The Giants, once a proud franchise, have become the laughingstock of the NFL
Daniel Jones #8 of the Giants reacts during a game against the Minnesota Vikings at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. Credit: Jim McIsaac
If Sunday’s opener is any indication of what lies immediately ahead, this 100th season of Giants football could feel like its own 100-year-long slog through the schedule.
It was going to be hard to top the cheesy throwback uniforms the team wore as the most unsightly part of the afternoon at MetLife Stadium, but these Giants did just that with a performance that led to a humiliating 28-6 loss to the Vikings.
The Giants called the goofy duds their “Century Red” look, and they might have had a salvageable aesthetic with some better play, but the team instead took the field and put on a performance that can only be called “Century Dread.”
When the head coach is asked if there was a single thing the team did that he could at least point to as a positive, and he says “not at this time, no” — the way Brian Daboll did — things are bleak.
When the quarterback around whom the organization has chosen to build this roster looks like a scared, overmatched rookie instead of a six-year vet and throws two interceptions with twice as many misplaced passes, as Daniel Jones did, times are bad.
The only noticeable difference in the unimpressive Jones — who last year created immediate skepticism about the team’s decision to give him a four-year, $160 million contract — is that he grew a beard.
“It’s certainly frustrating and disappointing to get the result today that we did,” Jones said. “For us, we’ve got to understand this is the first week. There’s a lot of football to play.”
Yeah. Sixteen more games. Thanks for reminding us.
And when the most exciting play you can muster in the game is the juggling four-man downing of a punt at the 1-yard line to pin the opponent as deep in its own territory as possible, only to have them steal your theme and celebrate your 99th anniversary with a 99-yard touchdown drive — a spirit-breaking 11-play affair in the second quarter — well, it’s hard to cheer for anything else.
So on a day when 100 of the greatest players in franchise history were either on hand or represented by family members to be honored, the current team couldn’t even keep the booing at bay through the first half of the first game in order for those legends to be properly feted.
There were, of course, loud cheers for Lawrence Taylor, Eli Manning and Phil Simms, but those felt more like the fans beckoning them back for just a few snaps to salvage what this franchise has become. Maybe they wouldn’t have done any better in their aging forms, but at least it would have been entertaining to watch.
If Tim Mara had seen a team that played like this back in the fall of 1925, he might have asked for a refund on his $500 investment.
We’ve even fast-forwarded to the point in the season when Giants players express their displeasure with the fans for voicing theirs. Asked about the booing that cascaded throughout the building, defensive captain Dexter Lawrence said: “I don’t respect that.”
We usually wait until at least October to hear those kinds of things.
These Giants didn’t give anyone much to respect. They have proved they are much better at celebrating their 100th season than actually playing it. Despite all the chest-puffing pomp they put into this yearlong party to amplify their proud heritage, their current on-field product has become the very thing they have feared most as an organization throughout their existence. They are laughable.
The rest of the league saw what the Giants did on Sunday and cackled at them. Their clown outfits certainly didn’t help. They’ve become a bad joke. The franchise that once brought you a championship in “The Sneakers Game” has sunk to this chortle-inducing performance and produced “The Snickers Game.”
While many at MetLife on Sunday were well-versed in Giants history, this was Brian Burns’ introduction to his new team’s culture.
At first, of course, the linebacker was very impressed by the packed house and pyrotechnics.
“It was a great vibe, the fans came out, they were great,” he said of the opening ceremonies.
Then the football started. And Burns’ lesson went from history to current events.
“Momentum switches,” he said. “Anything can happen. I wouldn’t say [I was] disappointed because I’ve been playing for a while, and I know how things can get.”
Yes, Burns played the first five years of his career for the Panthers, perpetually one of the worst teams in the league. He came to the Giants believing he had left that kind of misery behind him. Sunday demonstrated that he has not. At least the Panthers scored a touchdown in their embarrassing loss on Sunday!
Even the thrill of seeing rookie receiver Malik Nabers in his first NFL game waned quickly. He was serenaded with loud, extended “Leeeek!” cheers after his first two catches late in the first quarter. But when he caught a 7-yard pass in the third quarter, there was barely a squeak, never mind a Leeeek.
Can things change? Certainly. Plenty of successful seasons have started out with stumbles, both for the Giants and other teams. Heck, that Giants team in 1925 lost its first three games and scored a total of three points during the span. These guys already have six, so they’re ahead of that pace.
But for the second straight year, the Giants came out of a preseason filled with hope and optimism and played an opening game that gave absolutely no reason for either to exist as the coming months await.
Oh, well. There’s always next century.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
