Following on from my post about my ‘Top 5 Giants Concerns for 2022’, I wanted to quickly follow it up with my Top 5 optimisms, as I do think there is plenty to be excited about this year.
When you have spent the last 6 years being disappointed with the entire Giants franchise, it is very difficult to find things to get excited about. There is only so many times you can tell yourself “this is the year”, and rest assured, I am not saying that this year. However, this is a year where I feel like we are in a strong place to start a rebuild, and although the record may not be amazing, I can see it being much better in 2023. Let’s look at what we have to be excited about.
5 – D-Line
The defensive line has actually not been an area of concern necessarily for the Giants in recent years, but it was been built in a way that was tremendously unexciting. A line built around Leonard Williams, Dexter Lawrence and Dalvin Tomlinson (a couple of years ago), was effective at stopping the run, but that doesn’t get the juices flowing. As football fans, we get excited by QB sacks and pressure, generally from freak athlete Edge Rushers like TJ Watt, Miles Garrett and Nick Bosa. This year, the Giants signed one of the top Edge Rushers in the draft in Kayvon Thibideaux with the number 5 pick, to pair with Azeez Ojulari who was a second round pick in 2021. There is a chance that we have the players up front on defence to put pressure on and actually get some sacks this year, which in turn will hopefully take some pressure off of our depleted secondary.
4 – O-Line
That’s right, you are reading this correctly…I am actually optimistic about the New York Giants Offensive Line in 2022. The reason for that starts and pretty much ends with the Tackles. Andrew Thomas has established himself as a very good Left Tackle. He has been injured a fair bit, so his health will be something to keep an eye on, but he has been excellent recently. If he can continue his growth, he will give Daniel Jones a great chance to succeed. When you pair Andrew Thomas with the absolute UNIT of Evan Neal who the Giants took with the seventh pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, there is definitely grounds for excitement, especially when you consider how tragic that O-Line has been for the last number of years. The Giants did also add some Guard strength in Mark Glowinski and Jon Feliciano who could help bring some experience and strength to the improved unit.
3 – Offence
When you put the offense down on paper, and you work under the idea that Daniel Jones will be an average QB in 2022, this side of the ball has a lot to be excited about. DJ at QB, Saquon at RB and the O-Line mentioned above, gives a good central core to build from. The new Tight End in Dan Bellinger gives the Giants some direction after Even Engram was let go of in the off season. He seems to also be emerging as a talent through OTAs. The Wide Receiver room is where things get exciting. Sterling Shepherd is always injured but a well-established slot receiver. Kadarius Toney was ELECTRIC last year when he actually played, we have to hope he will be more reliable this year. He had a game where he went for over 190 yards, before getting ejected from the game, showing his ability. Kenny Galloday is an excellent WR when he stays healthy. It was the Giants mediocre offensive scheme that lacked any sort of imagination in 2021 which prevented him from shining. If Daboll unlocks some of the Daniel Jones ability and turns him back into Danny Dimes, Galloday could flourish. One other WR that seems to be making a name for himself in the Giants building this off-season is Wan’Dale Robinson. He was a surprise pick in the second round, but he seems to be turning some heads amongst the Giants beat reporters who regularly mention good things about him. He could be a key piece in the rotation of the Giants WR room offering depth, and taking some of the load away from some of the other injury-proned options.
2 – Schedule
I don’t need to talk too much about this as I go through the schedule in my ‘Early 2022 Giants Season Predictions’ post, but the schedule for the Giants this year is very weak. The Giants have actually got the 29th most difficult schedule this year, with only the Eagles, Cowboys and Commanders having easier ones. That says something about how shit the NFC East was when the four lowest teams all come from the same division. If the Giants have a bad season, they cannot blame the schedule.
1 – Front Office
Finally, the thing I am most optimistic about in 2022 is the New York Giants Front Office, this includes the Head Coach. Joe Schoen has come in and worked wonders already, getting the Giants into a manageable cap situation for 2022. We are set up and projected to have $54.4m in 2023 cap space per ‘Over the Cap’. That means that we have space to actually sign some talent depending on what emerges as the needs going in to next year. The Giants franchise feels like it is being run by adults, and by people who know what they are doing for the first time in years, and that makes me very optimistic.
There we have it, five areas which make me optimistic for 2022. I will be going in to this season with a lot of confidence in the Giants making positive strides towards the future, but braced for the weekly disappointment that I have grown accustomed to over the last many years.