Another game and another loss for the Giants. Losses have become expected for this team and expectations are being met every week.
I expected the Giants to lose on Sunday because that’s what the Giants have done for the last seven seasons: lose. Because I no longer expect the Giants to win from week to week and because I expect them to either get embarrassed, blown out or collapse, it’s made watching them easier. It hasn’t been enjoyable, it’s just been stress-free and care-free not expecting them to win the way they used to eight-plus years ago. It’s relaxing to watch the Giants play and not care about the outcome of their games since the outcomes for their games for the rest of the season don’t matter and because the outcomes of their game are mostly losses.
When Daniel Jones thew a backwards pass to no one that the Lions were able to pick up and run in for a touchdown, I laughed. When the Giants subsequently went three-and-out and the Lions converted a third-and-15 for a 49-yard pass, I laughed. When Aldrick Rosas missed an extra point for a chance to tie the game at 14, I laughed. When the Giants turned it over on downs twice later in the game and did just enough to nearly complete the two-score comeback, but still lost, I laughed. I did a lot of laughing watching the Giants because that’s all there is to do at this point. Laugh at an organization that’s become a joke.
A week after not being prepared for the Cardinals despite a 10-day layoff, the Giants dug themselves a 14-point deficit in the first quarter. The offense put up 19 points (and it would have been 20 if not for Rosas’ miss), which was the second-most they have scored this season, only having scored more in their Week 3 win over the Buccaneers when they put up 32. The defense allowed another quarterback to throw for over 300 yards against them (342).
It was another winnable game for the Giants that they lost. It’s a theme that become all too familiar over the last few years for a team that simply doesn’t know how to win. The Giants are now 2-6 this season and 7-17 under Pat Shurmur, the biggest loser of them all. And even though their second-half schedule is much easier than their first, I don’t expect the team to suddenly change its culture or identity and start winning. Not with this head coach.
The loss to the Lions was another game off the schedule. Another game gone in this miserable season and another game closer to next season when maybe the Giants will have a new head coach. For the rest of this season though, expect more games like Sunday: winnable games that slip away.
NHL veteran Tom Poti talks about his career and Adam Herman of Blueshirt Banter talks Rangers’ rough start.
Adam Herman of Blueshirt Banter joined me to talk about the Rangers being unsure of whether they are trying to compete or rebuild, expectations for this season, why David Quinn’s first season-plus has felt like Alain Vigneault, wasting the fourth line on players without a future and the defensive issues under Lindy Ruff.
At the 20:59 mark, former Ranger and 14-year NHL veteran Tom Poti joined me to talk about growing up a Yankees fan in Massachusetts, choosing Boston University, leaving college for the NHL, getting traded to the Rangers, the highs and lows of his time with the Rangers playing for Bryan Trottier and Glen Sather, why he left for the Islanders in free agency, joining the Capitals on the rise and the injuries that ended his career.
Unfortunately, it’s going to be a long, uneventful, meaningless final two-plus months of the season once again.
The Yankees’ season is over and the Giants certainly aren’t going to carry me through the holidays. That means the Rangers, who have lost five straight since back-to-back wins to open the season, are going to have to pick up the slack of the Giants yet again to make the winter less miserable. It’s not exactly a great position to be in as a sports fan.
Things could be worse. There are plenty of fans who don’t have the luxury of being a fan of the most successful franchise in the history of professional sports, and who have losers across the board in all of the major sports. Thankfully, I have the Yankees because with the Rangers in the middle of a rebuild, though one with a lot of promise, it’s still a rebuild, and with the Giants looking like they are several years away from competing, let alone contending, the Yankees at least provide winning regular seasons and lengthy postseasons even when they fall short of a championship.
The Giants are headed for another losing season and what will be their sixth in the last seven years. They’re most likely a five-win team for the second straight year and headed for a Top 6 pick in the draft for a third straight year. Forget trying to reach the postseason this year, changing the losing culture that has grown on this franchise over the last seven years should be the goal. And the only way that goal can be achieved is by Daniel Jones getting game experience, the young defense showing progress and Pat Shurmur not being the head coach after this season. That’s all that’s left in this Giants season. Unfortunately, it’s going to be a long, uneventful, meaningless final two-plus months of the season once again.
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(Home team in caps)
MINNESOTA -16.5 over Washington You’re never supposed to take the side of needing to cover a three-score game in the NFL. But I think that old rule goes out the window when you’re dealing with some of the teams we’re dealing with in 2019 like these Redskins and the Dolphins. Maybe the Vikings don’t go cover and I start the week with a loss. I’d rather accept that than taking the Redskins only to see them have trouble moving the ball over the 50 once again.
