Saquon Barkley is the one cause to observe the Giants

The one cause to observe the Giants — or justify placing them on nationwide tv — is Saquon Barkley. New York purchasing him round is like eliminating the final actual tiger left of their miserable touring circus. The one acts remaining could be a tragic clown of a quarterback and the high-wire act that has been the Giants’ entrance workplace of late.

I perceive the harm angle, however some G-Males followers are simply lusting for a deal to be confirmed proper. They nonetheless suppose New York ought to’ve by no means used the second choose within the draft on a operating again. They’re not unsuitable, however he’s on the crew. The one individuals who can change the previous are the Avengers and Superman.

The one level in buying and selling the face of the franchise for a fourth-spherical choose is spite.

Barkley by no means received going on account of myriad components a season in the past. Belief me, I do know he was massively disappointing. I spent $50-plus on him in fantasy. Getting back from an ACL tear is tough as is, and it’s made much more tough while you miss a big chunk of the season with a nasty ankle sprain.

He nonetheless had spotlight performs, although.

The wiggle and imaginative and prescient that make his burst so harmful are nonetheless there, and he confirmed flashes of the explosiveness.

I don’t suppose his former self is gone, however like his former self, he’s not getting numerous assist.

While you issue within the horrible offensive line, the predictable/poor play-calling, and the QB play of Daniel Jones or Mike Glennon, you’re going to hate watching the Giants as a lot as their followers hated Dave Gettleman. They scored greater than 25 factors simply thrice final yr, and their two highest-scoring outputs of the 2021 marketing campaign, 27- and 29-point outings, got here with Barkley on the sphere, according to Pro Football Reference.

The operating recreation was within the backside third of the league, and the passing recreation accounted for the second-lowest yardage complete within the NFL. The O-line completed 30th in Pro Football Focus’ final offensive line rankings. Sort out Andrew Thomas was the lone brilliant spot, and he had his second surgical procedure in as a few years on a problematic left ankle, the USA Today reported. (He needs to be again within the offseason, however you by no means wish to see recurring accidents to your greatest lineman.)

Additionally, as a lot as I loved the highs of Kadarius Toney’s rookie season, Yung Joka is much less more likely to have awe-inspiring video games as a result of you may’t hand him the ball 20-plus instances a recreation. They’ll spend limitless funds and draft capital to present Jones the glitziest of Ferraris, however he can barely get the automobile out of second gear. The Giants haven’t had a 1,000-yard receiver since Odell Beckham Jr. was shipped to Cleveland.

What needs to be addressed first — apart from the sequence of occasions that led to Brian Flores suing the team — is the quarterback. Sticking with him for an additional yr since you don’t just like the draft class is ok, however at the very least present him with probably the most reasonable path to success.

Jones’ play model is extra fitted to a Saab or Volvo, one thing dependable with a excessive security score. Operating the ball and enjoying protection is the one approach you’re going to win with a subpar quarterback. The Giants have a man who can do a kind of issues — and do it even higher when he’s not juking defensive lineman within the backfield.

The final regime confirmed up and traded away a fan-favorite. Historical past repeating itself could be merciless, and two franchise gamers embracing the Lombardi Trophy for various groups could be simply that. (Whereas we’re right here, Beckham was fucking torching the Bengals within the Tremendous Bowl till he received harm. His profession could also be in jeopardy now, nevertheless it wasn’t when he left New York.)

If you wish to commerce a participant who by no means ought to’ve been drafted so excessive within the first spherical, Jones is the one capping your roster with a Massive Blue-hued ceiling, not Barkley. It’s additionally not a dumb concept to see how new GM Joe Schoen does in his first draft earlier than permitting him to dump the one draw on the crew.

(Barkley is also actually the one fantasy participant on the roster who deserves common fake-game motion. A telltale signal that your fantasy crew sucks is what number of Giants gamers you begin. I cannot be fooled by Evan Engram once more.)

The Giants’ devoted who tune in, Bloody Mary in hand, each Sunday are going to maintain tuning in as a result of it’s of their nature. And so long as the Giants are one of the crucial well-liked groups within the NFL, the league will proceed to place them on prime time.

If the crew continues to function and subsequently play like a backside feeder, followers of the NFL and the Giants ought to at the very least have the ability to benefit from the closest factor New York has to a star.