The Giants beat the Raiders and lose the top draft pick.
All the Giants had to do on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium against the Raiders was lose.
Considering they hadn’t won on the road in 13 games, it stood to reason that losing wouldn’t be a problem. But Sunday was different. Losing was winning, and winning was losing and therein lies the problem.
Fans don’t really know how to feel about their team snapping a 13-game road losing streak, and that’s on the Giants’ front office for once again putting the fanbase in an awkward position.
Déjà Vu
If watching this game reminded you of last season’s game against the Colts, you’re not alone. The Giants found themselves in the exact same position they were in a year ago.
Just lose, baby.
And win they did because no one tries harder than a Giants team that’s supposed to lose for the long-term good of the franchise.
“They Don’t Play to Lose”
I know that. You know that. We all know that. So let’s stop pretending this is some revelation.
No player or coach takes the field hoping to lose a game. But you also can’t blame fans for rooting for one. The amount of draft capital the Giants could’ve received for the No. 1 pick would have been massive. And since the Giants aren’t in an ideal position salary-cap wise, they along with teams like the Buffalo Bills need to build through the draft. It’s the logical approach.
But fans aren’t always logical. They lead with emotion and passion, and you can’t fault them for that either.
This team hadn’t won since early October (albeit against the Eagles, which is always satisfying), so of course it felt good to finally see a win. But at what cost?
All Broken Roads Lead Back to Ownership
It’s not the fans’ fault that this win feels completely unsatisfying. That falls squarely on ownership and the front office for years of questionable decision-making.
Over a decade of poor hires, stubbornness, ego trips, injury-prone players, whiffed draft picks, an inability to properly scout talent, and a massive player-development problem that no one ever wants to talk about have all culminated in this moment:
A fanbase that doesn’t know how to feel when their team wins because of continued incompetence at the top. Instead of excitement, fans feel underwhelmed and are left wondering whether the win was even worth it.
Still, a win is a win. It won’t do much for Mike Kafka’s head-coaching case, but as a leader trying to pull his team out of a losing mentality, it was good to see a little fight. It’s just a shame that fight doesn’t show up consistently. The right head coach should be able to bring that out every week.
Joe Schoen Staying?
Earlier Sunday, Ian Rapoport reported that the Giants would “consider all options in the draft, including quarterback Fernando Mendoza,” if they landed the first pick. But that wasn’t the most interesting part of his report.
He also reported that Joe Schoen is likely to remain with the Giants.
There is a world where that makes sense. You just have to separate legitimate reporting from sources and PR speak. If there’s one thing the Giants are oddly good at, it’s showing their hand. Which is ironic for an organization that does everything possible not to.
Self-fulfilling prophecy, I guess.
What We Know
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Joe Schoen told the media he’s excited to lead the coaching search
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John Mara is battling cancer
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The Giants need a head coach, offensive coordinator, and defensive coordinator
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Ownership has publicly expressed belief in Schoen’s vision
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The Giants believe in continuity—almost to a fault
Those are the facts. Everything else, even when reported by the best in the business, is speculation.
If you strip away the noise and just look at what we know, the answer starts to feel pretty obvious. Whether fans like it or not.
Of course, there’s still one week to go before Black Monday. And as we all know, John Mara is a “last-in-the-room” kind of guy. Meaning whoever has his ear last usually wins out.
So nothing is guaranteed. But if Joe Schoen is still here a week from now, I wouldn’t be surprised at all.
