Hi, folks. Y’all good? I’ve been off recharging the batteries. Replenishing the Big Blue Juices, if you will. And guess what? In case you haven’t heard, football is upon us in two weeks, give or take. So that’s always a cause for celebration.
In this off-season of change and renewal for the New York Giants, things are in full-swing as we speed towards the Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 3 against the Buffalo Bills in the birthplace of football, Canton, Ohio.
In some respects, it will officially usher in a new era for this proud franchise that is celebrating 90th birthday. Out is Justin Tuck, who chose to (likely) close out his career in Oakland. Out is longtime tackle David Diehl to retirement and into FOX’s color-analyst totem pole. Out is longtime offensive-coordinator, Kevin Gilbride, who may have been made out the scapegoat for the pure horror show that was more of a total team meltdown than one man’s schematic failure, but I digress. In is Ben McAdoo, whose scheme is reportedly “re-energizing” Eli Manning. (Me and Eli. Fully-charged battery buddies!)
That sounds great, but I keep going back to two key components of the Big Blue’s offense that the quarterback would love to have at his disposal, and I wonder if that is even worth wondering about.
Chris Snee
Family ties aside, Chris Snee is a true Giant. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that he commands the most respect in the locker room. With Justin Tuck now gone, and Manning and Victor Cruz being leaders based by their example, Snee is the kind of warrior football player who will be the kind of guy whom teammates listen to when they need to be knocked down a peg or two. With his willingness to play through pain and in keeping up his high quality of play even as his body gives way, he becomes an almost indispensable piece to a transitioning team.
But the fact that he still has injury concerns is not lost on observers, as well as his own front office and teammates. Surgically-repaired hips and a balky elbow don’t lend themselves all that well to the grunt work of the guard position, and it just may be Father Time knocking and already untying his shoes to move in for good. (SIA Profile)
Chris Snee wants to play, and says he’s healthy. Even if by pure default, he’s now the guy whom Eli Manning now trusts the most on an offensive line that was a bursting dam more often than not last season.
Snee’s month of August is absolutely critical for him to prove that he still has the ability to hold off kids like second-rounder Weston Richburg and 2012 fourth-rounder Brandon Moseley from taking his job. Otherwise, the Giants could be in for another season of Eli Manning running for his life, forcing unsightly turnovers that have sadly become commonplace.
I believe this is Chris Snee’s last season one way or the other. Hopefully he lasts the entire season for storybook endings sakes, but Giants fans know that it’s a hard thing to envision. His next job could very well be on his father in-law’s coaching staff.
David Wilson
Another question mark is David Wilson. The Giants signed Rashad Jennings to do the heavy lifting, but Wilson isn’t ready to let his neck issues end his dream. (SIA Profile) This is commendable. Even John Mara expects him to be able to play, so if the Boss Man has expectations for Wilson, then maybe he’s better off than any of us realize. This would be a godsend to the Giants who could really use his game-breaking speed.
The Giants were proactive in making sure they didn’t have to solely hope on his availability. In addition to signing Jennings, they brought back Payton Hillis and Michael Cox, as well as drafted former Heisman-hype generator, Boston College’s Andre Williams.
I can’t shake GM Jerry Reese’s extremely non-committal answers to Wilson earlier this year. When you’re messing with the neck, that’s a tough thing to work around. And from a pure football standpoint, his fumbling is a clear issue. When you have to use your speed to catch the guy from scoring a touchdown when you cough it up, it tends to defeat your purpose of playing.
Inject the Giants brass with truth serum, and I believe that their true response would be that they’d be happy to see him on the field. Actual production can wait.
August will be telling in what can be expected by team and fans alike. The curiosities will be answered soon enough.
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