LOS ANGELES RAMS -13 over Cincinnati Last week I wrote: What’s the best cure for a three-game losing streak? A game against the Falcons. It was indeed the best cure for the Rams’ rough patch. The Rams won by 27 points on the road to get back in the win column for the first time since Week 3 and now they welcome a winless Bengals team before their bye week. This one is going to get out of hand.
ATLANTA +6.5 over Seattle I don’t believe in these Seahawks and I certainly don’t trust them. Sure, I trust the Falcons even less than the Seahawks and less than any team not from Miami, Washington D.C. or Cincinnati, but with the Falcons on the brink of tearing their entire franchise apart and starting over, I feel like they will finally deliver an adequate performance. If they can’t … start the demolition, and start it with Dan Quinn, even if it’s nearly three years late.
BUFFALO -1.5 over Philadelphia The Eagles suck. Congratulations, they overcame an early 17-point deficit to beat the Redskins in Week 1, beat the Jets with their third-string quarterback and somehow pulled off a win on the road against the Packers. Their losses, a loss in Atlanta, which is the Falcons’ only win, a loss at home to the Lions, an 18-point rout at the hands of the Vikings and an embarrassing 37-10 blowout in Dallas far outweigh their one good win, and while they might make the playoffs because they play in the worst division in the league, it doesn’t change the fact that they suck, and teams that suck generally lose to good teams.
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS -3.5 over Chicago Like the Eagles, the Bears suck. Two franchises who went into the season with Super Bowl aspirations couldn’t be farther from looking like contenders as we near the halfway point. I don’t know what it will take for the Bears to realize Mitch Trubisky isn’t a starting quarterback, but unfortunately, it’s most likely going to take a mediocre season and a free-agent signing or trade. The Bears’ defense might be the best in football, but when it’s on the field for the majority of games, only getting a break on the Bears’ three-and-outs, it won’t be able to sustain its performance all season.
DETROIT -6.5 over New York Giants I’m done picking the Giants to cover for the rest of the season aside from their games against the Dolphins and Redskins. What I watched last week was the worst Giants performance of the Pat Shurmur era and one of the worst I have seen in my life, and when you lose as much as the Giants have in recent years, that’s saying something. This team will continue to lose as long as Shurmur is head coach and against the league’s better teams, like the Lions, they will lose big.
New York Jets +6.5 over JACKSONVILLE The Jets are a joke. J-O-K-E, JOKE, JOKE, JOKE! I thought they could cover against the Patriots last week, keep the score close and possibly even pull off an upset win. What a fool I was. Sam Darnold played what better be the worst game of his career as he completed just 11 of 32 passes for 86 yards with four interceptions and one lost fumble in the 33-0 loss and the Jets never had a chance. For as bad as the Jets were last week, I still think they will rebound, go on a run and reel their fans back in. If they can upset the Jaguars, they have the Dolphins, Giants, Redskins, Raiders, Bengals and Dolphins again to follow. The Jets will be part of the postseason picture at the beginning of December. Then they will inevitably let their fans down again.
NEW ORLEANS -10.5 over Arizona The Saints are 5-0 with Teddy Bridgewater as their starting quarterback. 5-0! And that’s not an empty 5-0, that’s five wins against the Seahawks, Cowboys, Buccaneers, Jaguars and Bears. There’s been no cupcake games against the Giants, Redskins, Bengals or Dolphins. Bridgewater continues to add to his future earnings when he gets a chance to be full-time starter in the league and the Saints continue to let Drew Brees sit out and get completely healthy for the second half of the season. A Saints-Patriots Super Bowl is going to happen.
Tampa Bay +2.5 over TENNESSEE A Ryan Tannehill-led Titans team pulled off a nice home win against the Chargers last week after the Chargers couldn’t get into the end zone in the final minute from the 1. Even with the Titans’ defense being as good as it is, the Titans are still starting Tannehill. One miracle win isn’t going to rewrite his career.
INDIANAPOLIS -5.5 over Denver I have been a Colts believer all season. I still have no idea what happened at home against the Raiders in Week 4, but I’m going to count that as an anomaly and just a weird game in a league built on weird games. Since that unacceptable loss, the Colts have gone on to win at Arrowhead, where no team wins, and beat the Texans at home by a touchdown. The Colts are for real. Not “for real” as in they can win the AFC since the Patriots are going to win the AFC, but “for real” as in they can reach the playoffs for a second straight year even though their franchise quarterback retired and then lose in the first or second round.
Carolina +5.5 over SAN FRANCISCO I’m a Kyle Allen fan because I love quarterback controversies and I especially love a quarterback controversy that leads to Cam Newton not being a starting quarterback. Newton can sit out as long as he wants and the Panthers can keep his injury status unclear for as long as they want, but everyone knows it’s only a stalling tactic, so that their once-franchise quarterback isn’t benched even though he deserves to be.
