Early Offseason Concerns for the New York Giants

The New York Giants are in full-blown evaluation mode of their football operations, with everything under scrutiny in the wake of a 6-10 season.

In the coming weeks, the front office should have some answers regarding the direction the team needs to pursue. 

As the team goes through its processes, there are several general questions and concerns, some of which simply need to play out, that could impact the fortunes of the franchise moving forward.

Let’s take a look at those concerns.  

Will Victor Cruz Ever Be the Same Again Following His Knee Injury?

Al Bello/Getty Images

Once again, the Giants will enter an offseason with a major question mark hanging over the head of one of their key players recovering from an injury.

This time around, it’s receiver Victor Cruz, who suffered a torn patellar ligament in Week 6 against the Philadelphia Eagles back in October.

Cruz, who at the end of December told reporters that he was able to do a variety of movements requiring a full range of motion with the exception of running, also said that based on the information he gathered from other players who had a similar injury, it could take about six or seven months before he’s able to start running.

“I want to make sure I’m 100 percent with no ailments, with no pain or anything like that when I’m running or when I’m doing all the things I need to do to get back out there on the field,” Cruz said.

Despite the optimism, even Cruz wasn’t sure when he would be allowed back on the field.

“I don’t know. It’s kind of up to the trainers,” he said. “I like to put it in those guys’ hands to see how far they think I’m progressing, but personally, I’d like to be back by training camp, obviously, so I can get back with the guys and get that work in that I need before preseason and before the regular season starts up again.”

So where does that leave the Giants?

“It is a significant injury that he has,” general manager Jerry Reese told reporters during his year-end press conference.

“You never know how he is going to come back from that. We are hoping that he is definitely going to come back and be the Victor Cruz that we know.”

Because of the uncertainty, Reese said that the Giants are going to prepare just in case Cruz, like David Wilson before him, can’t make it back onto the field.

“You’ve got to prepare as if, ‘What if Victor Cruz doesn’t come back?’” Reese said. “That is always in the back of your head.”

With that all said, the question the Giants have to answer is how much protection do they think they’ll need in case Cruz doesn’t come back as the same player he was before.

That’s still to be determined.

Do They Have Enough Pass-Rushers?

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

Regardless of what happens with defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, who is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent, the Giants defensive line needs some fresh blood.

Pierre-Paul is probably going to be slapped with the franchise tag if the team can’t come to an agreement with the 26-year-old.

Giants co-owner John Mara indicated in his year-end press conference with reporters that the team desires to have Pierre-Paul back.

“We would certainly like him back, but it would have to be at the right price, something that makes sense for us. He certainly had a great finish to the season and showed the type of player that he can be and that he will be going forward. I would be very surprised if he was not a Giant next year.”

Let’s say Pierre-Paul does return. Who then are the other pass-rushers in the mix? Mathias Kiwanuka is probably done, which would leave the team with Robert Ayers, Damontre Moore and Kerry Wynn.

Moore is still a work in progress, the coaches waiting to see him begin to flourish against the run. Wynn is a young player; and Ayers is the swing guy who can play end and tackle.

On paper, those three don’t seem like enough firepower. That could lead to the Giants drafting a defensive end within the first two rounds, unless they roll the dice with Moore having his breakout season this year and instead look to supplement the defensive end spot with a veteran.

Is Keeping Defensive Coordinator Perry Fewell the Right Decision?

Mike Groll/Associated Press

According to numerous media reports, the first of which came from Tom Rock of Newsday, defensive coordinator Perry Fewell looks like he’s going to stick around another season, this despite co-owner John Mara’s blunt assessment of how poorly the unit performed in 2014.

“Our defense did not play well this year. There is no secret about that when you finish 28th or 29th or wherever we finished,” he told reporters during his year-end press conference.

“They had opportunities in a lot of games this year to make a key stop at the end of the game, and they didn’t do it. There is no question that has to be a focus going into next season.”

