The Giants’ 2022 season would be classified by Pat Riley as “an innocent climb.’’
Outside expectations were low, inside concerns were high and the general feeling was it would be a transition year for a franchise welcoming a new general manager, Joe Schoen, and his new hand-picked head coach, Brian Daboll.
It turned out to be much more than that.
The Giants made their first playoff appearance since 2016, followed by their first playoff victory since 2011, achievements that earned Daboll the NFL Coach of the Year award.
And now, for the encore.
The roster has been fortified and a second year of the offensive and defensive systems will allow for increased familiarity and an ability to augment the lesson plans with more exotic schemes.
This is only Year 2 of what was projected to be a rebuilding process, and sometimes progress is not linear.
The Giants could be a better team in 2023 and fail to surpass the 2022 record of 9-7-1.
Lest we forget, they went 0-5 against the Eagles and the Cowboys last year, and until they clean up their act within their own division, it will be difficult to take the next step.
Here is where the Giants need to take a quantum step forward. Daniel Jones was anointed as the franchise quarterback (what else are we to make of his four-year, $160 million contract?) and the Giants did not pay him to hand the ball off and be a game manager.
Daboll loves the passing game and Jones will be let loose far more often than ever before.
Jones had a superlative summer and should be primed for his best season.
He has options, but no surefire standout, at wide receiver.
Newcomer Parris Campbell will be a favorite target.
Jones and Darius Slayton have chemistry based on their four years together and Isaiah Hodgins is a dependable option.
Rookie Jalin Hyatt brings speed and will be an immediate vertical threat.
Can Sterling Shepard and Wan’Dale Robinson make successful returns from ACL surgery?
If they do, add in two strong slot weapons.
Tight end Darren Waller is the most talented pass catcher Jones has ever worked with.
The key for Waller is staying healthy, because if he is on the field, at 6-foot-6 he will be a matchup nightmare.
Oh yes, there is also Saquon Barkley, unhappy he was not able to work out a long-term deal with the team that selected him No. 2 overall in 2018.
Barkley has something to prove and if he is running angry all year, watch out.
The line is led by now-star left tackle Andrew Thomas.
The key will be the development of Evan Neal at right tackle in his second NFL go-round and the readiness of rookie John Michael Schmitz at center.
Grade: B+
The arrival of Wink Martindale as coordinator was heralded, and he brought his high-energy, high-pressure attacking style to the Giants.
The defense was not a dominant unit in 2022, though, and was especially soft against the run. That has to change.
The players are in place for one of the best defensive lines in the league.
On the interior, Dexter Lawrence is a beast, virtually unstoppable when challenged by only one blocker. Leonard Williams is a perfect complement, but he showed cracks in his invulnerability last season, missing games because of injury for the first time in his career.
The key will be the development of Kayvon Thibodeaux and the availability of Azeez Ojulari.
Thibodeaux was solid as a rookie, but he was the No. 5 overall pick in 2022 and he needs to get to the quarterback with greater regularity.
Ojulari often gets to the QB, but he almost never stays healthy.
Vets A’Shawn Robinson and Rakeem Nuñez-Roches were signed to add bulk against the run.
Bobby Okereke, who was signed to be a three-down inside linebacker and run the show, should be a big upgrade.
It will be interesting to see what role Martindale finds for freak athlete Isaiah Simmons.
Will rookie first-round pick Deonte Banks be the real deal as an immediate starting cornerback?
And will another rookie, Tre Hawkins, actually be capable of being an immediate NFL starter?
That would be something, and it will move veteran Adoree’ Jackson, the most accomplished corner on the roster, inside to the slot.
Safety Xavier McKinney is entering his contract year and the Giants are waiting for a good player to become very good or even great.
Grade: B.
This area looks good mainly because of Graham Gano, the seemingly-ageless kicker.
Gano, 36, went 29-for-33 on his field-goal attempts last season and is 89-for-97 in his three years with the Giants — including 20-for-25 from 50 or more yards.
Gano is entering his 14th NFL season and is showing no signs of slowing down. He also creatively places the ball on kickoffs.
Punter Jamie Gillan, the Scottish Hammer, was re-signed after an up-and-down 2022 season.
He has a powerful left leg, but at times outkicks his coverage or does not get enough hang time to help out his coverage team.
Rookie Eric Gray will get first crack at kick and punt returns, and he looks to be steady with his ball security, but not yet a big-play threat.
There is not really a standout guy as far as a gunner or a coverage specialist.
Cam Brown and Carter Coughlin are solid contributors.
Grade: B
At this time a year ago we really had no idea what the Giants had in Brian Daboll.
