Sephiroth

Do it, you sluts.

I'm not sure this is a fair assessment when Shoen went into last season something like 30 million over the cap. On the free agent market, I thought he honestly found a lot more diamonds in the rough then I expected (Hodgins, James, Moreau, etc). It'll be interesting to see what Shoen does now that he's got actual money to spend; let's hope he doesn't waste it on the Leonard Williamses and Blake Martinezes of the league like the last guy. The fact that there's a two-year out is encouraging to me; if he sucks this year we can draft a developmental guy next year and still have Jones while the young guy learns. It's weird to say in year five though, but Jones has never had NFL-caliber receivers to throw to... but he's done everything else you'd want a young QB to do. Good/selfless leader Hard worker Makes other guys around him better (this WR corps and 4/5 of the o-line is awful) Reads/progressions have improved Cut down on turnovers Came up big in some big spots and made plays out of nothing (especially with his feet) Showed a good enough arm on out patterns and deep throws He deserves a shot with a true #1 WR and a decent line. If he can't cut it then, we'll cut bait, but for now I think it's good to see what we've got in him.

Honestly I think it's a pretty good contract. 40 mil/year will look pretty sweet in the final two years of the deal, and if Jones sucks we can get out after 2 years. If he plays like a top-5 QB he gets paid top-5 QB money in incentives. Looks like everyone has something to be happy about. A 19 million cap hit this year also makes me think Schoen has either a big FA signing lined up or a big trade. Gonna be an interesting few weeks.

Watched some film on him last night and you're right. Kid looks like he could be a high-end starter in the league and nobody is talking about him. Throws a really nice ball.

I think there's another legit scenario too, where the Giants tag Jones and draft his replacement. We're not gonna get a day one starter at pick 25, but if there's a high-end developmental guy there, whether it be a Levis or Richardson (unlikely) or a Hendon Hooker in round 3 (more likely)... that might put the team in a good situation where at this point next season you either know Jones is definitely the guy or you've got a young player ready to get his shot. A Richardson type may suck at first but give them the Mahomes treatment on the bench for a year and you may have something the following season.

Anybody else thinking maybe we just cut bait? I like Jones as a player but he's out of his fucking mind if he thinks he's worth 48 million per season.

I don't agree that the wins were against scrubs (Tennessee, Green Bay, Baltimore, etc are all good teams) but yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if the team plans to tag Jones and draft a QB. I'm seeing them attached to Hendon Hooker quite a bit, and I've heard that dude fucks.

Yeah but the question is... did exclusion from the poll make them gay?

Thanks man. And yeah... 4 backs is a lot, but Vaughn and Lupeke are really more utility pieces than backs. I'd take an interior O-lineman as well but in think scenario we picked up Ben Powers and Justin Pugh so there was no need. Except for possibly my first two picks I don't expect Shoen to take any of these guys.

Oh yeah man, there's like zero percent chance of this happening. Don't wanna draft the next Darren Sproles when you've got DJ Davison staring you in the face.

