Is the Giants franchise headed in the right direction?

[MightyGiants]

We are starting to get answers about the current Giants team.  So, bigger picture, over the next few seasons, do you feel like this team is headed in the right direction?  In other words are you optimistic or pessimistic about the team's future with the current leadership and roster construction?

[TONKA56]

I'd like to say yes but unfortunately I believe the root issue lies with John and Chris Mara and the nepotistic culture they foster. There are too many unfireable, unaccountable executives in high positions including Tim McDonnell and Ronnie Barnes.  I voted "I don't know."

[Jolly Blue Giant]

I believe we are headed in the right direction. The team is young and maturing. We've got some solid defensive pieces, a great line...solid LBs for a change, and the backfield is coming around...again, young

As for the offense, I also think we're headed in a good direction, but it's certainly not a finished product

Injuries are killing us again...and not just nicks and bruises, and not against average players...we're talking Andrew Thomas, Malik Nabers, Kayvon Thibodeaux, etc. And I am pretty sure that DJ is under the gun

All in all - we're getting there. Just not as quickly as I had hoped. And I'm sick of injuries effecting our players

[kingm56]

I firmly believe we're heading in the right direction; as I've stated for the past three weeks, we have a budding defensive nucleolus starting to emerge.  We're limited offensively by the QB and poor run blocking; however, I suspect the Giants will address that in the off season.  I firmly believe we're close!

All players under 25
Nabers - An absolute super star
Nuban - He's having a really good rookie year
Phillips - He's emerging and may become our best CB
Adams - He gets more flack than he deserves; he's a reliable corner
Robinson - He's not a superstar, but he's a good 800 yard/season WR
McFadden - Another player having a really good season; we finally have some stability at the LB position
Tracy - We may have found our future RB!

[Gmo11]

If they get a QB, and that's a BIG if, this team is ready to contend.  Even just average to above average QB play would have gotten them into the playoffs this season.  At least before Thomas got hurt anyway.  So they do need pieces but they need the biggest piece and it also happens to be the hardest to find.  If they don't get that right then nothing else matters.

[katkavage]

They are on the right track but the big piece that must be seriously upgraded is the most important position on the field. Until then they flounder.

[Giant Obsession]

A new direction  ??

What is south of Down ??

And now we get to endure a lame duck never was QB for the rest of the year. while 2 healthy QB's could at least provide a respite from the sham DJ's lack of ability is a constant viewing nightmare.

Look for more "injuries" with VERY slow to recover players protecting their career longevity. 

"A new culture"
"Trust the process"
"Stay the course"

How about "shuffle back to Buffalo" Mr. Offensive genius. And take your buddy with you.

Oh God, how many more games of Daniel Jones must we endure  ??

As my daddy used to say if you are walking through a cow pasture and you see something brown and laying on the ground...."it ain't no eclair".

[MrGap92]

I think they are headed in the right direction.

We need a QB, a RG (GVR is 36), a RT to groom behind JE for a year or two, and some depth in the secondary and DL.

The QB is the tough one, whoever it is needs to be right. Who knows, maybe they could use another player or two elsewhere, but overall, they have a solid core in: Thomas, Nabers, Tracy, Johnson, JMS, Bellinger, Wandale, BFW, Dex, Burns, Thibs, OK, Micah, Banks, Phillips, Runyan and Nubin at the least. There are probably a few others. I would like to see them bring in a quality return guy too.

Aside from depth, they need to get Barnes gone, or at the very least add someone to share the load and take a significant role on that team.

All in all, it is all addressable, and I think we have the right GM / Coach combo. I think some fail to realize Daboll is coaching with and around the deficiencies of the QB and his limitations, which is a challenge in and of its own.

I think the future if bright if they get the right QB.

[jgrangers2]

Definitely heading in the right direction. The defense is very good and one or two players away (CB and DT depth) from being elite. The offensive line is obviously improved, but that is obviously contingent on Thomas being healthy. But Eleumenor looks like at least a short-term keeper at RT and JMS has improved over last year. The skill position players are looking up.

The best thing about this is that if they move on from DJ and get their QB in the draft next year, he may be coming in to a pretty good situation. If he hits, they could be in pretty good position to take advantage of that rookie contract window.

[katkavage]

Definitely heading in the right direction. The defense is very good and one or two players away (CB and DT depth) from being elite. The offensive line is obviously improved, but that is obviously contingent on Thomas being healthy. But Eleumenor looks like at least a short-term keeper at RT and JMS has improved over last year. The skill position players are looking up.

The best thing about this is that if they move on from DJ and get their QB in the draft next year, he may be coming in to a pretty good situation. If he hits, they could be in pretty good position to take advantage of that rookie contract window.

If they do not move on from DJ after this year, than no, they won't be going in the right direction.

[H-Town G-Fan]

A few pieces away--the pieces are critical though.

[Doc16LT56]

For me they aren't on the right track until they have the right QB. A franchise QB isn't just a piece. Pieces are good players who may only be on the team for a few years.

A few years ago guys like Blake Martinez and Jabril Peppers were talked about as "pieces" for the Joe Judge regime. Those guys are long gone. Pieces come and go, but while they're here they need a franchise QB and elite talents to latch onto.

QB: this franchise has been in QB hell while we pretend Daniel Jones is anything more than a starter for a losing team.

Elite talents: Dexter Lawrence,  Malik Nabers, Andrew Thomas, and Brian Burns (they've rolled the dice that Burns will be an elite player for them).

Dex: he's as good as it gets. If he stays healthy he's going to the Hall of Fame.

Nabers: I think he can be a top-5 WR in the league, but he still has to prove it.

Thomas: the injuries leave a lot of doubt about his future.

Burns: he's good but so far hasn't been consistently great. And they need him to be great.

The rest of the roster doesn't move the needle in the same way. Pieces come and go. You need to align a good set of pieces with a franchise QB and a set of elite players.

If this roster had Jayden Daniels I would believe they're on the verge of being a SB contender year in and year out.

But with our current QB situation, and throw in the multiple injuries to Andrew Thomas, I'm not sure if this nucleus will hold up until we find and develop a true franchise QB. But that's why the call it QB hell.

[AZGiantFan]

What level of Qb would you consider "franchise"?  Top 5, 10, 12?  Just curious, taking into account that there are 32 teams who want one.

[DaveBrown74]

I'm with Doc on this.

In the modern NFL, the statement of "we're just a few pieces away, oh but one of those pieces happens to be a QB", to me at least, is not saying very much. I don't see how we can say the franchise is heading in the right direction until we have a QB whose future we have some degree of optimism about.

The other positions obviously matter a great deal too, and I would agree that there have been some nice improvements made in some areas, but until we have some degree of confidence in our QB, I can't say we are headed in the right direction overall. The position is just too important.

[Gmo11]

I'm with Doc on this.

In the modern NFL, the statement of "we're just a few pieces away, oh but one of those pieces happens to be a QB", to me at least, is not saying very much. I don't see how we can say the franchise is heading in the right direction until we have a QB whose future we have some degree of optimism about.

The other positions obviously matter a great deal too, and I would agree that there have been some nice improvements made in some areas, but until we have some degree of confidence in our QB, I can't say we are headed in the right direction overall. The position is just too important.

There's a lot of validity to that, but if you remember before the season we had a heated debate around these parts whether you should build a team starting with a QB or ending with a QB.  It was fairly split but it seems the Giants have done the latter.  They have a team.   A good team.  With a bad QB.  Get the QB and they have the full rookie contract window to try and win.  Easier said than done of course but that does appear to be their plan.