Colin Cowherd says Giants should ‘Tank for Trevor’ and that’s just stupid
The New York Giants are now 0-2 for the fourth consecutive season and the seventh time over the past eight years, so naturally, the naysayers and pessimists are out in full force.
Not only are they taking aim at general manager Dave Gettleman, which was to be expected, they’re also taking aim at second-year quarterback Daniel Jones in much the same way they took aim at Eli Manning for 16 years.
“It’s all Jones’ fault!” That’s what you’ll hear repeated ad nauseam.
Never mind that Jones has started just 14 games in his career and set various franchise and league records in the process, and never mind that he has faced the most pressure, been hit the most times and has been reached faster than any quarterback in the league over the first two weeks of the season, it’s his fault and his alone.
Yawn.
“The tank for Trevor Lawrence” nonsense has already overtaken social media and even found its way into the brain of FOX Sports Radio host Colin Cowherd, who is paid to share outlandish opinions for viewership.
"I would move off Daniel Jones."@ColinCowherd on why the New York Giants should target Trevor Lawrence: pic.twitter.com/xxkg378pIr
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) September 23, 2020
“Trevor Lawrence is the best quarterback prospect since Andrew Luck,” Cowherd said, adding that Lawrence is a “no miss” player. “I would move off Daniel Jones because although I’ve seen glimpses of competence and glimpses of ‘he’s better than I thought,’ I’ve seen no glimpses of great.”
Ironically, Cowherd gives New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold a pass, claiming he’s seen “glimpses of greatness” in him that have been stunted by poor offensive line play and inconsistent talent around him.
Hmm… That makes you wonder if Cowherd has actually watched the Giants at all. And that answer would be “no” because through two weeks of the season, he claims they are a “horrible” football team that may win fewer than two games.
Anyone who has actually bothered to watch the Giants knows they are better than in recent years and are adjusting to substantial change and the complete lack of an offseason, but I digress…
More to the point, the Giants are not going to tank intentionally in Joe Judge’s first season as head coach — mainly because Judge won’t allow his players to cave.
“We’re not going to raise the white flag on anything. Our guys are going to fight straight on through. We have a job to do regardless of the circumstance or outcome of the previous game. Our job is to get ready to go out there and put the best product on the field we can on a weekly basis. There’s no white flag here, we’re going out there to fight every week,” Judge told reporters on Wednesday.
Additionally, there are job on the line throughout the organization. No one is going to sell themselves up a river for a potential shot at a quarterback who, contrary to Cowherd’s opinion, is anything but a “can’t miss.” That’s not a knock on Lawrence, just the reality of transitioning from college to the NFL. After all, Ryan Leaf was a “can’t miss prospect” once upon a time and you can add dozens (if not hundreds) of similar names to that list.
The Giants find themselves in the situation they’re in because of the constant upheaval and turnover, not because of Daniel Jones or any other individual player. Consistency is essential in the NFL and no team is going to find success by constantly changing the front office, coaching staff and personnel.
So no, the Giants do not need to “tank for Trevor.” In fact, what they need is quite the opposite.
