Enough is enough. This has been the cry of the New York Giants fan base for the last few years that has become louder with each disappointing loss. And this season’s struggles have shown that Giants general manager Dave Gettleman’s expiration date with the franchise has finally expired. This is his fourth year at the helm and the team is no better than the first day he walked through the door.
New York Giants Co-Owner Had High Expectations For Gettleman and the 2021 Season
Last summer, Giants co-owner John Mara put out a mandate that he expected the team to be playing “meaningful games” in December. Mara felt his team’s roster was significantly upgraded with key off-season free-agent additions.
To fulfill his wishes, the Giants had a very low bar to achieve on their season schedule. All the team had to do was dominate and defeat struggling opponents and compete against those who have equal or greater talent on their roster. Talk about a soft landing, the cards were in Gettleman’s favor to secure his first playoff berth as New York Giants General Manger.
However, those odds have changed. And they’re pretty high that Mara’s wishes will not take place in 2021. In typical fashion, the Giants put themselves in less than an ideal situation after starting the season winless at 0-3. Big Blue has played a lot of bad football of late. But nothing has been more disappointing than their lackluster performances against the Denver Broncos, Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Rams. The results were not that surprising because the losses magnified the deficiencies on the Giants roster.
Gettleman Has Too Many Shortcomings in New York Giants Rebuilding Effort
Gettleman has to answer the biggest question of the bye week: Why are the Giants still in a deep rebuild after year four of his reign. Too many shortcomings (the offensive line is an utter disgrace non-existent pass rush and roster depth issues) for the level of silence that comes from the GM’s office.
The most frustrating part of his tenure is when Gettleman speaks, he rarely says anything substantial. Oh, the talking points make for good sound bites on the nightly talk shows. Gettleman will expound about the team is “turning the corner” or how he must “get back to work” on improving the roster. But the Giants do not have a winning record and Gettleman cannot be in charge of the team’s draft next spring.
Offensive Line is in Disarray
The Giants hired Gettleman because of his reputation of being a good talent evaluator. In his introductory press conference, he vowed to rebuild the offensive line. Gettleman envisioned the unit becoming the strength of the offense and leading the team back into the playoffs.
After administering four drafts, Gettleman has failed to achieve that goal. The offensive line is a mishmash of disappointing high draft choices, free agents and waiver claims. The unit rarely sets the tone in a game by dominating the line of scrimmage. Collectively, they have trouble keeping the pressure off Daniel Jones in the pocket. If the line cannot block for their quarterback, then you have little chance of winning a game.
Gettleman might believe the offensive line is nearly rebuilt, but the results in games might suggest the rebuild has never taken place.
Gettleman’s Draft Day Selections Head Scratchers
His draft selection has come under the most criticism. No argument with the selection of Saquon Barkley but Gettleman had everyone scratching their heads after drafting Jones. Plus, he didn’t help his cause by declaring the youngster as the team’s next franchise quarterback after witnessing three series at the Senior Bowl.
Gettleman can no longer be the decision-maker of the franchise. Do not be fooled by the wins over the New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers and Las Vegas Raiders, the Giants roster lacks the talent to get back into the NFC playoff chase. It would take a complete collapse of the current leaders to achieve that goal. Technically, the Giants playoff hopes are alive, but only on paper.
Giants fans have been more than patient with Gettleman. But his drafting, trading and free agent signings have produced a disjointed roster that never finished over .500 for a season. There is still plenty of work to be done before the team is a viable playoff contender.
Over the last three and half seasons, the Giants have gone 18-39 under Gettleman. His decision-making ability is not working. The Giants are not on the right path.
Gettleman’s departure should come sooner rather than later.
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