A Giant Identity Crisis
By Superfan
When it all came down to it, what this season really amounted to was a lack of identity. The Gmen have always been seen as a tough, hard-nosed, power squad that could run the ball at will, and always presented a dominant pass rush. This year, however, those traits were nowhere to be found.
The Season That Was…
Remember how much promise this season started with? For five straight weeks, we were seen as one of the top three or four teams in all of football. It was a great time. When we went 5-0, we were a strong offensive team that handled lesser opponents with ease, winning games we were supposed to win. When we went into the four-game slide, I thought it was nothing more than a funk. This happens in sports often (although less noticeable in baseball and basketball, where there are so many more games in a season), and is typically referred to as “being streaky.” It’s a situation where a haze descends on a team, and nothing can seem to go right (see Major League, Bull Durham, the Knicks). This is typically followed by some sort of a winning streak, which creates at least a little balance in the win/loss column. But, alas, this wasn’t a typical season.
I really thought after our victory over the Falcons that we’d follow with a big Thanksgiving win in Denver, and the rest of the season would play out nicely. The last thing I thought I’d see was a complete collapse. It was like pod people replaced our entire defense! Yes, we had a big win against Dallas, but they still scored 31 points in the process (as they did in our first victory over them). The following loss to Philadelphia was absurd. I’ll never understand how we managed to score 38 offensive points against the Eagles, and still lost. The Washington game was a nice glimmer of hope, but what went on in our final two games was like a giant smack in the face to the entire fan base. It proved that our worst fear had come true – the team was playing without pride. The same team that used to be a blueprint for the rest of the NFL for stability, power, and toughness, was now playing without purpose.
And I REFUSE to believe what so many people have tried to convince me of – that “maybe they’re just not that good.” BULL. I’ve seen nearly all of those same players dominate very talented opponents. (Remember last year’s Baltimore game?) We need to do a whole lot of soul-searching this off-season. And you gotta feel bad for Eli – to have the best statistical season of your career lost in the disappointment of a mediocre 8-8 finish? Talk about bittersweet.
A Sad Sight
One thing bothered me about my attitude while viewing the Minnesota game more than anything. I reached the point where I was so frustrated, I simply stopped caring. To me, that’s the worst reaction a fan can have. To be filled with so much anger and disappointment that the resulting reaction is apathy. It seemed futile to convey anything more than that, given the lack of pride visible in the team’s final performance.
Watching them on the sidelines, it was hard to believe that this team, OUR TEAM, could be so indifferent while getting blown-out for the second straight week. Are these still the New York Giants? Where did the toughness go? The pride? These, among others, will be the key questions that will need to be addressed during this off-season.
Moving forward…
The shake-ups have already begun, with the Giants having just recently dismissed Bill Sheridan and Mike Wauffle. As far as the DC is concerned, I really like the prospect of Dick Jauron, if he’s willing to take the step down from head coach to coordinator. But it’s all speculation at this point anyway, and I still have faith that Jerry Reese knows what he’s doing, and will have the team’s best interests in heart moving forward from here. Let’s also hope the players stew on this for a little while before flushing it away and planning ahead to next season. Make sure they remember how painfully embarrassing we looked by season’s end, and work that much harder to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Random Thoughts:
- Now that the Gmen’s season is over, I can get back to some recreational reading. On that note, I’ve really been getting into both Lee Child’s “Jack Reacher” series and Vince Flynn’s “Mitch Rapp” series lately. Talk about the ultimate bad-ass American hero. Those two characters make Jack Ryan look like a nerdy pencil-pusher in comparison. I highly recommend both authors.
- It’d be great if there was a situation where the Cowboys and Eagles remained tied through so many overtimes that the game had to end that way, thus negating both teams. I suppose in that case a team would potentially get two straight byes on their way to the NFC championship game, which would be ridiculous. But at least the Eagles and Cowboys would both be out in the first round!
- Hasn’t the whole “Tweeting” thing run its course!?! If it’s here to stay, can we at least change the name? I was listening to NFL radio the other night, and they were talking about how Josh Cribbs’ agent had been doing some “serious Tweeting” that day. Really?? This is professional sports, not Gossip Girl. Come on, already!
So here we are, my last article for the 2009 season. It wasn’t the greatest of seasons, but I had a real blast spending it with you fans! I’m sorry if I’m late responding to people’s e-mails, but I’ll try my best to get to them soon. To reach me via e-mail, the address is gmensuperfan@gmail.com. I’m also on Facebook, under the name “Gmen Superfan.” Happy New Year, enjoy the playoffs, and start getting ready for the draft in April! Until next season, GO GMEN!!!!