His résumé was outstanding, but he had never before been a head coach at any level and the big chair is often too much for even the most successful coordinators to find comfortable.
Well, Daboll was selected as the NFL’s Coach of the Year, well deserved after taking a team no one outside its own building had high hopes for to a 9-7-1 regular season and one playoff victory.
Daboll is a grinder who prides himself on his relationship-building qualities. He also has an innovative offensive mind, which works well with the younger, fertile mind of offensive coordinator Mike Kafka.
Daboll entrusted Kafka with the play-calling, and that decision proved to be a gamble that paid off.
There are no secrets with Wink Martindale.
His defense is always pressure-laden and laying back is rarely an option.
He instills confidence in his guys.
It would be nice to see special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey given a bona fide, talented returner, rather than the collection of spare parts he has had at his disposal in recent years.
Grade: A.
Most important offensive player: Daniel Jones.
You invest $160 million in a guy, you must think he is, you know, kinda sorta important. It is imperative Jones takes the next step in his development — 15 touchdown passes won’t cut it — and now that the franchise has committed to him, he needs to take command and get his team in the end zone more often and more efficiently. And, of course, he must stay healthy and on the field.
Most important defensive player: Here is the deal with Azeez Ojulari: When he is in a game, the opposing quarterback knows it and is threatened by Ojulari’s presence. The problem with Ojulari is availability, or lack thereof. He made it into only seven games in 2022 and produced 5.5 sacks (after eight sacks as a rookie). If he stays healthy and blossoms, the entire defensive unit will feel the reverberations.
Rookie to watch: You could not take your eyes off speed receiver Jalin Hyatt this summer, and we will keep our eyes on him as he embarks on his NFL career. He plays bigger than his 6-foot frame because his long legs seem to eat up chunks of yards as he outruns trailing opponents. Will he be a draft steal as a third-round pick, a youngster who views himself as the best receiver in his draft class? Stay tuned.
Star on the rise: Dexter Lawrence has risen. So has Andrew Thomas. The logical choice here is OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux. As a rookie, he was a better all-around defender than anticipated and not as potent a pure pass rusher as expected. He wants to be great and is diligent in pursuing that goal. Just because he talks a good game does not mean he can’t play a good game.
Biggest coaching decision: Will the offense revolve around Saquon Barkley — as it did in the first half of last season — or will the attack open up and lean on Brian Daboll’s well-documented affinity for the passing game? Barkley did not get the multi-year contract he desired and is back on the one-year franchise tender. How much of a workload will he get and how will he embrace what comes next, knowing this could be his final season in a Giants uniform?
Don’t be surprised if … Dexter Lawrence surpasses the career-high 7.5 sacks he registered in 2022. Lawrence cashed in with a deal worth $90 million, but he showed no signs this summer that he is anything other than one of the league’s roughest, toughest interior defensive linemen. His push-the-pocket power shows up every Sunday. And the guy is only 25 years old.
Sure to make fans grumble: Seeing the offensive line fail to give Daniel Jones the time he needs to look downfield; watching the run defense, shabby in 2022, come out only marginally better this season; hearing radio play-by-play icon Bob Papa say, “The Giants’ offense fails to get the ball in the end zone and here comes Graham Gano and the field goal unit onto the field.’’
Oct. 15 at Buffalo: This one will be personal for head coach Brian Daboll and GM Joe Schoen. Their success with the Bills led to their hirings by the Giants, and this return to Western New York will be a chance to show that the Giants are on the rise and on a level with the Super Bowl-contending Bills.
Nov. 12 at Dallas: It was a glorious time for the Giants when they inaugurated spectacular AT&T Stadium with a 20-19 victory in the 2016 season opener — Ben McAdoo’s head coaching debut. Since then, not so much. The Giants are riding a six-game losing streak in Arlington, Texas, and need to make inroads against the NFC East-rival Cowboys.
Dec. 25 at Philadelphia: House of Horrors. Nightmare Neighborhood. Brutal on Broad Street. Call it whatever you want, the Giants are at their lousiest when they play at Lincoln Financial Field. They have lost 10 consecutive games at their least-favorite road venue, most recently a brutal 38-7 playoff demolition by the Eagles.
Why the heck can’t these Giants be better than the 2022 edition?
The idea that last season was some sort of mirage because Brian Daboll’s club was able to win a bunch of tight games is flawed reasoning.
Making a habit of winning close games is a learned trait and a sign of moxie and a well-coached team. Daboll and GM Joe Schoen had no previous allegiance to Daniel Jones, yet they were inspired to commit to him.
That belief will be a backdrop for this entire season. If they are correct in their assessment, the Giants will go places.