NEW ENGLAND -12.5 over Cleveland I’m sure the Browns think they were able to tread water at 2-4 prior to their bye week and now that they’re well rested they can go on a run and live up to the hype that was wrongfully created for them prior to the season. The only problem with that is you never want to come out of your bye needing to desperately win a game and have to go to New England to do so. The Browns will be 2-5 after Sunday and then have to go to Denver and then play the Bills. Their season is over.
Oakland +7 over HOUSTON I can’t believe I’m picking the Raiders to cover. But in a battle of teams, and mostly coaches, who can’t be trusted, taking a touchdown with a team coming out of their bye is the smart thing to do.
Green Bay -3.5 over KANSAS CITY If Patrick Mahomes were playing, this game would be a lot more interesting and give people a reason to stay up for Sunday Night Football and be tired for work on Monday morning. Unfortunately, he’s not.
PITTSBURGH -13.5 over Miami I won’t be picking the Dolphins to cover for the rest of this season. Well, maybe against the Giants in Week 15, but that’s it.
Scott Reinen of Bronx Pinstripes joined me to talk about the end of the Yankees’ season and latest ALCS loss.
The Yankees’ season came to a disappointing end once again as the team lost the ALCS in six games to the Astros. Now there’s a little more than five months until real baseball and an entire year until the Yankees can get back to this point.
Scott Reinen of Bronx Pinstripes joined me to talk about the Yankees’ ALCS loss to the Astros, DJ LeMahieu’s clutch home run will eventually be forgotten, the Yankees’ postseason pitching strategy, the embarrassing offensive performance and how the Yankees can close the gap with the Astros for 2020.
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My book The Next Yankees Era: My Transition from the Core Four to the Baby Bombers is available!
The Giants aren’t ready to contend yet, but with Pat Shurmur as head coach, they never will be. If ownership doesn’t remove him, he will ruin the team’s young core.
The Giants think they have found their franchise quarterback. They already have a superstar running back, signed their No. 1 receiver to a four-year extension and have a game-changing tight end. Their offensive line has been rebuilt to respectability and they have a defense full of young, raw-talent players who are expected to get better with experience. The Giants have the pieces in place to contend in the near future, they just don’t have the head coach to get them there.
Pat Shurmur can’t survive this Giants season. He just can’t. It doesn’t matter if the Giants somehow miraculously win four of their remaining nine games and finish with one more win than last season by showing signs of “progress” though going from 5-11 to 6-10 shouldn’t be considered progress. Shurmur has done nothing, absolutely zero, in his 23 games with the Giants to prove he’s anything more than a stopgap for the next coach to take over the team when they’re actually ready to compete. Shurmur has done nothing in his time as an NFL head coach other than lose. He’s a loser and his 17-39 career record says as much.
Sunday’s loss was hard to take as a Giants fan, even one who came into the season with no expectations and realizes the only goal of this season is to get Daniel Jones game experience. It was as frustrating a loss as any the Giants have had in recent years, and they have had a lot, with 29 losses in their last 36 games. Playing for the first time in 10 days after their Week 6 Thursday Night Football loss, the Giants looked as though they had played the day before. They were sloppy, undisciplined and sluggish as they let the Cardinals — a team historically bad in the Eastern Time Zone and outside — put together an early 17-0 lead. The defense allowed two rushing touchdowns of 20-plus yards in the first quarter and would allow a third in the third quarter.
Shurmur’s team was flat-out embarrassed in the eventual 27-21 loss, as his rookie quarterback turned the ball over three times, his offensive line allowed eight sacks, his defense allowed the three aforementioned rushing touchdowns and his kicker missed a 37-yard field goal. Shurmur chipped in with his weekly unwinnable challenge, and also made the most egregious mistake of his forgettable coaching career. Actually, it wasn’t a mistake since Shurmur claimed after the gamewhat transpired on the field “played out exactly like he wanted it to,” which is more puzzling than the Giants’ decision to hire him in the first place.
Trailing 24-21 with 3:11 left in the fourth quarter, the Giants faced a third-and-18 from their own 30. Rather than try to convert the third-down play into a first down by throwing the ball past the sticks, Shurmur called for a draw: a running play on third-and-18. Jones handed the ball off to Saquon Barkley and the running back picked up three yards. Needing a first down, Shurmed elected to try to pick up the necessary 15 yards on the ground. His reasoning after the game was that the Cardinals had faced a third-and-11 earlier in the game and ran the ball and picked up the first down, so he thought it would work for his Giants as well. Forget that the Giants’ defense is much worse than the Cardinals’ and that the score, time of game and field position were much different when the Cardinals ran a similar play, Shurmur ran the play solely because it worked against his team, as if that had any impact on if it would work for his team.
