Everything Must Go: Time to Blow Up the New York Giants
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - NOVEMBER 05: Jason Pierre-Paul #90 and Damon Harrison #98 of the New York Giants sit on the bench during their 51-17 loss during their game at MetLife Stadium on November 5, 2017 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

Forget “suck.” When it comes to describing the New York Giants, we’ve gone way beyond “suck.” Embarrassing? That’s not strong enough either.

You could, I suppose, roll with “the Giants blow” instead of “suck,” but that makes me think of Spaceballs, one of the funniest movies of all-time.

There’s nothing funny about the Giants or what went down on Sunday.

If John Mara and Steve Tisch had any brains whatsoever, they would fire everyone associated with this team today. The entire front office. Every coach. Every trainer. The ushers. The parking lot attendants. Everyone.

Because the stench of the 2017 season—Sunday, especially—permeates through every level of this organization.

Of course, that’s not going to happen. But general manager Jerry Reese and the entire coaching staff—from head coach Ben McAdoo down—has to go.

Forget the whole “losing the locker room” narrative—it’s painfully obvious that McAdoo lost it a long time ago. But now the players aren’t even playing for each other. That’s a major problem.

A team rallies around one another. They never give up because they couldn’t live with not giving their all for their teammates. The Giants aren’t a team. They’re a collection of overpaid, overrated athletes who don’t give a damn about the jersey they’re wearing—or each other.

If they did, then what we saw on Sunday never happens.

Landon Collins isn’t half-assing it after blowing coverage or laughing after getting hit with a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Eli Apple isn’t standing there watching Robert Woods run past him not once (for a 52-yard touchdown on third-and-33) but twice, on his second touchdown catch of the game.

I’m not using “standing there” figuratively. Apple was literally standing there while Woods ran past him.

The defense lacks a leader, someone who would have grabbed Collins or Apple by the facemask and told them to cut the crap. Even if they did, I’m not sure that it would have an effect on either defensive back—or anyone else on the roster, for that matter.

When guys don’t care, it doesn’t matter who says what.

Eli Manning has never been a vocal, in-your-face kind of leader, and his “aw, shucks” demeanor has gotten as old as his arm. Sure, he can still air it out, but no longer with the accuracy or timing that he used to. Even when he had a full complement of receivers, he was missing the target more often than not.

That doesn’t take anything away from his legacy. But Eli’s best football is behind him.

And that’s exactly what the Giants need to do with 2017—put it behind them.

Yes, there are a handful of players on the current roster worth keeping around. Orleans Darkwa is one of them. Not because he’s an elite running back (he’s solid), but because unlike his head coach, he’s willing to tell it like it is.

You’re damn right it’s embarrassing! Losing 51-17, at home, should have found McAdoo throwing things in the locker room and at the press conference. He should be pissed off. Instead, it’s more of the snake oil sales schtick, a pathetic attempt at spinning a dumpster fire into a good thing.

But if we’re being honest, it wouldn’t be a terrible thing if the team wound up with a completely different 53-man roster in 2018.

From top to bottom, the Giants need a full organizational rebuild. Neither Reese nor McAdoo can have anything to do with the team’s future plans. They’ve had their shot. It’s time for a fresh perspective, some new ideas, some fresh blood that can build a team from the ground up and find the next great coach.

Someone like…Tom Coughlin. A man who would certainly have the words I’m missing to properly describe the 2017 Giants. Most of them, accurate as they may be, wouldn’t be fit for print.

And that’s just what this team needs. Not Odell Beckham Jr. or fewer injuries. They need a complete reality check. Let the purge begin

I've been dunked on by Shaq and yelled at by Mickey Mantle. ESNY Editor In Chief. UMass alum. Former National Columnist w/Bleacher Report & former member of NY Knicks Basketball Ops department. Nephew of Rock & Roll Royalty.