The NFL is, as the cliché goes, a “what have you done for me lately?” league. Under that standard, winning a Super Bowl within the last 18 months may not be good enough.
Giants G.M. Jerry Reese told reporters as the team started 2013 training camp that it’s time for the team to turn it around.
“All I know is that we’ve been in the playoffs one time in the last four years and that’s really not acceptable for us,” Reese told ESPNNewYork.com. “That’s not our standards. That’s not what we shoot for. We want to put everybody on notice, myself, everybody is on notice that that’s not our standard.”
The Giants have developed the ability to navigate the NFL’s postseason tournament, as long as the qualify for it. Two of their last three playoff appearances have ended with Super Bowl wins. But the Giants have only three playoff appearances in the last six years.
And so the Giants need to find a way to play in September through December the way they play in January and February. Reese said the 2013 Giants will keep everyone’s eye on the ultimate prize by pointing out the number of days that remain until the next Super Bowl is played, in their home stadium.
“When you look at it and you see that number jump out at you, 190 days, that’s really not that far away,” Reese said. “The sense of urgency really jumps out at me. We’re going to put up in the locker room a countdown just so guys can see how urgent it is to be ready to go every week. You can’t let games get away from you and expect to make it to the playoffs. We have to have a sense of urgency going into this season.”
Actually, going into the season isn’t the problem. In every year of the Tom Coughlin regime, the Giants have started the year at 5-2 or better. It’s November and December where the team sags.
If they do it again and miss the playoffs for the fourth time in five years, some members of the organization could go from being “on notice” to “out of work.”