New York Giants GM Joe Schoen puts unnecessary added pressure on QB Daniel Jones
An offensive line may not have the eye candy of wide receivers or running backs, but it is vital to an offense's success. "The Big Uglies" do the dirty work up front, such as creating running lanes and protecting what is usually the most important piece of the team, the quarterback. Unless a team has […]
An offensive line may not have the eye candy of wide receivers or running backs, but it is vital to an offense's success.
"The Big Uglies" do the dirty work up front, such as creating running lanes and protecting what is usually the most important piece of the team, the quarterback. Unless a team has a stud QB and numerous weapons, it's very difficult to overcome a poor offensive line.
Unfortunately for the New York Giants in 2023, they didn't have much of any. The Giants came in at No. 30 in Pro Football Focus' 2023 offensive line rankings, good for third worst in the NFL. They also surrendered a league-high 85 sacks last season.
Multi-time Pro Bowl running back Saquon Barkley could muster only 3.9 yards per carry behind New York's offensive line, and quarterback Daniel Jones had the worst season of his career. In six starts, Jones averaged a lowly 152 passing yards per game with just two touchdowns and six interceptions.
Many fans and experts have questioned whether or not Jones can play at a level that will make the Giants a top contender in the NFC. Despite those criticisms, Giants General Manager Joe Schoen is staying committed to Jones for at least the near future. Jones signed a four-year contract extension worth $160 million last offseason.
On the premiere of "Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants", Schoen placed the blame on the poor play of the Giants' offensive line for Jones' struggles last season. He capped it off by claiming that not even Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes could win playing behind New York's offensive line.
That's quite a take from Schoen. I think most would agree that Mahomes, while perhaps he wouldn't have won the Super Bowl had he played with the Giants, could have at least gotten them to a winning record. In relief of Jones, quarterbacks Tyrod Taylor and Tommy DeVito nearly got the Giants to a .500 record, going a combined 5-6.
If Taylor and DeVito can have that kind of success, imagine what Mahomes could have done. Comparing Jones to Mahomes is just plain silly, and it's that type of thinking that keeps teams in QB purgatory year after year. Schoen had the opportunity to sign a proven veteran such as Kirk Cousins or Russell Wilson or draft a QB but failed to do either.
To make matters worse, Schoen failed to drastically improve the Giants' offensive line. He signed a pair of new guards in Jermaine Eluemunor and Jon Runyan, but Eluemunor has mostly been a career backup and Runyan has had trouble staying healthy. Returning are center John Michael Schmitz Jr. and right tackle Evan Neal, both of whom have been disappointments.
Jones will have a new weapon to work with in first-round selection receiver Malik Nabers, but Saquon Barkley is now a member of the division foe Philadelphia Eagles. Schoen simply did not do enough to set Jones up for a bounce-back season, and now Jones has the added pressure of having to back up Schoen's comments. Perhaps a more honest comment would have been "We paid him, so we're stuck with him."