To start with, I’d like to apologize to Joe Shoen. I know he’s been waiting for this for just over a week now, and because of my tardiness he’s headed to Indianapolis without any idea of what to look for or who to keep an eye on. I hope this gets to him promptly so he can feel better prepared for the draft in two months. So yes everyone, it’s time for the next installment of “Seph fixes the Giants.” This time quite naturally, we’re going to focus on who to draft this April. Though we’ve made some improvements in areas of need, we still have some gaping holes to fill, most notably at RB, WR, and in the secondary. While we can’t fix everything this offseason (Dave Gettleman left me in a pretty bad spot), I think after running a dozen mocks or so there will be some players available that will help the team out. I think record-wise the team takes a step back next year, so some of these guys are more developmental than “come right in and start” kind of guys, but I think most of them will contribute to the team over the next four years, barring injury. So without further ado: Round 1, pick 25: WR Jalin Hyatt “What?!?!? Seph is picking a WR slated to go in the second with the first pick! IMGRATES!” Ok, get it out of your systems. Have a look at the guy’s game tape: he’s got decent size but amazing quickness, and flat-out burner speed. His lateral agility is nothing to write home about and he’s going to struggle with press coverage at first, but a true burner that does well in space is what our WR corps needs right now, and Hyatt has it in spades. I suspect he’ll shoot up draft boards after the combine. Round 2, pick 57: CB Garrett Williams Here’s where we start to get to that whole developmental thing. Williams has great size, impeccable ball skills, and the stickiness to keep with big-bodied NFL receivers. I’d like to see him flip his hips a bit better, but he makes up for it with his ability to diagnose plays. He’s got the recovery speed when things go bad, and he’s not afraid to come up and stick a running back in the sweep/screen game. Round 3, pick 89: RB Tank Bigsby With only D’onta Foreman and Matt Breida on the roster right now, the team is in desperate need of running back depth. Tank Bigsby is another one-cut guy that has speed, power, and most importantly, VISION… the latter of which I believe is the most important and often most overlooked quality in a running back. Not just that, his jump cut is devastating and he has amazing lateral movement for a back this size. He’ll end up splitting carries by year two and is a strong contender to get solid work day one. Round 3, pick 100: ED Nick Herbig As an undersized pass rusher, I think Herbig’s role in the defense would be as an A-gap rusher and situational edge guy year one. Eventually I’d love to see him transition possibly to the MLB spot full time, or be used as a movable piece all over the line. Not quite as high on his as I was on Leo Chenal from last year, but I think he’s a guy who can come in and contribute in spot duty year one, with plus upside moving forward. Oh yeah, he’s pretty decent in coverage too. Round 4, pick 128: C Olusegun Oluwatimi This dude is still here at the bottom of the fourth and I’m snatching him up. Not only did he win the Rimington Award given to the best center in college football, but he also won the Outland Trophy for best interior lineman OVERALL. He’s not a mauler and will need to work a bit on his strength, but he’s smart, mobile, understands blocking schemes, and has no problem getting to the next level. Think more Shaun O’Hara than Nick Gates. Round 5, pick 162: RB Deuce Vaughn Let’s get this out of the way: Deuce Vaugn is tiny. Tiny, tiny, TINY. He will probably never be a good blocker as a third-down back, and he’s not going to run over anybody not named Deon Sanders. But watch his film: he has flat-out amazing speed, balance, and hands, and again… great vision. I envision Daboll taking this guy as a change-of-pace/3rd down runner and receiver out of the backfield. I also think he can take a lot of the Wan’Dale Robinson plays until he’s fully healthy. Definite bust potential here, but I’m happy swinging for the fences with this guy hoping to land a Darren Sproles type. Oh yeah, he was used as a returner sporadically in college, which means he has a reasonable chance to unseat whoever it is that returns kicks on the GIants. Round 6, pick 209: LB Dee Winters I kind of have the feeling that you could give Wink Martendale Carrot Top and the kid who played Kevin Arnold’s best friend on The Wonder Years and he could make decent linebackers out of them. Dee Winters strikes me as the kind of guy Wink would like; sneaky athletic, good instincts, and a ferocious hitter. Doesn’t provide much in the way of pass rush, but deadly on a free run to the QB. I think in spot duty for a few games, Winters is the kind of guy that can come in, not embarrass you, and will even provide one or two highlight-worthy plays over a few weeks. Round 6, pick 216: TE McCallan Castles This guy reminds me a lot of Daniel Bellinger, in that he does everything ok-to-good but nothing great. He’s got legit height and good hands; blocking is a bit spotty but he’s got the frame to add more weight and is certainly willing. I think if Bellinger gets poked in the eye, Castles can come in and do a good Daniel Bellinger impersonation. Round 7, pick 242: FB Hunter Lupeke Hey, a guy can dream, right? There’s no way we’re drafting this guy… but watching his film, I can’t help but get Kyle Juszyzyzyzyzk vibes off him. I see him as another movable (albeit less skilled) piece for the offense that can play in the backfield, or as an in-line TE. Doesn’t fit our offense at all, but has serious potential for a FB. Round 7, pick 245: HB Tavion Thomas Tavion Thomas has a little Brandon Jacobs to his game, which I love. Decent speed, but man, you’ve gotta love that power. I see him as another one-cut-and-go type that will make yards where there are none. I don’t know that Daboll even likes power backs and I just drafted two, so yeah, I’m probably spitballing here… but I’d sure as hell draft him if for not other reason than third-and-goal at the 2. Round 7, pick 254: T T.J. Bass He’s ok at tackle, and I think you can put him there in spot duty, but I see him more as a guard. He’s fine and may make the team as a backup interior o-lineman. Coming from Oregon, he’s at least faced some decent competition. So there you have it. Yes, Saquon is gone; but we have four promising backs on our roster now instead of one. Between Hyatt, Marshall, and our other receivers, it’s difficult to think we’re not in a better place at that spot than we were last season. Our offensive line, though still in need of a year of seasoning, is finally in place. And on defense, we have some terrific young corner and LBs that should come in and contribute. Joe Shoen, make it happen this year. I’ll forgive you for drafting Joe Isuzu and Micah McFadden if you just listen to me this time. You know you want to, and I know you're reading this.

