Regional Sports

Giants have that losing stench

Another Giants season. Another losing season. Another year of no playoffs.

After the Giants’ 17-0 loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium and the Redskins’ 16-13 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, it will be the second straight season the Giants will miss the playoffs, not to mention it will be their second straight losing season. For those that are keeping score, the Giants will miss the playoffs for the sixth time in seven seasons and they will have a losing season for the fifth time in six seasons.

This is not what we call a marquee franchise. This is not even a mediocre franchise. The once-proud Giants franchise has now become a losing franchise like the Detroit Lions. Yes, Virginia, this is rock-bottom. Even the delusional Giants fans can’t deny it.

The Giants ownership can’t be happy, either. They know the bottom line ruins their credibility. There has been way too much losing under John Mara’s watch. It’s not an opinion. It’s a fact.

This ninth loss of the season reflects how inept the Giants are. Their offense has been unwatchable in recent seasons, and their defense can’t come through in big moments. They know how to lose more than they know how to win. In a winnable game, the Giants did not get it done offensively and defensively. It was a game they did not show up.

It was a holiday gift the Titans appreciate as they are fighting for a playoff spot on wild-card weekend.

Face it. It’s hard to feel good heading to next season with the same cast of losing characters.

The Giants still have a problem at quarterback. Eli Manning is not the solution next season, and he played like he has no business being an NFL quarterback anymore after finishing 21-of-44 for 229 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. He spent more of this game playing the role of Captain Checkdown.

To think the Giants are thinking long and hard about bringing Manning back next season. That would be asinine if it actually happens. He does not give them a best chance to be a playoff team. The best he can do is lead them to mediocrity. The Giants can do better than that.

They should trade their draft picks to the San Francisco 49ers to get Nick Mullens, who has flourished as the 49ers quarterback after Jimmy Garoppolo was out for the season with a torn ACL. He can make a difference in the Giants offense. He can throw downfield, and he is not afraid to make a big play. He also can improvise when he is about to be sacked. He demonstrated the Giants what he can do when he almost led the 49ers to a comeback victory against them on Nov. 12. He kept them in the game, and he gave them a chance. This is why the Giants should get him.

The offensive line has been decent, but it’s all relative compared to the awful offensive lines the Giants have showed over the years. They still need more hog mollies as Giants general manager Dave Gettleman would say.

Their defense is overrated. They can put up all the good numbers they want, but when it comes to crunch time, they give up big plays.

No one knows if Pat Shurmur can coach or not. Though, it does not reflect well on him when the Giants coaching staff is often behind against their counterparts. Too often, the Giants get outcoached. Their plays are predictable such as having Manning throw the ball too much for the Giants’ liking. It shouldn’t have taken past the bye week to use Saquon Barkley exclusively.

They also have to wonder if Odell Beckham Jr. is worth the headache for the Giants. He did not have a good season. He was a pain in the posterior to the coaching staff, which should not be surprising since that’s how he operates. He has also showed he can be injury-prone. He has been the constant during the Giants losing run along with Manning. Trading him should be the way to go.

Outside of Jerry Rice, it’s rare that an NFL team wins the Super Bowl with a dynamic wide receiver who takes most of the team’s payroll. A dynamic wide receiver shouldn’t be the be all end all of an NFL team when there are other integral parts of the team that remain valuable such as offensive line and defensive line.

The Giants are not good now, and there is no reason to think this team will be better anytime soon.

This franchise has created a losing culture where players and coach know how to lose and accept losing.

While Wellington Mara will be remembered for changing the culture and getting couple of Super Bowls championships out of it, John Mara will be remembered for this losing run.

Mara’s legacy will come down to whether or not he can do what his father did in turning this troubled franchise around.

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