The New York Giants’ nine-game losing streak is over, but they cannot allow that to prevent them from making major changes.
Finally, the New York Giants found themselves in the win column Sunday. They polished off an emotional 36-20 victory over the Miami Dolphins in what was likely Eli Manning‘s last home start.
The Giants were able to get a big victory with several players making major impacts. Sure, it’s a nice story, particularly in the case of No. 10.
Nice will quickly turn into misery if they allow it to alter the correct future plans that involve cleaning house.
The Giants are still 3-11 on the season and will finish at least six games below .500 for the third-straight season. They’ll also miss the postseason for the seventh time in eight seasons.
Thus, major changes still need to be made, the first pertaining to head coach Pat Shurmur.
Shurmur deserves credit for getting his team ready to play this past week. He also gave Manning a proper send-off by subbing in Alex Tanney, which allowed the MetLife Stadium crowd to give Manning one last ovation.
Those two solid jobs won’t overcome the already-executed damage.
Shurmur is a horrific 8-22 in 30 games as Giants’ head coach. He’s also been known to make snarky comments with the media. His biggest issues though has been his questionable calls that after games and his inability to take responsibility.
For example, after the Giants week seven loss to the Arizona Cardinals, Shurmur was asked about his decision to go for a 4th and 15.
Instead of admitting his mistake, Shurmur said, “Because it was going to play out the way I thought. Stop, stop them, stop them, make them kick a field goal at the very least, then we go down and score a touchdown,” via Jason Leach of ESNY. “Plus, I wanted to get a chance to make it on 4th-and-15. That’s why.”
Rather than take responsibility, Shurmur provided a wild answer. He proved he simply isn’t capable of making the decisions an NFL head coach needs to.
Thus, despite the victory over the Dolphins, he must go. The same holds true if the Giants manage to defeat either the Washington Redskins or the Philadelphia Eagles over the last two weeks of the season.
General manager Dave Gettleman also must be shown the door.
To his credit, Gettleman has done a decent job drafting. In 2018, he took Saquon Barkley, who may just be the NFL’s best running back. He also found the centerpiece of the offensive line in Will Hernandez, a second-rounder. He followed that up by grabbing promising outside linebacker Lorenzo Carter in Round 3.
In 2019, he used his 17th overall pick on Dexter Lawerence, who’s been among the NFL’s best defensive rookie. He also found two late-round gems in Julian Love and Darius Slayton. Most importantly, though, he appears to have found the Giants’ next franchise quarterback in Daniel Jones.
However, Gettleman’s two free-agency classes have been nightmares.
In 2018, he signed Nate Solder to the NFL’s largest offensive tackle contract. Since coming to New York, Solder has been among the leagues worst offensive tackles. He’s allowed 19.5 sacks in 30 games as a Giant.
He also spent a decent amount of cash on running back Jonathan Stewart, who would never play a regular-season snap as a Giant. He also traded for Alec Ogletree, who has been a weak link on the Giants’ defense. Perhaps the most egregious move was signing Odell Beckham Jr. to a massive extension only to trade him to the Cleveland Browns.
In year two, Gettleman spent a questionable $37 million to sign veteran wide receiver Golden Tate to a rebuilding team. He also signed 35-year-old safety Antoine Bethea to a two-year contract.
The Giants cannot afford Gettleman to be the one in charge of spending it’s the near $70 million of cap space in 2020.
While Sunday’s win was a feel-good moment for the entire organization and fanbase, it doesn’t change the New York Giants’ massive problems moving forward.
They must do the right thing and clean house. The Giants have to build towards the future rather than allow the emotional high to dictate 2020 and beyond. They can’t allow a victory over the Dolphins to set the franchise back even further.