While injuries do have to be taken into consideration in this case, just how much of the defense’s shortcomings this season were a result of Fewell’s schemes and game-planning coming up short?

Head coach Tom Coughlin, who has the final decision regarding his coaching staff, tried to mix in the good while acknowledging the bad when he spoke with reporters at the end of the year. At the time, he left the door open for a change, adding, “I’m still evaluating everything.”

One week later, it appears that Coughlin is convinced Fewell can pull the Giants defense out of the tailspin it found itself in. However, there are concerns with that line of thought.

As noted in this analysis, Fewell’s system oftentimes led to at least one critical breakdown, this due to a lack of communication.

Whether that means the system is too complicated or is asking too much of the players is up for debate, but last year, some of those breakdowns were happening between veteran players.

Again, nothing official has been announced by the team, though the longer the team doesn’t say anything, the more likely it means no change at that spot is coming.

Fewell, remember, helped win a Super Bowl for the Giants. His defense in 2013 finished 10th in 2013 overall, 13th against the run, 10th against the pass and 17th in points allowed.

The 2014 disaster could very well be all about the injuries, even if the Giants don’t want to make that their excuse. And if they have decided to retain Fewell, as Rock and others have reported, only time will tell if they made the right decision. 

Can QB Coach Mike Sullivan Get Quickly Up to Speed on the West Coast Offense?

USA TODAY Sports

While it wasn’t so much a surprise to learn last week that head coach Tom Coughlin invited former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan to return to the team as its quarterbacks coach after Danny Langsdorf abruptly left, it was still a curious move.

Before explaining why, let’s first look at the two years (2010 and 2011) Sullivan was the quarterbacks coach for the Giants.

In 2011, he helped coach Eli Manning to his highest career single-season yardage total (4,933 yards), his best NFL passer rating (92.9), his third-highest touchdown total (29) and his second-lowest interception total (16 based on a 16 games).

Clearly Sullivan and Manning have a solid working relationship, and it might even be argued that Manning missed Sullivan after the veteran coach left to become the offensive coordinator in Tampa Bay based on the decline in Manning’s completion percentage in 2012 (59.9) and 2013 (57.5).

So why is Sullivan’s return to the Giants a concern? Because he doesn’t have as much experience coaching the intricacies that go along with a West Coast offense.

That’s not to say Sullivan, who is a very bright man, can’t learn—he has plenty of time this offseason to study film and familiarize himself with what he needs to know in order to help Manning build on what he accomplished last year.

However, the concern—as we saw after Sullivan left and Sean Ryan was moved into the spot despite having never coached quarterbacks at the NFL level—is that until Sullivan actually does come up to speed on things, that Manning is going to be coaching his coach at the onset.

The Safety Position

Al Bello/Getty Images

There is a reason why team co-owner John Mara and general manager Jerry Reese both told reporters at the end of the season that, if the price is right, they’d like to have veteran safety Antrel Rolle, who’s set to be an unrestricted free agent, back.

Rolle’s return would provide a blend of experience and leadership at a position that right now is a huge question mark.

Veterans Stevie Brown and Quintin Demps are also set to be unrestricted free agents. The likelihood of both returning is slim. Cooper Taylor, who will enter his third season, showed flashes of talent in the preseason, but he has twice now seen his season end early due to injuries.

Nat Berhe, a promising draft pick, has loads of potential. But the reality is that when the position had its struggles last year, that forced defensive coordinator Perry Fewell to bench Brown for Demps and then later Demps for Brown—Berhe wasn’t ready for a bigger role.

There is always the draft, and there will almost certainly be a free-agent acquisition this offseason just in case Rolle doesn’t return.

Any way you slice it, the safety position is far from being settled right now, and there’s much work to be done at that spot.

Patricia Traina covers the New York Giants for Inside Football, the Journal Inquirer and The SportsXchange. All quotes and information obtained firsthand unless otherwise sourced. Follow me on Twitter @Patricia_Traina.