What exactly went wrong the opening game against Dallas?

[shadowspinner0]

I know the answer people will give was that "we have a bad roster", "the team sucked" "OL was bad", yes we know this. But it was a similar roster to the playoff team the year before and on paper looked more talented. However what happened that from the opening drive anything that could go wrong, went wrong and we got shut out 40-0. Everyone and everything regressed and it almost seemed like the team was not prepared to play. Was the blocked FG a huge shell shock that they never recovered? Not saying the team had huge expectations but after a playoff victory and adding reinforcements, fans expected more of the same last season. But then the first game was a huge smack in the face with humble pie, so what happened? I know the answer most will give is the OL and it was bad but why was it WAY worse than it was in 2022? Was the scheme and coaching figured out by the rest of the league?

[Trench]

This is an excellent observation and question. I was amazed at how we marched down the field. Then all hell broke loose

[AZGiantFan]

I know the answer people will give was that "we have a bad roster", "the team sucked" "OL was bad", yes we know this. But it was a similar roster to the playoff team the year before and on paper looked more talented. However what happened that from the opening drive anything that could go wrong, went wrong and we got shut out 40-0. Everyone and everything regressed and it almost seemed like the team was not prepared to play. Was the blocked FG a huge shell shock that they never recovered? Not saying the team had huge expectations but after a playoff victory and adding reinforcements, fans expected more of the same last season. But then the first game was a huge smack in the face with humble pie, so what happened? I know the answer most will give is the OL and it was bad but why was it WAY worse than it was in 2022? Was the scheme and coaching figured out by the rest of the league?

A powder puff training camp left them unready to compete.  Thankfully Daboll seems to have learned the lesson and has run a much tougher camp this year. 

[Trench]

I also think Daboll got SEVERELY out coached as McCarthy made adjustments and dabs did not.

[Gmo11]

Could I just say "everything" and be accurate?  Everything went wrong.  Every aspect of the game of football was pathetic on that day.  And it wasn't the only game last season where that statement would apply.

[ralphpal1]

They weren't prepared for real football
They fooled themselves with that one drive

[LennG]

Maybe the team wasn't as good as we thought. Maybe the team from 2022 was just so lucky and not that good.
Sure all fans thought we should be a playoff team, even going deep into the playoffs. We had a cream-puff schedule in 2022 and we benefitted from some remarkable luck (like a missed FG from close range to win that opener).

I remember watching the pre-opener interview with Dak and he was roaring to get out there and play, I just never saw anything like that from any Giants, basically all season long. The team was flat for the opener (blame whomever you want for that) and they really never played any game with any sort of ferociousness.
Dallas is talented, we ain't and it showed.

[Painter]

It's hard to imagine any team being "prepared" when it ends up losing its opener 0-40. Of course, thereafter, we can cite any number of issues which may have contributed to their 2-8 start and 6-11 season. And we'd probably be wrong more often than not.

Cheers!

[kingm56]

It's actually much simpler than some of the answers offered.  The cowboys are just physically more talented than our Giants; they have physically owned us for multiple seasons now.  Hopefully, we're starting to catch them! 

[Giant Jim]

Why did you bring this up? It's a game I'd like to forget. The offensive line was pathetic, sacks, penalties. Didn't Thomas get hurt during that game? Neal was probably terrible, John Schmitz 1st game. I'm sure field position didn't help the D. It was a Joe Judge offensive display. 

[y_so_blu]

Complete mental disintegration when our first drive failed. The sign of a team that was ill prepared and poorly coached.

[4 Aces]

If you look at how this training camp is being handled, that's a big clue.

[kartanoman]

0-40 in 2023 was a mind-blowing experience that was reminiscent of a similar game from a different era which also featured a Giants' QB from Duke.

After the Giants finished a promising 9-7 in Dave Brown's first year as a starter in 1994, the Giants began 1995 with a Monday Night season opener hosting the Cowboys. It only took the initial Cowboys' possession, when Emmit Smith blasted through the Giants' front seven and secondary nearly untouched for a 60+ yard touchdown that I knew the Giants were a farce in trying to close the gap with the Cowboys then, just the same as last season.

When you see the script play out verbatim twice in your life as a fan (i.e. 1995, 2023), not only does it disappoint you, it should flat-out disgust you!

I turned the TV off on both occasions long before either game completed. For the 1995 debacle, I kept it on long enough to watch Phil Simms' jersey retirement presentation at halftime before switching it off for good.

In both the 1995 and 2023 match-ups, both Giants' teams got slapped so hard at the start of the game that neither was mentally or physically prepared for. Both Cowboys' teams jumped them and sustained the choke hold until submission was called by the blue team.

Of all losses I have watched before, these two rank as arguably the ugliest which have made my blood boil the most.

 

This is precisely why I want to see angry players going after retribution the next time the two teams play each other. It has been long enough the Giants have allowed themselves to be bullied and beaten down by the Cowpokes.

Strategic Imperative #2: Narrow the gap between the Giants and their key division rivals (i.e. Dallas and Philadelphia)

Peace!

[Ed Vette]

Plain and simple, when things began to unravel, they lacked the leadership and resilience to get back on track. A microcosm of the season.

[Jclayton92]

Complacency