New York Giants: Three Questions Heading into the 2018 Season

The New York Giants are coming off one of their worst seasons going 3-13. They are coming into the upcoming season with a lot of hope and optimism. They have a new general manager in Dave Gettleman and head coach in Pat Shurmur. Through free agency and the draft, they were able to fill a lot of holes. However, to make the playoffs the Giants need to answer these three questions.

Question 1 – How much of an impact will Saquon Barkley have?

Back in April, the Giants were in a position that they are not used to. They had a top 3 pick for the first time since the 1981 draft. There were many experts and yours truly who thought the Giants would have taken Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, or one of the other quarterbacks. Instead, the Giants would end up taking Saquon Barkley from Penn State with the second overall pick. The running back position was a problem for the Giants for some time. You could make the argument that the Giants haven’t had a playmaker at the running back position since the days of Tiki Barber. Barkley will add a couple of things to this offense. We mentioned the power in the backfield. In addition, you can use him in other ways like a slot receiver and such. Overall, Barkley will have a major impact this season for the Giants.

Question 2 – Who becomes the leader on defense?

Most of the Giants defense is either rookies or it’s their first year with the team. Yes, the New York Giants have had leaders on defense over the years, but the last well-known one was Carl Banks. Looking at this core of guys on defense, the name that jumps out to me as a possible leader on defense is Alec Ogletree. He has decent numbers, he also has constantly. To be a leader, you need to play as much as you can. To me, Ogletree will be that guy.

Question 3 – What is the X-Factor for this team?

The Giants are in an interesting position this season. They will end up having to rely a lot on the offensive line as they will control a lot of the tempo. However, Sterling Sheppard will be the x-factor for them. He will end up being a serviceable wide receiver. He can give Eli Manning more options. Between him, Odell Beckham, and Barkley, they can become the driving force behind this team making a run at the playoffs.

What questions do you have about the 2018 New York Giants? Leave one below.

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