Yeah I don't get the Carr love, never have. He's an ok-to-good QB that's had decent rosters but has never won anything. A poor man's Kirk Cousins.

I had a red jersey too but we literally lost every game we played in them.

I dig it!

I'm sorry, who?

Evan Neal looked pretty bad, but I have faith that worst-case scenario he becomes a very good guard. Micah McFadden... I have no idea. He was a wasted pick IMO. Plenty of time to improve but not sure what he's supposed to be bringing to the table.

Don't worry, I'm going to get my draft picks out before the combine this year to give Joe Schoen a little help. He clearly needs it. EDIT: And not for nothing... but Belton and Ezeudu were both pretty horrible.

Also, I know he's had a good season, but Barkley has almost no leverage. There's a ton of good free agent running backs available and it's a deep RB draft as well. Someone might overpay for him, but even if you have to wait until the first wave of FA is over, there'll be someone left that can come in and produce at a high level.

True, but Jones has had one good season out of four. I'm ok with having another year to evaluate him if we're expected to spend big for him in upcoming seasons. Also, maybe you draft a developmental guy like Levis or Richardson this year and let him sit if you can't sign Jones to a long-term deal. I don't think those guys are ready to start but they may become good players if left to marinate for a season.

I've had a look at the guys everyone is raving about and... they're OK? Maybe? I haven't done a deep dive but I haven't come away impressed in the small amount I've seen either. Some guys like Noah Sewell look downright bad.

Yeah I agree. I think he'll tag Jones, drop Barkley but I guess we'll see. If Jones balks at the tag, trade him to a team that will pay him 45 million. I think he'll find the tag really palatable when a trade partner doesn't materialize.

I really wanted to keep Jones but he has to be reasonable about his market value. If the window's closed on these two guys and we go into full rebuild, I think I'm actually OK with that. I believe in this front office, even though I'd clearly do a much better job.

He'll probably get tagged.

BECAUSE YOU DEMANDED IT! Seph Fixes the Giants, Part Two: Free Agent Bugaloo Now that we’ve signed our own guys and restructured some other players, we’re looking at having 25 million in cap space to play around with. How are we going to spend that money? There's like a million holes to fill and we only have 25 mil. Well, never fear Sportswrathians, I have the answer to this problem as well. All contracts (well, except Pugh's) are taken from Spotrac's estimated annual value, or at least in that ball park. G Ben Powers - 4 years, 36 million, 9 million cap hit. Not the greatest run blocker in the world but he’s done very well in pass protection these past few seasons. I’m not breaking the bank for him (if I was going to do that I’d have gone after Nate Davis) but he’s a huge upgrade over what we’ve got, and we still need tons of interior line help as we essentially have no NFL-caliber players there right now. LB Trumaine Edmunds - 4 years, 44 million, 11 million cap hit. Edmunds is a dynamic linebacker who’s still young, and we haven’t had a QB of the defense since Antonio Pierce. I know people are excited about some of the top draft prospects but they all look like garbage to me on tape for the most part. Edmunds nails down the position and keeps our defense respectable for the next four years. G Justin Pugh - 1 year, 2.5 mil. - We need insurance at both the guard and tackle positions, and Pugh gives you that. He’s too old and beaten up to be an every-down player anymore (he wasn’t really that in his prime, if we’re being honest) but you can plug him in for 2-3 games and he won’t hurt you. He's expressed an interest in returning to the team that drafted him and I think he'd come back on a cheap deal. RB D’onta Foreman - 3 years, 10 million, 2 million cap hit. He’s not Saquon but if you need a yard… he’ll get you three. If you need 5 yards… he’ll get you three. A one cut and go kind of guy, those days of watching our backs dance in the backfield for a two yard loss will be over. Additionally, I’m trading for WR Terrace Marshall from the Panthers for a conditional 5th round pick that could become a 4th. He carries just over a 1 million cap hit on the season. Marshall started to come alive over the second half of last year; he’s a good talent, but has had the misfortune of having Ben McAdoo as his OC and Some Other Guy as his QB. Put him in the right system and I still think he can be an above-average X wideout. That's it for this week. So far we've kept our QB but dropped our RB... but replaced him with a decent-to-good runner in Foreman, gained an actual NFL-caliber MLB in Edmunds, and given our QB a better line in front of him with Powers. In Part 3, I'll be mocking some players in the draft to us way too early, cut off the Defiler's hand with a lightsaber, and blow up a small moon space station with the help of a bunch of little Teddy Bears.

Everything should be fixed by the end of this week, next week tops.