It must be very hard to wake up and not immediately have a smile on your face if you’re a Giants fan. The squad is actually winning games they’d likely lose in the past, and head coach Brian Daboll has guided New York to a 2-0 record in the process.
After snatching a Week 1 victory for the first time since 2016 in Tennessee, one could’ve only imagined how loud MetLife Stadium would be for the Giants’ home opener in Week 2. I mean, it’s been a while since Giants fans could fill up the venue to cheer on a team with a winning record, right?
Prior to New York’s matchup against the Panthers, Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale had a simple task for fans who planned to watch the game in person: be loud.
Wink Martindale is calling on Giants fans to "be loud" in the home opener:
"If you want to be part of changing this culture here with the Giants: Be loud, and have that place rocking where people don't want to come to our stadium. We'll give you something to be loud about." pic.twitter.com/h2gTGBealS
— Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) September 15, 2022
There’s been a lot of “changing the culture” talk regarding the Giants in recent weeks. However, it’s mostly pertained to what’s happened on the field, in the locker room, and throughout the organization. This culture change is starting to spread to the stands, too.
Martindale gave fans a task, and they succeeded with flying colors. Here’s what head coach Matt Rhule had to say as his Panthers were heading back to Carolina for a three-game homestand:
When asked about the upcoming 3-game homestand, Panthers coach Matt Rhule mentioned how “obviously the crowd noise was a factor” yesterday at MetLife.
Been a while since an opponent has been able to say that about the Giants. Things are changing for Big Blue.
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) September 19, 2022
Mission accomplished, folks. Nicely done to everyone who showed up to the Meadowlands on Sunday.
It’s not all that hard to get in the good graces of New York sports fans. We always want to see a win and hate to lose, but you know what we hate even more than losing? A lack of effort. If players just go out there and put their best foot forward by not giving in when the going gets tough, fans will back them until the end of time.
We saw that throughout the game on Sunday. The defense played exceptionally well. While the offense didn’t do much in the first half, they did what was necessary after halftime to get the job done.
And as it currently stands, the G-Men are tied with the Eagles for first place in the NFC East. Next up on the docket for New York is another battle at MetLife Stadium. It’ll be on Monday night against the Dallas Cowboys.
Martindale and the rest of the coaching staff will likely want the fans to be loud again. He probably won’t have to ask them this time around, though. The Giants are undefeated, in first place, and facing a hated divisional rival on primetime television. That’s all they need.
More on ESNY:
• WFAN’s John Sterling preparing for Aaron Judge’s home run history
• Why Mets’ 2022 postseason berth is a little extra special
• Can Giants actually start 4-0? Looking ahead to Cowboys, Bears
• WFAN’s Joe Benigno loves Joe Flacco (just 7 days after destroying him)
• MLB will take Aaron Judge milestone risk on Apple TV after all
Matt Musico can be reached at [email protected] and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
