“They might be giants, and what are we going to do unless they are.” I think you know what band penned those lyrics and sung that verse. Yes, the New York Giants, the NY Giants, the New York football Giants are for real this season, and they’re the classic example of what can happen when you make the correct coaching switch at the right time. Brian Daboll is simply out-scheming and out-game-planning opponents this season.
While many may doubt the validity and legitimacy of their 4-1 record, they are nonetheless 4-1, and they are making some noise is what is no doubt the NFL’s best division.
The winner of the NFC East division this season may have the inside track to the Super Bowl, as the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys and NY Giants have a combined 13-2 record.
The Giants’ only loss this season was to the Cowboys, and in their five remaining division games they’ll have to make a major improvement over their 1-5 divisional mark in 2021. Twitter was buzzing on Sunday morning, with “worst 4-1” a top trending term, in reference to Big Blue.
Seems kind of unfair, because as Bill Parcells (a NY Giants Mt Rushmore member if there ever was one) famously said “you are your record. period.”
It’s true, they don’t have a roster with a lot of big names, and a ton of talent, but they have a tremendous coaching staff, led by Daboll, but also offensive coordinator Mike Kafka (former Northwestern quarterback, whose play calling is Kafkaesque) and Don “Wink” Martindale, his defensive counter part.
Yes, this is a very surprising NY Giants team, no one expected them to be good, but their win over the Packers at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London is impressive. The Pack have ruled the NFC North division for what seems like forever. The win over the Titans was notable too, as they notched a W over a team that was a conference finalist last season.
Of course, beating the Chicago Bears is nothing to crow about, they are the biggest joke of a professional sports franchise not owned by Daniel Snyder. And beating the Carolina Panthers? Well, they might be the worst team in football right now. But you can only beat the teams in front of you and NYG are doing just that.
With an offense built around Saquon Barkley and a solid, opportunistic defense, they should easily finish comfortably above .500 this season. That is, if they can find their punter, who is reportedly still in London (according to an ESPN report). Yikes! Barkley has 18 runs for a first down this season, but it doesn’t even lead the team, as dual threat QB Daniel Jones has 21.
They could very well make the playoffs, and with it, bring some relevance back to New York football, which has been very down for some time. I mean, hey, the NY Jets aren’t going to do anything about that anytime soon!
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and he co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast, part of Edge of the Crowd Network. Follow him and the website on Twitter and Instagram.