The Star-Ledger-USA TODAY Sports
At halftime of the New York Giants Week 3 game against the Carolina Panthers, Michael Strahan, a FOX football analyst and former Giants star, compared the Giants to a high school team trying to play in the NFL. The score at that point was 17-0 in favor of the Panthers.
The Giants ended up losing 38-0 in an all-around pathetic display of football. Calling them a high school team is giving them way too much credit. They looked more like a Pop Warner team in their first practice of the season.
It’s hard to believe that this team hoisted the Lombardi trophy two years ago, but it’s time to forget about that. The players and, more importantly, the coaching staff cannot be given passes because of their previous successes. A team with the personnel that was good enough to win a Super Bowl should not be getting man-handled 38-0 by a Panthers team that came into the game with an 0-2 record.
Both offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride and defensive coordinator Perry Fewell should be on seats so hot that they should be checking themselves for third-degree burns. A case could easily be made that both coaches should be fired before the plane ride back to New York.
The Giants offense compiled 150 yards of total offense and the defense surrendered 400 yards of total offense. The offense converted on just three third downs out of 12 attempts. The offensive line allowed seven sacks (six of which came in the first half) and the team was penalized six times for 45 yards.
With a two-time Super Bowl MVP under center and the threats the Giants have lined up on the outside, there is no excuse for the offense looking as anemic as it has.
On defense, the Giants looked like a gang of deer in the headlights trying to stop the read option, yet two quarterbacks in the NFC East run the same offense. How the Giants were so unprepared to play against it is simply amazing.
General manager Jerry Reese needs to start looking at alternative coaching options. He should try and bring in two new coordinators to try and salvage this season. Moves of this magnitude are unlikely after Week 3, but if the Giants wait much longer there won’t be a season capable of saving.
Right now, it’s nearly impossible to imagine the Giants beating anyone in the NFL. Let’s have the argument discussing whether or not the Giants are the worst team in football because, through three weeks, they have a better chance of drafting Jadeveon Clowney than they do of making the playoffs.
Daniel Brennan covers the New York Giants for www.RantSports.com. You can follow him on Twitter @DBrennan30 and add him to your network on Google.
RELATED:
New York Giants: Should Fire Kevin Gilbride After Week 3 Loss
