Gilbride wasn't given his pink slip today, but, word came from the Newark Star Ledger that the embattled offensive coordinator is not long for his current job.
After Sunday's 23-0 loss to the Seahawks, it became abundantly clear that changes are on the way. The Giants offense was beyond inept, even drawing criticism from head coach Tom Coughlin, who called the unit "pathetic."
While Gilbride is not the one who threw the passes, and he is not the one who dropped completions, he is responsible for overseeing the entire unit; the axe will ultimately fall on his head.
There has been a steady decline in offensive production for the past two seasons. Last year, the Giants were in the middle of the pack, this year they are close to the bottom in total offense, ranked 28th. The Giants have been the only team to get shutout in a game this year, a mark they have reached twice. This in a league where scoring has become more prevalent.
There were 82 touchdowns this week in the NFL, none of them belonged to the Giants. As offenses become more and more dynamic, the importance to counter with an offense that can score points becomes paramount.
The Giants were supposed to have that dynamic offense this season. They had a 2-time Super Bowl winning quarterback in Eli Manning in his prime; a star receiver in Victor Cruz, and a reliable number two receiver in Hakeem Nicks; they had what looked like a solid running attack in David Wilson and Andre Brown.
Instead, 2013 has been nothing but a nightmare.
Manning has regressed. He has thrown 25 interceptions, which leads the league. While he is not at fault for all of the turnovers, he has looked Sanchez-like a number of times this year. He is responsible for turning the ball over three or more times in five games this year, all of those game were Giants' losses.
He has been careless with the football, throwing into areas where there is no open man. He's been a rebel without a cause, and it has hurt this team.
The only reason Manning isn't getting the kind of flack that his New York counterpart, Mark Sanchez, received the past few seasons, and the kind of flack Tony Romo has received in Dallas, has more to do with Manning's Super Bowl rings. Take those away - and New York Giants fans would be running to MetLife Stadium with burning torches.
Hakeem Nicks has been the Invisible Man this year. He has zero touchdown catches, doesn't look like the same guy from 2011 and 2012, and has played and talked his way out of town for the 2014 season.
The running game is a mess. The Giants have gone from David Wilson to Peyton Hillis to Brandon Jacobs to Andre Brown, back to Hillis, and back to Jacobs. They have nobody to run the football, and one thing Jerry Reese has to do is either find one via trade or draft a big time back.
And don't get me started on the offensive line.
So when things go array someone has to take the fall, and that is Gilbride. His offense has been ultra conservative at times, too aggressive other times. It seems like Gilbride is a guy who doesn't have a good feel for the game.
The Giants need a new offensive coordinator, one that will put Eli Manning back in the right path toward another Super Bowl title. A coordinator that can take advantage of the talent he is given; create dynamic plays and a multitude of scoring opportunities.
The Giants are no stranger to fixing their offensive woes. Years ago when the Giants were sputtering offensively in the Jim Fassel era, they gave the play calling to some kid named Sean Payton (you may have heard of him) -- the Giants went back to the Super Bowl in 2000. Can Reese and Coughlin find the next bright young offensive mind out there to take the reigns of the offense? That will be their challenge in the month of January as the 2014 Giants begin to take shape.
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