Big Blue Huddle

JPAFootball
@jasrifootball
𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚: #Commanders Head Coach Ron Rivera calls the team's loss to the #Giants a "low point" via
@TheAthletic
 

Washington lost to the then 2-8 #Giants, mainly due to six (!!) turnovers.

"Well, it's a low point, that's for sure. Any time you got an opportunity to win a football game, and you put up the numbers that we did, you got a chance... but you got to convert."

Ron Rivera has one of the hottest seats in the #NFL currently, it could be a race between him, Brandon Staley and Frank Reich to see who gets fired next.

https://x.com/jasrifootball/status/1726646804790264066?s=20

Seems like he remembers the Commanders opted to draft Emmanuel Forbes at 16 instead of him

https://x.com/BallsDeepInYm3/status/1726354489731686762?s=20

It never hurts to list what one is thankful for.  Did I miss anyone or anything?

Dexter Lawerence- a force of nature at the DT position

Micah McFadden-  A 5th-rounder who is becoming a top-notch ILB

Bobby Okereke- is a nice IBL FA signing

Kayvon Thibodeaux-  He is looking like he will be one of the league's better edge rushers and maybe more.

The young bucks at CB-  I am feeling pretty good about the position even after the team lets Adoree Jackson walk

Wan'Dale Robinson-  He is beginning to look like a 2nd round WR

Jalin Hyatt-  I still have high hopes for this speed demon

Tommy DeVito- It's looking like the Giants have gotten their number 2 QB for nothing and will be paying him next to nothing for the next 3 years

I used the current NFL.com QB rankings to create the list and went 16 QBs deep (since no list is absolute).   In light of all the talk about QBs in the next draft, I thought it would be interesting to see how the best were acquired.

Jalen Hurts*   2020 / Round: 2 / Pick: 53
Patrick Mahomes*  2017 / Round: 1 / Pick: 10
Tua Tagovailoa 2020 / Round: 1 / Pick: 5  (possible *)
Lamar Jackson*    2018 / Round: 1 / Pick: 32
Josh Allen 2018 / Round: 1 / Pick: 7 (possible *)
Dak Prescot*  2016 / Round: 4 / Pick: 135
C.J. Stroud  2023 / Round: 1 / Pick: 2
Trevor Lawrence  2021 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1
Joe Burrow   2020 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1
Jared Goff  Thow in during the Stafford trade, originally 2016 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1
Justin Herbert  2020 / Round: 1 / Pick: 6
Sam Howell 2022 / Round: 5 / Pick: 144
Geno Smith  Street FA signing originally 2013 / Round: 2 / Pick: 39 (signed into a *)
Baker Mayfield 2018 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1
Derek Carr Street FA signing originally   2014 / Round: 2 / Pick: 36
Brock Purdy* 2022 / Round: 7 / Pick: 262

* Drafted into a QB-friendly environment

https://x.com/TalkinGiants/status/1726623614395711568?s=20

It's beginning to feel like it will take another ten years to replace Eli Manning.   Can't wait for the 2019 or 2020 season. 


On a related note, it's like Tommy DeVito might just end up saving Daniel Jones' starting job as his play helps push the Giants out of contention for drafting a QB in the upcoming draft. 

This is the pattern I have been saying would play out this season.  It's the Giants' favored pattern-  Lose a bunch of games early so that games are meaningless by Halloween or Thanksgiving and then win a bunch of meaningless games so they can't get the sort of elite talent that changes the fortunes of a franchise. 

https://x.com/DanSchneierNFL/status/1726614839207010467?s=20

https://x.com/TalkinGiants/status/1726609350251446327?s=20

Please post game comments here.

https://x.com/dan_salomone/status/1726277263824502979?s=46&t=1vcQIN8GqF5J2oLdxEVEJQ

Justin Herbert is considered by most to be among the elite QBs in the league.

Yet in his 4 years in the team, they failed to make the playoffs twice, lost a wildcard game, and are on pace for another season failing to make the playoffs.  Since the Giants actually won a playoff game during that same stretch, it seems, in some ways the Chargers have done worse than the Giants even with an elite QB.

Now, the point I am making isn't the one most would think.  I am pointing to the danger of drawing conclusions from just one QB's situation.   This includes citing often-injured Joe Burrow as proof an elite QB can function with a bad O-line or CJ Stroud as proof that just changing the QB can turn a franchise around.

I think as we debate and discuss the team, its fortunes, and what it should do, we are careful not to use exceptions to create the rule.

Caleb Williams is reportedly "undecided" on if this Saturday's game against UCLA will be his final game as a Trojan.

Williams said he's still undecided on playing in USC's bowl game as well, but did say if he was staying at USC, he "wouldn't not" be out there and playing.

Williams reportedly plans to spend time over Thanksgiving week evaluating his options with his family.

Williams father did say earlier this season that Caleb could return to school if he doesn't like the "situations" available in the current draft.

If Williams was to defer until the 2025 NFL Draft, that would leave Drake Maye atop the 2024 board.

