Although there is a belief that it’s not how you start the season but how you finish it, when it comes to the New York Giants, how they've started the last two seasons is pretty much the same way they’ve finished them.
That’s not a good thing either. The Giants, who already have a challenging schedule for this coming season, have their first two games on the road against NFC East divisional opponents, making them games that they can ill afford to lose.
But getting off to a fast start hasn’t exactly been in the Giants’ DNA of late. The last time the Giants started a season 2-0 was in 2022, Brian Daboll’s first as head coach. That season, the team finished 9-7-1 and were postseason-bound for the first time since 2016, winning their first playoff game since 2011.
Since then, the Giants haven’t gotten off to as strong of a start to their seasons. In 2023, they went 1-1, but just as easily could have gone 0-2 were it not for them waking up in the second half of their Week 2 game against Arizona, a game in which they were down 20-0 at the half.
Up until that second-half comeback against the Cardinals, the Giants, through the first six quarters of play, had been outscored 60-0, going on to finish that 2023 season with a 6-10 record.
Last year was even worse. The Giants started 0-2 against the Vikings and Commanders, outscored 49-24 in those two games, in a season where they’d register a franchise-worst 3-14 record.
With jobs potentially on the line this year, a fast start is essential, and according to Emory Hunt of CBS Sports and Football Gameplan, head coach Brian Daboll needs to emphasize one thing in the team’s upcoming training camp, which opens July 23.
“They have to drill down on situational football because, as we know, the first two or three weeks of the season is essentially the extension of the preseason, especially Week 1,” Hunt told the Locked On Giants podcast.
“Week 1 is so sloppy around the board, so you're gonna have it. That's why you always see an upset or two in Week 1, because you have an opportunity to steal a game if you are the most disciplined, mentally tough, situationally sound football team.”
Hunt believes that to drive home the point, Daboll needs to exaggerate the penalties for mistakes to demonstrate just how damaging a lack of disciplined play is.
“If I'm Coach Daboll, what I'm doing in training camp is situation, situation, situation,” he said.
“I'm starting periods over if we have a fumble or an interception. If we have a penalty–if it's an offside on defense, it's a five-yard penalty, but I'm moving the ball up 15 yards just to hammer home that we don't jump offside.
“If it's holding on the offense, instead of moving 10 yards back, move them 20 yards back just to drill it down that we are not going to beat ourselves.”
In addition to driving home the point about mistakes not being tolerated, there is also the matter of preseason snaps. Historically, Daboll hasn’t given the starters and key reserves much work during preseason games, instead using the time to evaluate the bottom of the roster players and to allow players who might be nursing minor ailments to get fully healthy before the games start for real.
While Daboll’s intentions are honorable, they’re also not necessarily doing the players any favors because they’re not being exposed to the physicality of the game during the preseason, which cannot be fully simulated in practices. As a result, it’s fair to wonder if little nagging issues tend to linger or develop into more significant issues over time.
But to Hunt’s point, there is no substitution for live reps played at game speed versus trying to simulate game speed in a controlled environment. And if they’re going to take that approach, that’s where exaggerating situational football might help out.
“If you overemphasize the discipline, the situational football, I guarantee they can get off to a great start against Washington, against Kansas City, against any one of these teams they face,” Hunt said.
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The New York Giants were routinely linked with quarterback Shedeur Sanders leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft, but the Giants ultimately traded back into the first round to select Ole Miss signal-caller Jaxson Dart at pick No. 25. For a piece published on Monday, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News revisited how Giants general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll ended up with Dart instead of Sanders earlier this year. "Members of the Giants’ staff had fawned over Shedeur Sanders," Leonard wrote. "Giants brass had spent a lot more time with Sanders during the fall. Then, Daboll’s increased participation after the NFL season steered the process in a different direction." Sanders allegedly had a rough visit with Daboll ahead of the draft, and a report from early May revealed that "Sanders openly acknowledged during the predraft process that he didn't hit it off with Giants coaches." A different story claimed that Schoen "shifted his preference to Dart this spring as head coach Brian Daboll warmed to Dart as a player and person and Schoen rounded out his own evaluation" before the draft got underway. That said, Schoen raised some eyebrows when he said during a May interview that he knew the club would select Dart over Sanders as of "the week of the draft." Schoen also said the decision was the result of a "collaborative process." According to Leonard, those comments were seen by some as "not exactly a firm endorsement of a player standing out above the rest" as it pertains to the quarterbacks. "...Schoen’s lukewarm rhetoric and reluctance to stick his neck out about Dart caught the attention of some people around the league," Leonard added. "And it has put the rookie in a strange position: trying to validate support that almost sounds conditional." Meanwhile, Sanders fell to the draft's fifth round before the Cleveland Browns traded up to grab him at selection No. 144. As of Monday afternoon, FanDuel Sportsbook had Sanders (+870 odds) and Dart (+1060 odds) as significant betting underdogs to serve as Week 1 starters in September. Cleveland is expected to go with Joe Flacco or Kenny Pickett for its regular-season opener, while Russell Wilson is on track to start for the Giants against the Washington Commanders on Sept. 7. In short, fans may have to wait a long time to learn if Schoen has any buyer's remorse about possibly being talked into drafting Dart when Sanders was on the board.
