Giants Fans Angry Jets have Darnold

It didn’t take long for New York Giants fans to start bemoaning the fact their team didn’t draft Sam Darnold.

After Darnold piloted the cross-town New York Jets to a 48-17 win over the Detroit Lions on Monday Night Football, Giants fans have taken to Twitter, Facebook and talk radio blasting Big Blue for not taking the USC product.

The Giants had the number two pick in last April’s draft and decided to select Penn State running back Saquon Barkley instead. With the third overall pick, the Jets took Darnold.

The knee jerk reaction from Giants fans is expected. Everytime the Jets win with Darnold under center, fans in ill-fitting Big Blue t-shirts will be moaning and groaning about how their team blew it.

 

But did they really make that big of a mistake?

If the Giants had drafted Darnold, would he even be playing right now with Eli Manning on the roster?

Had Darnold been a Giant, he would have to deal with the inevitable drama that would have been created with Manning – a two-time Super Bowl champion still on the roster. There is no way Manning, as nice as he is, would just let Darnold take his job. Darnold would have to fight for it, and trust me; Manning would find a way to win that fight.

Even if Darnold won the starting job for the Giants, what is he playing with? Yes, he would have Odell Beckham Jr. and Sterling Sheperd to throw to, but Ereck Flowers would still be at right tackle. The Giants wouldn’t have Saquon Barkley to take any pressure off the quarterback in the backfield. The Giants instead would rely on injury prone, 31-year old Jonathan Stewart and whoever the Giants could find later in the draft to carry the football. Yeah, that doesn’t sound too ideal does it?

Are Giants fans saying that Manning is to blame for all of the Giants problems? Of course if you are Giants fan, you’d quickly say ‘no,’ but that is essentially the message being sent. 

Last I checked Manning wasn’t the sole reason the Giants lost 20-15 to the Jaguars on Sunday.

Yes, Manning did throw an interception that was returned for a touchdown, but so did Darnold for the Jets.

Eli Manning didn’t screw up at right tackle on Sunday. That was Ereck Flowers.

Eli Manning didn’t botch a punt return in the final minutes of Sunday’s game. That was Kaelin Clay.

So what is the point?

Jumping to conclusions is a trademark of all New York sports fans, unfortunately. Last year Yankees fans demanded that Joe Giardi be fired for a gaff in a playoff series against the Indians, a series the Yankees came back to win anyway.  Now you can’t find a Yankee fan that doesn’t miss Girardi.

Over a decade ago, Jets fans cheered when Chad Pennington limped off the field with an injury, and jumped for joy when they team replaced him with Brett Favre. Months later they regretted it.

Even Giants fans have been known for their somewhat lazy pontificating. And I have personal experience. Many years ago, I appeared on a radio podcast previewing the Giants-Jets Christmas Eve Showdown. One of the hosts of the show is a huge Giants fan, who considers himself a “football historian.” Well this “football historian” demanded that Tom Coughlin be fired after the season.

At the time the Giants were 7-7. The Jets were 8-6. I told him, “You know Mark Sanchez has been holding back the Jets all year, I like the Giants chances if they get pressure on him.”

Of course the Giants beat the Jets, then beat Dallas in the season finale, and a month later won their second Super Bowl under Coughlin – the same coach this guy and many other Giants fans wanted out the door.

So the point is the drafting of Barkley by the Giants was not a mistake. He is a dynamic playmaker who is going to be a tremendous asset to the Giants.  The Giants front office believes they can still win football games. They needed a playmaker, and got one.

As for Darnold, he is in the right place at the right time. He is surrounded by a solid supporting cast of coaches and vets (i.e. Josh McCown), and is on a team building toward greater things in the future.