Now faced with a fourth-and-15 at their own 33 and 2:35 remaining, the Giants could punt the ball away, and with two timeouts and the two-minute warning to work with, if the defense could get a three-and-out, the Giants would have a chance to win the game. Shurmur decided to go for it on fourth-and-15 from his own 33, knowing that if his offense didn’t pick up the first down, the Cardinals would already be in field-goal range to make it a six-point game. Out of the shotgun, Jones was sacked and fumbled the ball in the process, giving the Cardinals the ball at the Giants’ 17 with 2:28 to play.
The Giants’ defense held the Cardinals to a field goal and thanks to a brain fart by Kyler Murray, the Giants still had the two-minute warning to stop the clock on offense. Darius Slayton idiotically took the kickoff out of the end zone, only reaching the Giants’ 12 and using up seven seconds, as he wasn’t advised prior to the kickoff by his head coach to stay in the end zone. The Giants ran six plays, Jones was sacked on two of them and Giants’ chances at a comeback win ended on a fourth-and-29 play from their own 4.
After the game, Shurmur took the podium for his postgame press conference the same way he has in nearly every game he has ever coached: following a loss. He opened it by deflecting the blame for another blemish on his career to the rest of the team:
“Turnovers, penalties, and then we had opportunities at the end and we didn’t make the most of them. so that’s what comes of it … I feel like we settled down on defense in the second half, but when you have dropped balls, you have penalties … we do the things we do on offense along the way there, it keeps points off the board.”
It was the 16th time the Giants have lost in 23 games under Shurmur, and it was the 16th time he blamed every part of the team for the loss except himself. Clearly delusional and now 22 games under .500 in his coaching career, his team’s latest loss was once again not his fault.
When asked, “You didn’t think to maybe punt there?” in regards to the fourth-and-15 decision, Shurmur looked shocked to be asked the question. How could a team beat writer possibly think he’s worthy enough to ask the legendary head coach such an outlandish thing and question his shear genius?
Shurmur responed, “No, no,” thinking that was a satisfactory answer. To his dismay, he was followed up with, “Why not?”
“Because it was going to play out the way that I thought, all right?” Shurmur shot back, clearly annoyed. “Stop, stop ’em, all right?” he stammered. “Stop, stop ’em, make them kick a field goal at the very least and we go down and score a touchdown. Plus, I wanted to get a chance to make it on fourth-and-15. That’s why.”
Shurmur’s explanation made it sound as though he knew his defense would get a stop when it needed one for the first time all season to present the situation that played out. He also made it sound as if his offense is so dominant and so powerful that it would inevitably take the ball and go down the field for the game-winning touchdown when it had scored four touchdowns in the last three games combined.
Shurmur’s answer was given in the most cocky, know-it-all tone of all time, and he finished with the most smug and arrogant of looks as if he were smarter than everyone in the room when it couldn’t be more opposite.
(The image above is the look he gave the media after thinking he had somehow won the debate about his fourth-and-15 decision.)
Just as the next question was about to be asked, Shurmur circled back, clearly still rattled that his decision-making on fourth-and-15 was being dissected.
“And that’s the way it played out, right?” Shurmur continued. “We had the ball with a chance to go down and score a touchdown to win the game and that’s how it played out and we didn’t do it.”
Shurmur truly believes his decisions were justified, the way he believes all his in-game decisions are. He believes his postgame answers illustrated why his decisions were the right ones and he believes he persuaded every member in the media to see things how he sees them. He believes every player let him down and failed him on Sunday and that he put his team in the best position to succeed. He believes these things because all he’s done with the Giants and in the NFL is lose. Lose, lose and lose some more. He’s so comfortable with losing that he expects to lose and have to answer for his losing every Sunday (and when he loses on Mondays and Thursdays too). He’s a loser with a loser mentality and loser beliefs. Losing is contagious, and if ownership doesn’t remove him, his losing ways will ruin the young core of this team.
If the Giants want to let Shurmur finish out the season, fine. In a lost season with nothing to play for he provides comic relief during each game with his moronic play calls and ill-advised in-game strategies, and his encore act immediately following each game is must-see TV with his irrational answers and nonsensical logic.
The Giants screwed up their 2019 season before it began with their roster and draft choices, and now that the 2019 season is long gone, it’s imperative the Giants don’t screw up 2020 too. The Giants aren’t ready to contend yet, but with Shurmur as head coach, they never will be. In order to stop the losing for 2020, the Giants need to rid themselves of the biggest loser on their team: the head coach.
