Exciting Season Start of the New York Giants: Challenges and Painful Decisions

The New York Giants opened the season with some significant upheavals: the departure of defensive coordinator Wink Martindale and the decision to release star running back Saquon Barkley into free agency placed the team's leadership under considerable pressure. In the first week of the new season, potential weaknesses promptly and clearly became visible. Coach Brian Daboll’s conflicts with Martindale led to his resignation in January and increased expectations for the defense. “The narrative cannot be that the defense regressed without Wink, because if that happens, the press will say, ‘Look, the head coach can’t implement this and that,’” an NFL official explained in March. Although the Giants’ offense was primarily responsible for the 28-6 loss to Minnesota on Sunday, the defense also struggled to stop the opposing quarterback. Darnold completed nearly 80 percent of his passes for 8.7 yards per attempt — a bitter pill, especially after Barkley ran for 109 yards and scored three touchdowns in Philadelphia’s win against Green Bay on Friday. “I’m going to have a hard time sleeping if Saquon goes to Philadelphia, I’m telling you,” Giants owner John Mara candidly told General Manager Joe Schoen in March while the ‘Hard Knocks’ cameras were rolling. “He is by far our most popular player.” Later, the cameras showed an unhappy Mara when it was revealed that Barkley would indeed be going to the Eagles. GMs often set philosophical boundaries regarding high payments for 27-year-old running backs with increased injury risks. It would have been interesting to see the discussions last year when the Giants decided to pay quarterback Daniel Jones. Who argued the loudest for that contract then? It remains questionable how the situation with Barkley would have unfolded without cameras. “My feeling is that John Mara would have intervened without ‘Hard Knocks’ and prevented Barkley’s departure, but he didn’t want to be perceived as meddling,” commented another team executive. These internal dynamics make the happenings off the field just as exciting as the games themselves. “The owner thinks, ‘Barkley was one of our best players for years, the team respects him, and I don’t want him to beat us twice,’” said another official. “But the fact is, the Giants are not very strong at the moment and could lose to Philly twice anyway.”