After falling to 2-9, Giants undergoing organizational shakeup now seems inevitable

EAST RUTHERFORD – Owner John Mara doesn’t want to do it. He made that clear when he gave Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen a big blue vote of confidence a few weeks ago. His Giants need to stay the course and trust the vision. No changes, barring unforeseen circumstances.

Good in theory.

Only those unforeseen circumstances are here.

The Giants, with Sunday’s 30-7 thumping at the hands of the Bucs, dropped their record to a league-worst 2-9, a microcosm of everything wrong with this team. They’ve regressed in nearly every measurable way, every year of the Daboll and Schoen Era.

A wholesale organizational shakeup now seems inevitable.

“Why would you want to sit here and watch the product we’re putting on the field?” said tackle Jermaine Eluemunor

Where to start? Defense. OK. The Giants can’t stop the run or pass. Not ideal. The one thing Schoen clung to early in the season was New York’s pass rush, which led the league in sacks in the first two months. That group – despite having significant resources invested in Dexter Lawrence, Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux – has just one sack in their last three games. They also can’t tackle.

The Giants missed 10 against Tampa Bay. The Bucs picked up 24 first downs and 450 yards. They had touchdown drives of 70, 82, 86 and 95 yards before calling off the dogs in the fourth quarter. Baker Mayfield was 24 of 30 (80 percent) for 294 yards. Bucky Irving and Rachaad White combined for 124 yards.

“That’s ass,” Burns said.

Daboll benched (and ultimately cut) former starting quarterback Daniel Jones believing Tommy DeVito, the third-string quarterback the entire season to that point, would give his offense a “spark.” There wasn’t so much as a flicker. The Giants' first six drives went as follows: Punt, turnover on downs, punt, punt, end of half, fumble.

Tampa Bay entered Sunday 30th in yards per game (389.3) and 27th in scoring (26.6). The Giants had 245 yards (107 in fourth quarter garbage time) and scored their only touchdown in the fourth quarter when down 30-0. The Giants are now averaging 14.8 points per game. It’s tied for the lowest mark in franchise history in any season of at least 16 games.

The Giants also averaged 14.8 points per game in 1979.  

“I started getting the ball when it was 30-0,” said star rookie receiver Malik Nabers, who finished with six catches for 64 yards, but did not have a target in the first half. “What do you want me to do?”

Why was that the case?

“Talk to (Daboll),” he added.

Bad seasons happen. Especially when you’re rebuilding like the Giants are. Coaches and general managers can survive that as long as the owner has patience. The death sentence is when they lose the locker room. Daboll's and Schoen’s grip on that is hanging on by a frayed thread – if it hasn’t completely snapped already.

Schoen’s approval rating was already quite low after letting respected leaders Saquon Barkley and Xavier McKinney walk in free agency, his negotiating tactics with the former ripped when displayed on HBO’s "Hard Knocks." Now, Daboll appears to be joining him.

Lawrence and Nabers called the Giants “soft” after the loss to the Buccaneers. Lawrence was then asked if he believed the coaching staff was putting the team in the best position to have success. Linemate Burns was asked if he felt the coach’s message was getting through.

Both paused before adding: “I think so.”

Eluemunor said he doesn’t feel players are giving “100 percent.” Veteran wideout Darius Slayton said, “Capable players aren’t playing like they’re capable of.” Nabers came dangerously close to calling out the play calling before regurgitating multiple times he “doesn’t know” what’s wrong with the offense, other than it’s “not the quarterback.”

Multiple players spoke up in favor of Jones after his benching this week. Lawrence, specifically, disagreed with the coaching staff, pointedly saying he felt Jones was the team’s best quarterback.

“Probably a 10,” Lawrence said when asked about his level of frustration after the game.

It’s somewhat surprising to see the Giants like this again. Two years ago they exceeded all expectations to make the playoffs at 9-7-1, then upset the 13-win Vikings. They looked to have a franchise quarterback. They still had Barkley. Finally, they’d be one of the league’s premier teams again.

They then went 6-11 last year. They are 2-9 this. Barring winning out, the Giants will finish with double-digit losses for the ninth in the last 11 years. The playoff berth two years ago would be just their second during that same stretch. That win over Minnesota is their only. 

Since 2014, the Giants are 62-111-1. That’s the third-fewest wins during that stretch. Only the Jaguars (56) and Jets (58) are worse.

“I’m tired of going out there and losing,” said Nabers

He hasn’t been a Giant for a year yet.

The lone bright spot for New York is its draft positioning. They’re slated to pick second behind the Jaguars. While Jacksonville has the same record, its strength of schedule is worse (.492 to .519). New York will assuredly draft a quarterback.

Does Mara trust Schoen to pick the right player? Is Daboll the right one to develop him? There would be no greater example of organizational malpractice than to have real concerns, run it back with the two out of pride and then blow it all up a year later.

Pride and fear of change is about the only thing in Daboll's and Schoen’s corner right now.

At this point, it doesn’t look like Mara has any other choice than to blow it all up once again.