Let’s review the 2023 season as objectively as we can. It is not pretty. Subsections in no particular order.
THE GOOD
1. Wan’Dale Robinson. Frankly it is great. Robinson tears his ACL last year in Week 11, comes back this year and kills it. The yardage stats are not particularly noteworthy. But the quality pops out. His separation means he will be a menace to defenses. Please remember that the Giants OL was ripped apart, and he had the backup’s backup throwing to him. Let’s just say it this way- if Patrick Mahomes were throwing to him, it would be INSANE. INSANE. He’d be their number one target.
2. Bobby Okereke. Schoen hit on this Free Agent. I believe he is the best FA signing (dollar for dollar) since Antrel Rolle. 149 combined tackles. 11 TFL. 4 forced fumbles. 2 INTs. Hoover vacuum cleaner.
2a. Micah McFadden. If Okereke is Batman, McFadden is Robin. Everything is relative. McFadden is not a Pro Bowl LBer but he flashed regularly. That is everything you want from a R5 draft pick.
3. Jalin Hyatt. I believe that Hyatt was limited by his grasp and execution of the full playbook. Yet despite limited snaps and limited targets, he found his way to making 7 starts as a rookie. His separation and speed is world class. Hat tip once again to our friend Howie, who was praising this R3 draft pick as soon as the ink was dry in April. Give him (and Robinson on the short stuff) an OL and a consistent QB who can throw the deep ball, and it is lights out. Totally criminal that he had zero TDs. But that is why there is so much Bad and Ugly coming…
4. Dexter Lawrence. He got paid, and all he did was kill it again. He is a complete and total monster. When he lost Williams and then got injured, he merely dominated as opposed to destroyed opponents.
5. Deonte Banks. The rookie CB went up against the league’s best and held his own. Impressive. His floor looks like a solid starter. We will find out what his ceiling is in coming years. Very upbeat.
6. Jamie Gillan. I was wrong. I did not like him. He had a very nice year. He even did some kicking too when he had to.
7. Xavier McKinney. Played every snap. His ball-hawking impact plays are limited in Wink’s system. He is going to get paid in Free Agency. I’d like him back, but probably not at what he is going to attract from others.
THE BAD
1. Daniel Jones. I really do not know where to begin. He lost his Left Tackle, and he was … lost. He lost all of the pocket poise he developed in 2022. His lack of processing was exposed badly. And then the cherry on the sh*t cake was getting hurt not once but twice, throwing important questions into his availability. Coming into 2022, we had too many questions. Daboll, Kafka and Jones delivered answers. In 2023, Jones’ play reverted completely when faced with adversity at OL. Remember, the WRs had separation this season. He could not manage the pocket and find his WRs.
2. John Michael Schmitz. No, he was not bad this season. But 2nd Round Centers need to do more. Is he getting measured against Creed Humphrey? Probably. I’d like to see what he can do with a dependable FA Guard at his side for 17 games.
3. Mike Kafka. Disappointed in his adjustments from 2022. I thought he could have schemed the Offense even slightly better without an OL. PLEASE FFS, can we learn how to run a screen?
4. Azeez Ojulari. 7 starts. 2.5 sacks. This was the guy we took 2 years ago instead of Humphrey. We thought after an offseason focused on yoga and conditioning, this could be a breakout season. Not. Pure disappointment.
5. Joe Schoen. Yes, he did some good things like trading Leonard Williams for a R2 and R5 pick. But he left the OL threadbare and only had 1 blocking TE on the roster. He is part of the solution, so I do not want anyone to read too much into this. I believe in Schoen. But when he was asked what was the identity of the Giants after the season was over, he did not answer that part of the question. He and his head coach better figure out what the identity of this team is and build to that identity.
THE UGLY
1. The Offensive Line. There are no words left for this sh*t show. Did things stabilize somewhat when Thomas started to get back to old form towards the tail end of 2023? Yes. The Giants threw more resources at this unit, and yet we watch as Jon Feliciano becomes part of the answer at SF…
2. OL Coach. The lack of development of players in this unit is palpable. We have a new OL Coach, and he has Dante Scarnecchia (2019) pedigree. So let’s see where that goes.
3. Evan Neal. Gotta start using the word bust. It is up to Carmen Bricillo, the new OL Coach, to turn things around.
4. Special Teams. This unit should not matter as much as it used to due to rule changes. And yet here we are. That FG on the first drive vs DAL in Week 1 was such an epic cluster that it singlehandedly torpedoed the season. Chronicling the continued mishaps was an exercise in masochism. No thanks.
5. Brian Daboll. This one is a bitter pill. How do you go from Coach of the Year in 2022 to the source of true doubt in literally one season? Dan Duggan and others lay out a story of dysfunction that is VERY TROUBLING. Apparently Daboll craps on his coaching staff to such a point where knowledgeable observers ask aloud if Daboll is going to be able to attract talent to work for him and the NY Giants. Once you get that reputation, it is hard to get rid of it. I am extremely concerned. I hope Joe Schoen is as well. Wink was no angel in all of this. But that does not matter. Schoen needs to tell his Head Coach to either get control of your emotions and fix the problem pronto, or else I will fix it for you.
6. Ronnie Barnes and the Injuries. Both have gotta go. One commenter noted that Barnes could be Mara’s inside mole. In March we will report on precisely how bad the injuries were for the Gmen, but we already know they were bottom quartile. This is a perpetual drag on performance. Ugly performance. Ugly year.