It seems like it has been an eternity since the New York Giants have recorded a winning season. Okay, that may be exaggerating a bit, as the Giants went 11-5 in 2016. They ended that season losing to the Green Bay Packers on Wild Card Weekend in the NFL playoffs. However, Giants owner John Mara is tired of losing and expects his team to play winning football in 2021. That being said, Mara has subtly placed pressure on Daniel Jones to win now.
In a recent off-season press conference, Mara was quite candid about his patience running thin from the losing that has taken place over the last four seasons.
“It’s been a very difficult four or five year period for us and I’m tired of the losing and of having the postseason press conference trying to explain what went wrong and why I think we’re making progress. It’s time for us to start winning some more and that’s one of the reasons we spent the money we did.” said Giants owner John Mara via USA Today
His comments were not on the level of late New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner’s famous public outbursts. But Mara did send a message to his team in a more direct, calm tone.
New York Giants Owner Putting Pressure on Daniel Jones to Win Now
Giants Recapturing Fan’s Enthusiasm
For the Giants, the last four seasons have been tough to watch, but the current roster has recaptured the fan’s enthusiasm. Their gritty play provided the franchise with their highest win total during their current rebuild. And the Giants were in the NFC East divisional title race until the very end. So with the 2021 crown up for grabs, it is time for the G-Men to play winning football.
If the Giants are going to win more games next season, then it will come down to the play at the quarterback position. Let’s put to rest any quarterback controversy, as there are no two bigger supporters of Jones than Mara and Giants head coach Joe Judge. Both firmly believe that he is poised to have a breakout season in 2021. Then again, the on-field results have been less than satisfying for the young signal-caller over the first two seasons of his NFL career.
Jones is Held to a High Standard
Challenging can best describe Jones’ time with the Giants. First, it was the unreal expectations after being drafted sixth overall in the 2019 NFL Draft. Then, it was becoming the franchise’s starting quarterback in Week 3 of his rookie season. And let’s not forget the transition from Pat Shurmur’s coaching staff to a new group of offensive coaches under the direction of Judge that was halted by the pandemic.
No question, Jones struggled in the new offense last season. It was partly due to missing valuable off-season workout sessions with Giants offensive coordinator Jason Garrett. The lack of practice time and cancellation of the preseason schedule hindered his ability to get comfortable in the new system.
Now with a year’s experience under Garrett, Jones is expected to be more prepared and ready to play in 2021. Expectations are high. After all, the passing game has been significantly upgraded this off-season.
Revamped Giants Offense
Like it or not, the Giants have never adequately replaced Odell Beckham Jr. in the starting lineup. Until now. The free agent addition of Kenny Golladay will help Jones, as he is a legit No.1 receiver for their offense. Add Sterling Shepard, Evan Engram, Darius Slayton, and the return of Saquon Barkley to the mix, and the Giants have a very talented group of playmakers to work with.
For now, Jones needs to focus on improving his own play. Just stand tall in the pocket with no happy feet when things collapse. It is all about ball security for him this season. Jones needs to throw the football with more accuracy. He needs to take advantage of coverage mismatches and turn those pass attempts into touchdowns.
Last Word
Are the Giants on the right track to respectability? Yes, but that does not mean much unless you get results on the field. Mara is not expecting to win a Super Bowl next February, but it is not out of the realm of possibility for the Giants to have a winning season. The pressure to “win now” comes with the territory of playing in New York.
The hope is for Jones to show some signs of heading on the path to becoming a franchise quarterback. Because that is what the Giants desperately need so badly.
Main Photo:Embed from Getty Images
