No one could ever say that the Tom Coughlin era has been anything short of a success for the Giants. 31 other franchises would sell their souls to Jerry Jones to have the success that the Giants have enjoyed. But the appetite for more and more can never be sated, and the Giants went into last summer convinced that they had the pieces to make their third championship run in six seasons.
That whole notion went awry during the first play from scrimmage in the season opener against the Cowboys. The Giants spent all of their energies just to claw back to a desultory 7-9 after an inexplicable 0-6 start.
So as the Giants ramp up their free-agency targets and incoming draft class, general-manager Jerry Reese is almost assuredly under fire to work the kind of magic that he seemed to have early on. And with Tom Coughlin’s coaching career likely coming to a close before too much longer, the best way to potentially save jobs all across the board is to fix the litany of problems that befell the team in 2013.
Unfortunately, according to NYGcapcentral.com the Giants finished the 2013 season last in the league with only $17, 447 of cap space for 2014. In some ways, it is the “price of success.” In others, and most glaringly considering many of the performances of the players last season, it’s also exceedingly wasteful; handcuffing many avenues for a potential quick-fix approach if that were the way the usually patient Giants regime would choose to play their hand.
Restructure and Extend Manning’s and Rollee’s Current Contracts: As it stands, Eli carries a price-tag of $20.4 million against the 2014 cap, and this just won’t do as it is. With needs across the board, the Giants have to make some room somehow. Manning has restructured in the past, so Jerry Reese would probably feel fairly confident that Eli would be receptive to idea.
Antrel Rolle, however, may be a harder sell. Although Rolle is already on the recruiting trail, talking up the Giants to recovering Packers tight-end Jermichael Finley, so maybe he’ll be receptive as well.
(Quick tangent: Is it a good thing to have guys with neck injuries? David Wilson just went under the knife for his spinal stenosis and and it’s conceivable that he may never play again. The well-documented Manning family history of neck-related issues could potentially show themselves with Eli at some point. Bearing all of this in mind, one can only imagine how thorough Finley’s physicals would have to be before anybody would let him play again. On the other hand, he’s probably still better than Brandon Myers, who never fit in on the field and (allegedly) in the locker room. It’s definitely something that is concerning.)
Walk Away From Nicks: It’s funny how perceptions change. Just a season ago, Hakeem Nicks was viewed as a long-term piece of the team’s puzzle. Now the only thing puzzling was his total lack of plays made as he was clearly trying to protect himself for his forthcoming payday. Nicks is looking for number-one receiver money after being a season-long non-factor in which he registered not even a single touchdown. A lot of things went wrong last year, and for whatever reason, Nicks played a major role in it all. And he seems to want out even if the Giants were looking to make a strong push to retain him.
Try to Retain Jon Beason: Since being acquired from Carolina in a mid-season trade, Beason has fit like a glove; solidifying a defense that had no clue in any direction they could look until he got there. The Giants consider the seventh-rounder as well spent. While Beason’s injury history is always a concern, the Giants may want to take the risk. And taking in the team’s drafting history, linebackers early in the draft aren’t how they do things. If CJ Moseley is available to them, or even University of Buffalo’s Khalil Mack, it might give the brain-trust something to think about. We’ll see. It leads to this…
Keep Fortifying the O-Line: Sometimes you need some luck. If fortune were to smile on the Giants and Auburn’s Greg Robinson or Texas A&M’s Jake Matthews were to fall to them, the team would run to Commissioner Goodell to hand in the card. After the season that the offensive line had, it’s clear that it still needs some major tweaking.
William Beatty might get one more season to prove that he is able to keep Eli upright, and considering how bad his season went, he might not even get that. Add in his questionable availability after breaking his leg in the season’s finale, his job could get usurped from him depending on what’s available. David Baas will likely be a cap casualty, ending a disappointing tenure with the team.. Dave Diehl’s retired, and Chris Snee’s health is always a question, and it wouldn’t surprise many if he were to hang them up as well. Simply put, it would behoove the Giants to really work up front more than anything else. Last year’s top pick Justin Pugh impressed with his stellar campaign at right tackle, so there’s a solid building block left in an aging group.
Free agency starts on March 11. The road to the draft is already underway. Last summer, Jerry Reese put a clock in the Giants locker room reminding them that it was time to get into the playoffs. Now the clock is ticking for Reese to find the right pieces to get the Giants back to their championship standards.
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