Silverman: Unlike Jets, Giants Won't Panic — Which Is Why They Have A Chance
By Steve Silverman
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The heat is all over Rex Ryan's once-considerable backside, and the focus on the Jets is extraordinary at this point.
Which means that it is not on the Giants, at least for a few minutes. That's a good thing for Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning, because they return from their bye with a supremely difficult task of their own. They have to find a way to rescue their 3-4 season and get back in the race for the NFC East title, or at the very least a Wild Card spot.
There's a big difference between the Giants and teams like the Jets, the Bears and the Falcons. The Giants have a strong leader in Coughlin, who has been to hell and back before, and has figured out ways to make his team successful.
Ryan, of course, is at the end of his rope with the Jets. Whether he gets fired in the immediate future or his demise comes at the end of the year, Ryan is not the kind of coach who can turn around the Jets' situation. His offensive shortcomings have been acknowledged for years, and a supposedly sharp assistant like Marty Mornhinweg is not enough to get him and his team out of the hole it is in.
It doesn't take a football genius to conclude that Geno Smith is simply never going to be the answer as far as the Jets are concerned. There's the slimmest of outside chances that he could grow with another team and become a competent backup. But a winning NFL starter? That chance is gone and there's quite a bit of evidence that he will never turn it around.
Michael Vick appears to be past his expiration date as well, and if he's not it may take him weeks to get comfortable in the Jets' offense.
The Jets' brain trust does not know how to turn the situation around, and it seems that the same things are going on in Chicago and in Atlanta. Marc Trestman is supposed to be the quarterback whisperer with the Bears, but it seems quite clear that he can't get through to Jay Cutler. If ever there was a quarterback who looked like he was going through the motions, it's Cutler.
That's probably not fair, but the truth is that he continues to make mistakes that keep a talented offensive team from playing competitive football.
Mike Smith in Atlanta is among the most decent men in the league, a kind and caring soul who appears to have given his players too much rope. After his team blew a 21-0 lead to the Detroit Lions in London on Sunday morning, the Falcons appear to have as little hope as the Jets or Bears do. Owner Arthur Blank has reportedly lost faith in his team, and when that happens, the coach can't be long for his job.
The Giants are on the brink of falling off the side of the mountain like those teams, but they have a fighting chance because they have Coughlin and Manning.
They may ultimately fall short because they face a daunting schedule that starts with the Colts this week and follows with Seattle, San Francisco and Dallas before the gauntlet ends with a game at Jacksonville.
However, there will be no panic, which is what fans of the Jets, Bears and Falcons have seen far too often from their teams' leadership. Coughlin is going to draw up a professional game plan and his players will follow it.
It's going to be tough for the Giants, with both an offense and a defense that ranks in the bottom third of the league. But with Andre Williams in the backfield, and wide receivers Rueben Randle and Odell Beckham and tight end Larry Donnell, the Giants have a cadre of unheralded offensive weapons who can get the job done if they are functioning at peak efficiency.
They also need Jason Pierre-Paul and Mathias Kiwanuka to turn the clock back and play like it is the 2011 season once again. They need to exhibit their leadership and play to the top of their capabilities.
It���s a huge task, but the Giants will go about it in a professional way and won't panic like their forlorn stadium mates, the Bears and the Falcons.
That's why they have a chance, and they can undertake that task while attention is focused elsewhere.
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