Caitlin Clark might be the most popular figure in women's basketball right now, but she continues to draw shots left and right, both on and off the court. The Iowa product has stayed even keeled and mostly unrattled, but that doesn't mean she won't fight back. That's why, in the light of Kelsey Plum's recent comments, she decided to take matters into her own hands and clapped back at her with a simple, six-word message. Plum shared a picture of her during the WNBA's All-Star Weekend, which showed half of a Nike logo in the background. Clark was quick to spot it and just wrote "Thank u for the Nike ad." This happened just hours after Plum seemingly took a shot at Clark and her Team Clark teammates for reportedly not getting involved in their pre-game protest. “The T-shirt was determined this morning. Not to tattletale, but zero members of Team Clark were very present for that,” Plum revealed. “That really needed to be mentioned,” Sabrina Ionescu added while both laughed. WNBA All-Stars warmed up with a T-Shirt that read 'Pay us what you owe us,' ahead of their new CBA agreement, which is expected to be signed in the offseason. WNBA players get around 9 percent of the league's revenue, and they're asking for a bigger share since most of them also have to play overseas during the offseason because of the salary disparity. Plum is the vice president of the WNBPA, so it's not surprising to see her so involved in the protest and the demands. Then again, it's hard to understand the reasoning behind the tattle telling, as not only does it show that there might not be a united front ahead of these negotiations, but it also drives attention away from where it should be.
The Chicago Blackhawks, a crowded goaltending situation and trade rumors involving the Edmonton Oilers have fans wondering if the Stars' rivals could soon upgrade their crease before training camp. With training camp approaching, Chicago general manager Kyle Davidson has five goalies under contract, including Spencer Knight, Arvid Soderblom, Drew Commesso, newly signed Stanislav Berezhnoy, and veteran Laurent Brossoit. Only two NHL roster spots are available, which has fueled speculation that Brossoit could be moved to a contender, with Edmonton emerging as a leading candidate. For Stars fans, seeing the Oilers potentially bolster their crease should raise eyebrows. Edmonton, fresh off a deep playoff run, is looking to avoid the same issues that hurt them late in the postseason. "The Blackhawks have too many goalies and not enough spots, and Brossoit's contract and experience make him a natural trade chip for a team like the Oilers."-Julien Trekker Chicago's goalie logjam and Berezhnoy's recent signing are detailed further at NHL.com. Dallas could see its rival upgrade as Blackhawks explore trading Laurent Brossoit Brossoit, 32, carries a $3.3 million cap hit for one more season. Drafted by Calgary in 2011, he's appeared in 140 NHL games, including time with Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Vegas, where he helped the Golden Knights win the Stanley Cup in 2023. While Chicago decides, Drew Commesso continues to push for NHL time after posting a .911 save percentage over 39 AHL games. For a deeper look at Commesso's performance, his full profile is on Elite Prospects. I think if Edmonton lands Brossoit or even Commesso, Dallas may have to plan around a deeper Oilers team come playoff time, especially given how tight the Western race looks on paper.
Pro Football Hall of Famer Warren Moon just made headlines during a recent appearance on "Up Adams," where he gave his take on one of the NFL’s most debated questions. When asked which star quarterback will win a Super Bowl first, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen or Joe Burrow, Moon without any hesitation went with Jackson. “We have Josh Allen, MVP, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, they wrecked the league last year… Which one of those three do you think has the best shot to get one this year?” Kay Adams asked. Moon responded, “I think Lamar.” Moon’s reasoning for this take was not due to stats or accolades, because both have great numbers and awards, rather Moon was focused on the surrounding cast around Jackson. While he was complimentary of Allen and the team around him, he emphasized that the Ravens had a strong secondary, incredible running back and solid wideouts that could allow them to be a serious threat to win it all. It is easy to see why Moon made his opinion clear and without hesitation. Jackson is one of the top quarterbacks in the league, with four Pro Bowl nods, three All-Pro selections and two MVP awards. He is the best dual-threat quarterback in the world, and now with an incredible roster around him, Jackson has become much scarier. However, pressure is mounting on the superstar QB, and Moon did make the case for Allen to also potentially win first. “Josh Allen, they’ll be right there too. I think it depends on who plays who in the playoffs … You have to go through playing both Kansas City and Baltimore if you’re Buffalo, and same thing if you’re the Ravens, you gotta play both of those to get to the Super Bowl … But if you only have to play one of them, that would be great.” Allen is also regarded as one of the league’s best QBs too, and Moon's argument has a lot of merit to it. Both Buffalo and Baltimore are flooded with talented pieces that are hungry to make that Super Bowl run. It could come down to matchups come playoff time. If one squad has an easier route to the AFC Championship game, then it might be the one who ultimately comes out on top. As for Burrow, Moon did not mention him in the conversation, but clearly it was not meant to be a slight on him as a player. Rather, for obvious reasons, it seems that Moon might have Baltimore and Buffalo as overall rosters in a higher tier from Cincinnati. Ultimately however, time will tell who breaks first. But if Moon is correct, Jackson might finally be able to silence his critics, and make his mark on NFL history.