NFL New York Giants

Where Blame for New York Giants’ Struggles Should Really Lie

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By @chriswgamble

Getty Images

Getty Images

There is no doubt that the New York Giants are not a very good football team. Because of this, head coach Tom Coughlin and GM Jerry Reese are on the hot seat, at least in the media. However, that doesn’t mean that both or even one should lose their job.

First, there is the issue of who replaces them. For some reason Bill Cowher gets mentioned as a replacement for Coughlin every year. Cowher hasn’t coached since 2006 and has gone to two Super Bowls, winning one and losing one. His resume is less impressive than Coughlin’s. Another name that is being mentioned is Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh would be eaten alive by the New York media and he might actually spontaneously combust in the middle of a game. That is just a bad idea.

The Giants’ struggles aren’t something that Tom Coughlin can magically wave a wand at. Sure, as head coach, Coughlin certainly must accept blame for his team. However, much of the Giants’ struggles are due to the construction of the roster more than anything. Injuries to key players like Victor Cruz, Prince Amukamara, Jon Beason, Walter Thurmond, Geoff Schwartz, Rashad Jennings and a whole slew of others would be enough to test the depth of any team.

The biggest issue for the Giants has been roster construction. That falls on the feet of Jerry Reese who has had more whiffs than hits in recent drafts. He has failed to replace Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck, Linval Joseph and others along the defensive line. The Giants’ pass rush, if you can call it that, has been led by Robert Ayers with occasional appearances by Jason Pierre-Paul. Between those two they have 8.5 sacks heading into the Week 12. The entire team has just 17 sacks. To put that in perspective, Justin Houston has 13 which currently leads the NFL.

The lack of pass rush and underwhelming offensive line are more responsible for the Giants’ struggles this season than any Eli Manning interception. Reese has failed to find impact players along either side of the line to replace those who have left. Pierre-Paul at this point has to be considered a bust. He had one great season and has failed to follow that up with a good or healthy season. Damontre Moore is still very much an unknown commodity that shows flashes of talent with sprinkles of head-scratching mistakes.

Quite simply, Reese’s drafts have failed to replace players he has allowed to walk. Currently, Reese’s 2012 Draft could go down among the worst in history with Rueben Randle being the standout among that group and he has failed to live up to expectations. His 2011 Draft wasn’t much better with only Prince Amukamara and Jacquian Williams making any meaningful contribution to the team this season although Jerrel Jernigan is on injured reserve so he gets a pass. Eight picks, two players.

Giants’ fans used to chant the mantra, “In Reese we trust.” That is no longer the case as Reese has managed to run this team into the ground. This isn’t the fault of Eli or Coughlin. This is all on the back of Reese. If you are looking to assign blame go no further. That being said, he should get one more shot with Coughlin to right the ship. Someone will have to go, to be scapegoated, and Perry Fewell will be sacrificed at the end of the season while everyone else deserves just one more chance. If ownership decides someone from the duo of Reese and Coughlin has to go it is Reese that should get the axe plain and simple.

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