NY Giants Facing Tough Decisions (Big Blue Breakdown Live!)

General manager Joe Schoen has an extensive amount of work ahead of him when the New York Giants come out of their bye next week. 

Although he will scrutinize the entire operation, his decisions regarding the coaching staff and the roster may be the most visible AND perhaps the most difficult.

Schoen has said interim coach Mike Kafka and his staff are being given every opportunity to be retained; however, the GM also explained that he does not believe there will be a shortage of quality coaches who would want to apply. 

So it's impossible to gauge exactly how the current staff is being graded, nor how they would stack up against potential suitors.

The roster offers a completely different problem - and one that is no easier to decipher: Too many players, especially on defense, have not lived up to their billing this season. 

Some of them have achieved a much higher level of performance on tape in the past, while others still have yet to meet what were once considered logical expectations. 

How did things go awry for these players? There can be many factors, so it is one or maybe more of those issues, OR is it that these players were tagged with unrealistic projections?

However, if they are the subjects of exaggerated expectations and a flawed evaluation process, then how can one explain the dramatic improvement on offense (and yes, the offensive line) despite season-ending injuries to starting Pro Bowl WR Malik Nabers, starting running back Cam Skattebo, and a shuffling at quarterback with first-round pick Jaxson Dart taking over?

Indeed, Schoen faces a complex set of issues, though he remains confident there are brighter days ahead, leaning on a tried-and-true formula for roster construction.

"When you're building around a young quarterback, you have a good nucleus, you have a good left tackle, you have a wide receiver that had a historic year as a rookie season, you have a good running back room, you have pass rushers ... there's pieces in place," he said.

How many players and coaches can create a positive and hopeful narrative over the final stretch run? Big Blue Breakdown host Paul Dottino discusses the possibilities and takes video and audio calls from the fans on the Big Blue Breakdown Live podcast.