The NY Giants head into 2015 with optimism, as it looks like head coach Tom Coughlin is safe for next season, Odell Beckham has broken out as the likely rookie of the year winner, the team has a 10 draft pick next year and an easier schedule than this season and while they have free agents like Jason Pierre-Paul and Antrel Rolle hitting the market.
Coughlin helped the team to get to a 3-1 finish after losing seven straight games and while he has missed the playoffs for three straight seasons, he is the right man for the job. The NY Post reported last week that Coughlin was nearly certain to return and now with reports from sources and other outlets like ESPN and Pro Football Talk, it looks like he will remain. The play of Odell Beckham and the strong finish surely had an impact on the Giants decision along with the fact that there likely won't be many better candidates out there.
The Giants brought in over 20 free agents, had over 20 players hit injured reserve and the team implemented a new offensive system for the first time in nearly a decade. All that added up to plenty of transition and a disappointing season, but all of that was not the fault of Coughlin. Now the team has the chance to get the offensive side of the ball even more in tune with Ben McAdoo's system and the season produced a potential superstar in Odell Beckham.
The Giants now have some major hope moving forward and they are shaping up to have a successful 2015 season already. Beckham and Victor Cruz playing together in the offense is huge and the emergence of Rueben Randle over the final weeks was promising as well. Beckham and Randle each had over 100 yards receiving in each of the final two games of the season and now Randle, Beckham and Cruz together could be a fantastic combination for Eli Manning in 2015.
The Giants now have a top 10 pick for the draft next year and after taking Odell Beckham and Andre Williams in 2014, Jerry Reese looks like he is getting back on track personnel wise. The team has a breakout star in Beckham and he is in line to win rookie of the year, while Williams stepped up all season with Rashad Jennings banged up. Beckham finished the season with 91 catches for 1,305 yards and 12 TDs and set numerous records as a rookie and all of it came in just 12 games. Now the team is salivating at the chance to have Manning, Cruz, Randle and Beckham all healthy at the same time and that could be huge for McAdoo and his offense next year.
The Giants started the season 3-2 and then lost seven straight before ending the season with three wins in four games. The team now will have a fairly easy schedule next season, as they have divisional games along with the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, New England Patriots, Jets and 49ers as the home games and the Saints, Bucs, Bills, Dolphins and Vikings as the road games. No NFL matchup is ever "easy", but compared to last season, this is a potential playoff team on this schedule.
