The Giants have had a winning trend dating back to the days of Lawrence Taylor and Phil Simms, which persisted throughout the majority of the “Eli Manning Era.” However, a major slump has left Giants fans wondering about the seemingly bleak future of their team.
Coming into the 2013-2014 season, the New York Giants had super bowl aspirations. With a similar team that achieved this feat in 2012, there was reason to believe this was a plausible expectation. To nearly every football fan’s surprise, the Giants have had an abysmal start to their 2013-2014 campaign. This underwhelming start has been attributed to many factors. One of these factors is their suspect offensive line. The offensive line that the Giants currently employ is the least experienced one that head coach Tom Coughlin, has used. The offensive line, which is vital to protecting the quarterback, has proved to be detrimental to field general, Eli Manning.
In the first seven games of the regular season, Eli Manning has proved to be the antithesis of his brother Peyton, with his terrible start. While Peyton is thriving, leading the NFL in touchdown passes, Eli is leading the NFL in interceptions. Eli is on pace to throw the second most interceptions of all time in one season while Peyton is busy setting the record for most touchdown passes in a single season. Many Giant fans are asking themselves, “What gives?”
To answer this question, Manning has turned into a complete shell of himself, and his offensive line cannot be all to blame. Manning has continued to miss open receivers and throw into tight coverage that has made rookies scratch their head. The prevalence of injuries to running backs Brandon Jacobs and David Wilson have inhibited the Giant’s offensive capability as well. Many analysts have pointed to head Coach Tom Coughlin and his decision making. The usual dominant defensive line of the Giants has aged significantly and has not looked nearly as stout as so many are accustomed to.
The Giants woes have shocked every fan of “Big Blue.” Eli Manning and the offensive line are looked at as the primary culprits of these struggles, and the lack of a running attack does not help either. Nonetheless, Giants fans may soon realize the possibility that a two time Super Bowl winning champion may see the end of the bench if things do not start changing for the better.
