There was a bunch of conventional thinking that got trashed the moment the Giants stepped on the field Monday night and it was painfully clear that their offensive line was not going to give the team a chance to compete at the requisite level to win an NFL game.
Thus, the 24-3 loss to the Seahawks was the deserved result.
Scratch the notion that the Giants, with all that rest and time to prepare, would come out with a more cohesive product on the line — even without left tackle Andrew Thomas.
The mini-bye week — there were 10 full days between the Week 3 game in Santa Clara and the Week 4 homecoming fiasco — figured to provide the time needed to button up some of the loose ends that contributed to some pretty lousy football in the first three games.
And then, the Giants came out and committed six penalties on special teams — is that some sort of record? — and muffed a punt, which is a sign of unraveling, rather than any trace of buttoning up.
So scratch the notion that this coaching staff would excel, given all the extra time, to right the wrongs and cure the ills.
Yes, there was noticeable improvement on defense, with the missed tackling exhibition against the 49ers (16 of ‘em!) reduced to manageable levels, although seeing tight end Noah Fant make like a tightrope artist on the right sideline, with nary a Giants defender capable of nudging him out of bounds, was unsightly.
This is all under the purview of Brian Daboll because it is all, always, on the head coach.
Daboll, rightfully, won the NFL Coach of the Year award after guiding the Giants to a record of 9-7-1 and winning the first playoff game for the franchise since 2011, all accomplished in his first year as a head coach at any level.
You could sense, though, that Daboll realized the 2022 Giants came together nicely, won a bunch of close games and thrived with all the newness and that this was not a team that had everything figured out.
When Daboll repeatedly said “Every year is a new year,’’ the idea was not merely foisted from the Coaching Cliche handbook. He knew last season’s success guaranteed nothing, as far as the Year 2 progress everyone anticipated automatically taking place on the field.
The front office addressed certain needs and Daboll was bolstered when his offensive coordinator, Mike Kafka, and defensive coordinator, Wink Martindale, returned after interviewing for head coaching positions around the league.
Tight end Darren Waller was acquired in a trade as a playmaker on offense and Bobby Okereke was signed in free agency to make tackles and fortify the run defense.
The NFL Draft supposedly provided help with cornerback Deonte Banks, center John Michael Schmitz as Day 1 starters and last year’s first-round picks, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Evan Neal, were going to see the quantum leap forward that many youngsters make in their second season.
And, front and center, Daniel Jones was going to show that the Giants’ investment in him (four years, $160 million) was going to look like smart money.
Has any of this worked out the way the Giants envisioned?
“I mean, no one expected this to be where we were, where we are, so yeah, there’s some shock,’’ Jones said.
The Giants are 1-3 and how badly they have been in their one-sided losses is what is shocking.
Daboll did not expect this but he did warn about it. Now, it is up to him to figure out a way to make all the lousy football go away.
Here’s more to consider and fret about at the Giants’ season goes from bad to worse:
The 11 sacks allowed is, unsurprisingly, a franchise record.
Before this, 10 sacks allowed was the low-water mark, against the Cowboys in 1969 and the 49ers in 1980. The Giants were 6-8 in 1969 and 4-12 in 1980.
There is no doubt the Giants need to and want to utilize Jones’ athletic ability. His legs are a big part of what he can do when at his best. Ideally, his rushing augments the offensive attack.
What has gone on, with Saquon Barkley on the sideline dealing with a high ankle sprain, is not ideal. Jones has become far too much of the ground game. He led the team with 66 rushing yards on 10 attempts against the Seahawks.
Teams in the NFL are supposed to be able to withstand the temporary loss of a starting running back. Players regularly step in at that position and get the job done. That is not happening with the Giants and relying too heavily on Jones is going to get him hurt, because he does not exactly run away from contact.
It felt as if the Giants were sort of winging it all spring and summer with the way they handled the punt return job. They wanted Eric Gray, the rookie running back, to fill that role and Gray was force-fed in training camp and the preseason. He rarely looked completely comfortable back there. The Giants were fortunate they (an alert Nick McCloud) were able to recover the muffed punt in the first quarter that dropped through Gray’s arms.
After that, cornerback Adoree’ Jackson took over as the punt returner, told to call for a fair catch, which he did on the one punt he fielded. Last season, Jackson got hurt during a punt return.
The Giants are taking such a non-aggressive approach with this. Many teams put a player back there capable of making something happen. All the Giants are doing with their punt return operation is trying to keep possession of the ball.
When the Eagles run a quarterback sneak it almost looks illegal, the way they push Jalen Hurts from behind and always convert the first down. Hence the “tush push’’ name the play has been assigned.
The Giants’ version looked ugly when it was attempted on the opening offensive series. They picked up two first downs and faced a 4th-and-1 on the Seahawks’ 27-yard line. Daboll could have gone for the early lead by sending Graham Gano out for a 44-yard field goal but Daboll took the aggressive approach. He went for it and the Giants put three extra offensive linemen — Matt Peart, Shane Lemieux and Mike Glowinski – -on the field. It was obvious what was going to be called. The sneak, though, stunk, with the offensive line unable to move forward an inch as Jones got no real push as he was dropped in his tracks by linebackers Bobby Wagner and Jordyn Brooks. Jones made the fatal mistake of leaving his feet, which ended any leverage he would have had. The key is to drive ahead with the legs and Jones lost that key.
The 97-yard interception return for a touchdown by Devon Witherspoon was the longest against the Giants in nearly 13 years. Eli Manning was picked off by the Cowboys’ Bryan McCann on Nov. 14, 2010 in what turned into a 101-yard pick-six.
More depressing Jones stats: He has an NFL-high six interceptions. Last season, he threw only five interceptions in 472 pass attempts for an NFL-low 1.1 interception percentage. Jones in the first four games has thrown as many pick-sixes (two) as he has touchdown passes (two).