There is nothing funny about what is going on with the Giants and their offense this summer. There is nothing too surprising, either.
There is all sorts of angst and instant analysis detailing the lack of production during training camp and in the first preseason game from a unit that is suspect until proven otherwise. Daniel Jones looks like a quarterback learning his third offense in four years, the interior of the line has been a rotating adventure, the marquee wide receivers are either too often absent (Kadarius Toney) or too often invisible (Kenny Golladay). At least Saquon Barkley has looked splendid, and the two young offensive tackles appear to be foundations to build upon.
No one observing all this can ignore the lackluster showing thus far, which fits snugly into “the defense will be ahead of the offense’’ anticipation that accompanied the arrival of head coach Brian Daboll and his choice to run the defense, the uber-aggressive Wink Martindale. What can be seen and extrapolated is what gets reported, and this has been a source of some amusement to someone new on the scene.
“I guess there’s more competition with the media here than other places, especially the places I’ve been,’’ new right guard Mark Glowinski told The Post, “where if there’s not a story, maybe it’s not talked about.’’
Glowinski, whose previous NFL stops were in Seattle and Indianapolis, will get the hang of swimming in the New York fishbowl. There was a “What the heck did you expect?’’ vibe given off when this was all brought to his attention. Glowinski and new center Jon Feliciano are both 30 years old, but Glowinski is far more accomplished, in terms of NFL starts (74, compared with Feliciano’s 39), so he can serve as the most experienced voice along the offensive line.
The glaring growing pains going on the past month? Yeah, well, duh.
“If the press wants — it’s kind of crazy to think, ‘Hey, are these guys gonna get off to a hot start?’ ’’ Glowinski said. “Even when we were at camp, we’re running plays that were gonna run, like the basics, but we’re not gonna pull out all our weapons and start shooting. Everything we’re building right now is just leading into what we’re gonna do.’’
Just like the August evening song of the cicadas, blaming shoddy offense this time of year on the lack of game-planning is a tune heard annually. In the case of the 2022 Giants, it is all about finding a rhythm, and that takes time. There is no guarantee the composition will be ready to be heard Sept. 11, when the Giants open their season at Tennessee.
But, you never know. Daboll started from scratch with this group. The offense is his vision. He is the mastermind and his fingerprints will cover every aspect of the attack, though offensive coordinator Mike Kafka seems poised to actually call the plays. Daboll’s plays, lest we forget.
It was telling to hear Daboll explain why he did not pursue a joint practice this week with the Bengals leading up to preseason game No. 2 on Sunday night.
“This is just our first year,’’ Daboll said. “I’ve been part of a lot of different teams over the last however many years. I just thought for our first year to make sure we’re getting our installations right and we’re doing the things we need to do, I thought that it was in our best interest to do it this way.’’
Translation: We need to get our stuff together before trying it out on someone else. The Giants will hold a joint practice with the Jets on Aug. 25, but that will be only a one-day event, and it will come a full month after training camp began.
The way Daboll worked his way up the NFL coaching ladder, and his penchant for developing offenses and stimulating quarterbacks are the main reasons why Giants ownership entrusted him with the keys to the franchise. You can be sure virtually nothing anyone has seen so far from him and his offense will be on display in his true head-coaching debut in Nashville.
“We’re evaluating players right now,’’ Daboll said. “We’re working through a lot of different schemes. That’s not much different than the last 22 years I’ve been around.’’
There is a caveat here. Had Daboll stayed in Buffalo, the dynamic offense he built would be working on its doctoral dissertation. It is ABCs and 123s in his first go-round with the Giants.
“Until the season comes and the games are played, there shouldn’t be, there might be worries when it comes to depth or things of nature that can be controlled,’’ Glowinski said, “but until the game is played things shouldn’t be said, you know?’’
Things will continue to be said. What is true now, though, might not be true later.
Credit: Source link