The Trojans QB's decision could shake up the ENTIRE NFL landscape 😳


https://x.com/nflrookiewatxh/status/1725287782195589541?s=46&t=1vcQIN8GqF5J2oLdxEVEJQ

https://x.com/CarlBanksGIII/status/1725592430173413434?s=20

https://x.com/RapSheet/status/1725599710944137672?s=20

https://x.com/MySportsUpdate/status/1725599692917027010?s=20

If you were betting, do you take the Giants or the Commanders?  Why?

With the Giants' season effectively being over, I thought it might be worth starting a general thread for NGTs that don't rise to the level of their own thread.

For example:

Burrow's injury-  Do you believe the Bengals covered it up?  With the league now in bed with sports better, will this become a major issue?

Burrow's injury-  Is this the downside of an elite QB with a bad line?  Injuries?


The Ravens-  How big will the loss of their star TE be to their efforts to go deep into the playoffs?

"You've got to figure out what's wrong with your football team – is it players, is it coaches, is it scheme?"

I would suggest that "players" could also be construed as talent level.  I would also argue that talent can be diminished by injury. 

So, with those qualifiers, what is the cause of the Giants being among the worst, if not the worst, in the league? 

Indulging in conspiracy theories has appeal to our human nature.   In light of the Giants' official statements and those who report on the team (who all report that Mara gives his GM and HC full autonomy) to suggest that John Mara is responsible for decisions beyond hiring the HC and GM,
 it's fair to call such claims conspiracy theories.

Now, I am mindful that "full autonomy" can be interpreted in various ways.  Some will say it means the owner simply backs off, says nothing, and lets his top people do their job.  Others will say the owner is allowed to give his opinions to his employees, but in the end, honors the decision of the GM and HC. 

For the purpose of the poll, let us assume the giving opinions but honoring their decisions is the definition.

 

1. I think the biggest mystery in sports—not just football, but all of sports—is how difficult it is to project who's going to be a good NFL quarterback coming from college football. In the five drafts from 2018 to 2022, 15 quarterbacks were picked in the top 15. As of this morning, eight have either failed or been average or worse: Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, Justin Fields, Mac Jones, Dwayne Haskins, Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen. The jury's out on two more, Daniel Jones and Kyler Murray. Only five—Burrow, Herbert, Tagovailoa, Allen, Lawrence—are solid starters or better. This year, as I look at all the teams with QB needs, I wonder how the Giants and Patriots and Bears and Seahawks and Bucs are going to make sure they're not part of the majority that flunk QB Prospecting 101.

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/fmia/news/fmia-week-10-c-j-stroud-taking-off-while-its-time-to-ground-zach-wilson

I just learned something interesting today.  It started when I saw this:




I thought this woman was brilliant and shared a great insight into human nature.  Then I learned that it already had a name-  Cunningham's law.

https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Cunningham%27s_Law#:%7E:text=Cunningham's%20Law%20states%20%22the%20best,the%20inventor%20of%20wiki%20software

Chris Bisignano seemed pretty sure Wink would be fired after the season.  He also thought Special Teams Coordinator Thomas McGaughey's job was in jeopardy.   Now, I have been hearing fans and some pundits calling for the firing of Offensive Coordinator Mike Kafka.

Now it occurs to me: if the Giants end up firing all three of their coordinators, what does that say about Brian Daboll?   I mean, a major part of a head coach's job is assembling a quality coaching staff.  If Daboll goes 3 for 3 in his coordinator hirings (plus the most critical assistant coach hire, your O-line coach), does Brian Daboll have what it takes to be a quality Head Coach? 

In other areas, there is concern about his game-day management and leadership.   There have been some questionable personnel decisions.  Player development and motivation seem average at best. 

I had previously given Daboll high marks for his ability to assemble and manage his coaching staff, but if there is a massive turnover...

https://x.com/AdamSchefter/status/1724878578871922830?s=20

The cost to the Giants of one victory in their final seven games could be a franchise quarterback.

The Giants are penciled into the No. 2 pick in the 2024 draft right now, but anything other than a 2-15 record will put the opportunity to select either USC's Caleb Williams or North Carolina's Drake Maye in peril.

What happens if the Giants slide to No. 3 or lower?

The Post asked a handful of NFL sources to evaluate the other first- and second-round projections who could be available:

https://nypost.com/2023/11/15/sports/breaking-down-qb-options-for-giants-after-caleb-williams-drake-maye/

https://x.com/GiantInsider/status/1724845113443078459?s=20

https://x.com/NFL_DovKleiman/status/1724846151776501813?s=20

https://x.com/RealTannenbaum/status/1724534456839483514?s=20

I have heard quite a few podcasts call out that early challenge and Daboll trying to rescind the challenge.

I can't help but feel like it's part of a pattern we have seen play out this season where it appears Daboll is letting his emotions get the better of him (like when he told the sideline reporter he couldn't think straight going into the half because Tyrod switched the play to a run).

While head coaches being firey on the sidelines is pretty normal, I think most of the successful ones learn how to take advantage of that passion rather than the passion getting the better of them.

At first it looks like McKethan is just a terrible guard, but did the coaches really expect McKethan to be able to pull and block Demarcus Lawerence screaming in from the wide 9 position (the player I believe McKethan was responsible for


https://x.com/BobbySkinner_/status/1724443040591364479?s=20