The Giants Future is in Good Hands
“I feel like the sky’s the limit for this organization and our team. I feel like we can be at this level for a long time.”
“If we won it this year, there’s no doubt in my mind that we can (do it again).”
The New York Giants have earned a reputation as a confident and outspoken group thanks to the hot streak they ended on. These quotes from Hakeem Nicks and Mathias Kiwanuka go to show that the team’s bravado isn’t going anywhere.
And why should they? They just won the Super Bowl; if now isn’t the time to ooze ridiculous amounts of confidence, when is?
It took just about three days for me to “settle down” after the big win over the Patriots, but once my heart rate dropped back to normal, I did what I do at the end of every season: I started thinking with a (somewhat) level head about the future and what lies ahead for the Giants.
I kept coming to the same conclusion. I thought about what the future has in store for New York, and even when I tried to take the bias out of it – not an easy task for a homer like myself – I see the arrow pointing up. Yes, they finished the regular season barely over .500 and were 7-7 before they got freakishly hot to close out the year. Of course the running game was dead last in terms of yardage. The offensive line showed their age at times early in the season, and they’re only getting older.
Hear me out, though.
This is the most talented football team I have ever seen New York have. If they can find a way to keep it mostly intact, they will be a force to be reckoned with. With key players such as Mario Manningham, Terrel Thomas, Brandon Jacobs, and Osi Umenyiora about to hit the free agent market, General Manager Jerry Reese has to find a way to keep this group together as best he can. It’s amazing how much winning can do for a team’s chemistry, but these players fit together better than any other Giants team I have watched. For the first time since the ’07 season there was an identity to the defense. For New York, the best move is to stay the course and bring back guys like Umenyiora and Manningham, even though it could be expensive to do so.
Eli Manning had his best season ever thanks in part to the stellar wide receivers that he had to work with. Re-signing Mario is worth it when considering how unstoppable the offense is when the big three (Nicks, Cruz, and Manningham) are on the field. A case can be made either way for Brandon Jacobs, but I don’t see him coming back unless he takes a pay cut.
Resigning Osi should be priority number one for Big Blue. Despite his contract situation at the beginning of the year, he has proven to be an integral part of the team, especially in the locker room. In Perry Fewell’s second year as Defensive Coordinator, the team rallied behind leaders like Umenyiora and Antrel Rolle. He also makes it possible to rotate more players in on the D-line and keep the pass rush fresh.
If Jerry Reese can hold on to the majority of the pieces that New York built a championship with, we could be looking at a long period of success for these guys.
One of the main reasons I am so sold on this team’s future is the number of young, impact players they have at key positions. Hakeem Nicks (1,192 yards) just turned 24, Victor Cruz (1,536 yards, 9 TDs) is 25, Jason Pierre-Paul (16.5 sacks) is 23, not to mention the four rookie linebackers or TE Jake Ballard.
Tom Coughlin is beloved and respected by everyone in the Giants organization. A 31 year-old Eli Manning is entering his prime and has the best group of receivers in Giants history at his disposal. Maybe I’m wearing blue sunglasses, but I’m convinced that we are at the beginning of a Giants Golden Age. Call it a Blue Era.
