New York Giants-C-
Pat Shurmur’s first year in charge of the Giants was interesting, but it wasn’t all that productive. Finishing 5-11 is probably about right for the talent level at his disposal, but New York didn’t really answer many questions about their future. That’s not acceptable in a season where postseason qualification was never a realistic goal.
The quarterback issue is going to hang over the franchise until a long-term successor for Eli Manning is identified and installed. Manning wasn’t awful this season, but he’s got zero upside as a signal caller. Big seasons from Saquon Barkley and Odell Beckham, Jr. helped make the offense an average NFL unit. Scoring 23.1 points per game isn’t great, but it’s not terrible either.
The defense wasn’t a train wreck either, but they were comfortably below average. Landon Collins led the team in tackles, but he’s a free agent. If New York can’t retain him or acquire a suitable replacement on the open market they could become one of the league’s worst units in 2019.
Ultimately, the Giants attempted to thread the needle between rebuilding and contending. They didn’t really accomplish either objective. That’s why they come away with a pretty ugly C-.