Much better situation? No, I wouldn't say that. This Giants team is terrible. They still have a terrible OL and a terrible defense. Getting a talented running back doesn't move the needle a lot.
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See, I think this is the crux of our disagreement. I don't think they're terrible. The offensive line has been a disaster, but it's not like they ignored it last offseason. How much can you blame them when guys like Solder, and Omameh who they signed in the offseason forgot how to block? Their starting center (also a Patriots draft pick) broke his leg in like the third game of the season, and Flowers was so bad, they had to give up on him, but they made a serious effort to rebuild that line last offseason and it didn't work out. If I'm the Giants, I'm damn happy that didn't take place with a rookie QB standing behind them. Let Eli take that beating this year.
Aside from that though? They're skill position players, outside of QB, are arguably top 5 in the NFL. I completely disagree that their defense is terrible. It's not like they've been getting blown out all year. I think they're basically a middle-of-the-pack defense in today's NFL, which in a division with offenses as weak as the one they are in, should be enough to keep them competitive. They moved JPP last year, which is going to net them about 15million to spend this offseason, they've got a leader in Landon Collins, and some young guys who weren't expected to be any good who are playing pretty darn well.
They've lost 7 games this year, but only 2 of them were by more than one score, New Orleans and Philly, neither of whom are bad teams. They lost to Panthers by 2 points at Carolina, they lost at Dallas (which is a tough place to play), they lost at Atlanta by 3 points, and they lost to Washington, who is their division leader. They beat Houston (who has won, I think, every game since then) and they just beat the Niners on the road. Outside of Dallas and the Niners, their other 7 opponents are all playoff contenders (or were in the playoffs last year, like Atlanta and Philly).
IMO, I think their biggest weakness, besides Eli, is the coach. Unfortunately, I don't think they're going to move on from him after this season, but I truly believe they are much closer to a playoff team now, than they would have been if they took Rosen/Allen/Darnold last season.
Think about it this way. If you were naming the 5 worst teams in the NFL, wouldn't the Bills, Cardinals and Jets be right near the top of that list? All 3 of them took a quarterback last year in the top 10, and they are all in deep, deep shit now. The Giants haven't made that huge mistake yet. Maybe they still will, but I think letting Eli take the pounding this year, grabbing a talent like Barkley and freeing up cap space for the future was and is a solid plan. If they don't like any of the college QB's out there this year, they have the option of looking for one in free agency (or giving Lauletta, the one they did draft last year, a chance). They even have the option of waiting another year and building the rest of the roster out some more.
Time will tell, but IMO, I'd rather be a fan of the Giants than the Bills/Jets/Cardinals right now, both for this season and going forward, because I'd be a hell of a lot more optimistic that they'll hit on a QB before any of those rookie QB's figure it out.