking the time to make sound decisions across the board, being sellers when needed, and capitalizing on opportunities when they present themselves.
This has been the most relaxed Giants off-season I’ve experienced in years. Why? Because we have no idea what to expect from this team, other than we know they are (hopefully) in the right hands. All I need from the Giants in 2022 is for them to be sneakily competitive, and come out of the season knowing what they’ll be doing in 2023 at the QB position. I’ll hope and pray for a fun team, one that doesn’t finish in the bottom-five in points scored yet again.
In the end, I’m just going to sit back, relax, and hope the Giants are fun. I know they’re in the most capable hands they’ve been in for years, so now it’s about seeing what Daboll and Co. can do on the field. We know DC Wink Martindale is going to blitz a ton, we know Daboll and Kafka can scheme players open and create easy throws for Daniel Jones.
I get that the Giants have arguably the easiest schedule on paper of any team in the entire league. People have even tossed around “playoffs” and/or “winning record” as possibilities as a result. Pump. The. Brakes. They have a bottom-level roster with question marks across nearly all position groups. Allow yourself to avoid disappointment by keeping your expectations in check.
Now, it’s time to watch the Giants open up the Schoen/Daboll era and remember that in the grand scheme of things, this franchise is finally on the right track. In Schoen we trust.
