Big Blue View
For a 2-10 football team, the New York Giants certainly are an interesting, entertaining group. What will happen on Monday when they meet the 10-2 New England Patriots in Foxboro, Mass.? Here are five storylines to pay attention to.
The rookie quarterback practices in full on Wednesday. That does not mean he is playing on Monday. As of Wednesday night, Dart was still in the concussion protocol.
As well as Jameis Winston has played in two games, and as much fun as Winston is to both watch and to be around, it is best for the Giants if Dart plays. If he clears the protocol, interim head coach Mike Kafka has promised that will be the case.
As impressive as Dart was before his concussion, he is still a rookie. Practice and game snaps are still invaluable. To be fair to Kafka as he bids for the full-time head-coaching job, the more ownership gets to see the on-field product with a Dart-Kafka partnership, the more information they will when it comes to making a decision on Kafka’s future.
How much impact can interim defensive coordinator Charlie Bullen have on the Giants’ woefully under-performing defense in just seven days? That’s a good question, since on-field offseason work for the 2025 Giants began way back in April.
Interim head coach Mike Kafka fired Shane Bowen as defensive coordinator when it became apparent to him that Bowen’s predictability and lack of aggression were not going to yield the desired results.
Kafka appears to want a team that tries to take what it wants rather than sits back and hopes for something good to happen.
“When it’s nut cutting time, when it’s time down at the end of the game, when we got to make a play, we’re going to be aggressive to go make the play to win it,” Kafka said this week.
Can Bullen deliver? He has coached under Vance Joseph of the Denver Broncos and Matt Burke of the Houston Texans, coordinators who run two of the league’s best defenses. Giants edge defender Brian Burns says the 41-year-old Bullen will “shoot it straight.”
Bullen will have to do something about the league’s worst defense, which gives up 5.9 yards per rushing attempt. Run fits, setting the edge, inability to dominate the line of scrimmage and a seeming lack of urgency have all been issues.
The Giants might catch a bit of a break this week. New England placed starting left tackle Will Campbell on injured reserve this week, and starting left guard Jared Wilson will miss the game with a high ankle sprain. Starting right tackle Morgan Moses also missed Wednesday’s practice.
Rookie edge defender Abdul Carter has fancy peripheral numbers, but he has only a half-sack and has not been the disruptive game-changer the Giants thought they were getting with the No. 3 overall pick.
Injuries won’t make Bullen’s job easier. Cornerback...
