Season 62 Power Ranking Preview - #23
by adelfish | 4 years ago | 1 Comments
Season 62 Power Ranking Preview - #23
Welcome to the 2020 Red Zone Power Ranking Preview. In this long-running preview, I will be going team at a time, ranking them 32-1, discussing the user, the team, the schedule, etc.
COVERED TEAMS: Lions, Jaguars, Bengals, Patriots, Bears, Vikings, Dolphins, Seahawks, Rams
And here we are at 23, I hope everyone enjoyed their 4th of July weekend. Pretty crazy where the Madden community is right now, with the #FixMaddenFranchise hashtag actually getting a response from EA. Will it lead to anything? Probably not, but the acknolwedgment it interesting enough.
With that being said, we are 50 days away from the release of Madden 21, time flies. Let's get into the next team...
#23 - New York Giants (Beech)
(Projected Record 6-10)
And just like that we enter the NFC East for the team we project to finish last, the New York Giants. Quite a change from Beech's first season last cycle, where he claimed his first ring in a victory over the New Orleans Saints. Looking back, we did not predict Beech to do much with the Patriots, so we may be in for another mistake again with this last place NFC East finish.
This roster is far from the Patriots one that Beech coached to a victory, but it isn't as far away as some think. Beech has a lot of work to do still, especially in a NFC East that projects to be very competitive. A lot of questions remain unanswered, especially at the quarterback position.
With that being said, let's start the deep dive...
One Big Question
With a championship in Season 53, Coach Beech's stock rose. With a trip to a tough NFC East, with a Giants roster in the process of rebuilding, his plate is full. The question is, can he tailor an offense around Saquon Barkley's skillset?
When Beech coached Tom Brady to a Super Bowl victory, having the greatest quarterback in the history of the game certainly helped. Beech was able to design an offense built around the skillset of Brady, utilizing quick passes, and limited deep dropbacks. Now he will be asked to do it again with a completely different position.
Saquon Barkley is touted as one of the best, if not the best, running backs in the entire league, and he is going to be the reason this offense has success. With an offensive line that has been rebuilt over the past few seasons, and a young quarterback, Beech needs to find a way to get this guy involved.
In today's league, relying on the run is difficult, but with such an electric weapon in Barkley, he needs to have the ball in his hands at least 20 times a game. This will in turn take pressure off second year quarterback Daniel Jones, and this young offensive line.
In a division loaded with pass rushers and talented head coaches, Beech has arguably the most talented player on all four of those teams. Using him efficiently will be the key to his success early in the cycle.
One Big Schedule Issue
Well first of all, I don't expect the Giants to do much inside the division this season, as I have them finishing 1-5 against NFC East opponents - I just think the roster isn't there to compete with the Eagles and Cowboys, and they aren't at the level of the Washington coaching staff.
Playing the NFC West and AFC North is difficult enough, but the Giants also draw the Buccaneers and the Bears (who they should beat), so they have to add Tampa to the already stacked list of teams they play.
I just don't see how they'll find more than 6 wins when they have to face San Francisco, Philly twice, Dallas twice, Arizona, Seattle, the Rams, Cleveland, and Baltimore.
Reasons for Optimism
Obviously it starts with Saquon Barkley who we mentioned above, one of the best running backs in the league. He is actually heading a pretty talented backfield with Dion Lewis and Wayne Gallman. Finding the right way to disperse touches will be key for this offense, and keeping Barkley off the injury report.
The weapons around the quarterback are actually really impressive, as I really like Sterling Shepard at wide receiver, along with Golden Tate and Darius Slayton, this is a high potential receiving core. Of course Evan Engram has to be mentioned, one of the most athletic tight ends in the league. This passing attack has some real upside, they are just lacking a true number one threat.
On the offensive line the Giants have been rebuilding, one of the biggest pieces is offensive tackle Andrew Thomas who was just taken 4th overall in the draft. Combining him with Kevin Zeitler and Will Hernandez, this is a bright future for the position group.
Defensively, the Giants have done a good job adding talent to their front seven. The defensive line of Leonard Williams, Dexter Lawrence, and Dalvin Tomlinson is a very talented trio, although two of them are currently on expiring deals, this will have to be addressed immediately.
The Giants also added cornerback James Bradberry in free agency and traded for Jabrill Peppers last season, two really solid building blocks to their secondary, and don't forget they had just added cornerback Deandre Baker last year in the first round, but he is currently going through some off the field isuses.
Reasons for Negativity
I'm not necessarily negative on Daniel Jones, but I am concerned. He actually was more impressive than most thought in his rookie campaign, throwing for 24 touchdowns to 12 interceptions, but didn't do enough to lead the Giants to wins. Is he going to come into his second year in the league improved? It is vital for Beech to find out in the next two seasons if Jones is the quarterback of the future, but as I mentioned above, the weapons are there.
Argubaly one of the worst contracts in the league is on the Giants in left tackle Nate Solder who has regressed every season since joining the Giants, and is currently owed $39 million over the next two seasons. This is a problem that Beech will have to resolve soon, as a replacement for Solder is needed soon, but they will have to carry a heavy cap hit.
The Giants also need to upgrade at center, as Spencer Pulley who is currently slated to start, has been one of the worst at his position since taking snaps.
Upgrading at the linebacker position will need to be addressed as well, a head-scratching $30 million contract was given to Blake Martinez this summer, and another $4.6 million to Kyler Fackrell, a pair of former Packers who have been average as of late. This is a lot of money to two low-impact guys, although Martinez provides value in the run game.
The Giants will have little wiggle room next offseason, freeing up a little less than $20 million, but that will be needed to re-sign Leonard Williams if desired. The big problems come in two years, when Barkley, Engram, Zeitler, Hernandez, and Peppers are all due extensions. Beech has to make some decisions, and fast.
Last Word
The Giants roster is entering the final phase of a rebuild, they have the quarterback, the playmakers, the offensive line pieces, and some impact defenders - but is it enough? They lack a true star on defense, unless the defensive line continues to ascend, and if one of Bradberry or Peppers can pop in the secondary.
Offensively, finding out if Daniel Jones is the future is paramount. If he isn't, the Giants need to make a move sooner rather than later, especially with a last place finish as I predict. In a division with Wentz and Prescott, the Giants can't afford to fall too far behind in the quarterback race.
Can I see Beech exceeding this 6 win total prediction? Absolutely, this roster is better than people give it credit for, but I don't see enough playmakers to push them past the top tier NFC opponents. If the Giants can spend wisely, and bring in a true number one receiver, and continue to build the offensive line, this team could be a force in the future.