It’s over…finally over. We are officially free of having to watch the worst New York football season ever. And no, I don’t think that is hyperbolic to say. This season in the tri-state has been such a complete and utter embarrassment from the outset, that subjecting us to anymore would frankly be cruel. The Giants decided to go out there this year and have one of their worst seasons in franchise history, one so bad that you’d rather be watching a Bill Arnsparger team. But not to be outdone, the Jets bent over, dropped their pants and showed their backside to the whole country on a weekly basis. Not just on Sunday’s, but also on Tuesdays with Pat McAfee or Thursdays with Woody Johnson and his son. This unholy mess needs to be put out of its misery, and fortunately for you, I have volunteered myself for the task. So, let’s do an autopsy, it’s going to be messy.

Jets

I challenge you dear reader to find something redeeming about this New York Jet team. Yes, I know, you can’t. It’s okay, don’t worry this wasn’t a test at all. You’d be hard pressed to compliment this absolute joke of a squad that found a way to throw away having a wealth of talent. Failing as comprehensively as this team did, it starts from the top down and that is a consistent feature of this franchise. There are several culprits that deserve blame for this disastrous campaign, so let’s meet them all.

The Jets have always suffered from a lack of leadership, and this year was no different with Woody Johnson making a complete fool of himself starting at around the halfway point of the year. The crescendo of Woody’s nonsense was a story about the front office culture that he has bred behind the scenes. He of course sowed the scenes of chaos last summer when he empowered Robert Saleh, his miserable staff (including interim coach Jeff Ulbrich) and GM Joe Douglas to stay for another season. Keeping this coaching staff played a role in just how poorly prepared this team was on a week to week and even play in and play out basis as the basic act of getting a play in proved too difficult for them. But these individuals weren’t the only people Johnson empowered, as the players were right there alongside him, one in particular more than the others.

Let’s get this part out of the way to start. Aaron Rodgers is an all-time great quarterback and is on his way to Canton, OH and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. As much as that is the case, the simple fact of the matter is that Rodgers did real harm to this entire operation. In his two seasons in New York, he has been anything but a leader and instead focused on himself and making headlines. His weekly TV appearances only served to add fuel to the fire as the season spiraled out of control. His infamous shove of Robert Saleh, something that feels like an event from the distant past, seems to have been the beginning of the end for the head coach…and that happened during a week two win.

Rogers selfish example was followed by his teammates, a group of players that once comprised a core that the rest of the league was jealous of. Garrett Wilson had a down year, as he helped anchor a receiving core that led the league in drops in the regular season. Breece Hall just decided that contact wasn’t worth fighting through and Sauce Gardner wasn’t a big fan of covering people anymore. The culture of the team was so broken that the newly acquired Devante Adams ripped it apart to the players faces after only being on the roster for two days. Sure, Rodgers had decent numbers this year, but if you watch the games, you know just how finished he is and how busted the scheme and offensive approach is. It’s time to move on and tear this thing down.

The question of just who tears this down and builds it back up is an open question. One not even the Jets have the faintest idea of how to answer. Woody Johnson, never the best with organizational personnel, has hired former gang green GM Mike Tennenbaum and The 33rd Team media group to lead a search to conduct a search to fill both positions for him. To say they are casting a wide net with this search would be an understatement, as they look like one of the fishing trawlers that head out of the Manasquan inlet for the days catch. Their laundry list of candidates is reaching the point of satire as they seemingly are going to interview everyone from the guy behind the counter at your local bagel shop to your grandmother who loves Joe Namath. The list of prospective candidates is below, the most up to date by the way, assuming they don’t try and resurrect Weeb Ewbank.

• Louis Riddick (for player, scout and ESPN Analyst) – Interviewing for GM
• John Robinson (former Titans GM) – Interviewing for GM
• Jim Nagy (former scout and head of the Senior Bowl) – Interviewing for GM
• Liam Cohen (Buccaneers OC) – Interviewing for Head Coach
• Ben Johnson (Lions OC) – Interviewing for Head Coach
• Aaron Glenn (former Jets player and Lions DC) – Interviewing for Head Coach
• Matt Nagy (former Bears HC) – Interviewing for Head Coach
• Vance Joseph (Broncos DC) – Interviewing for Head Coach
• Mike Vrabel (former Titans HC) – Interviewing for Head Coach (likely taking Pats job)
• Rex Ryan (former Jets and Bills HC) – Interviewing for Head Coach
• Pete Carroll (former Jets and Seahawks HC) – Linked to Head Coaching job
• Kliff Kingsbury (Commanders OC) – Interviewing for Head Coach
• Ron Rivera (former Panthers and Commanders HC) – Interviewing for Head Coach

The list above is absolutely absurd and frankly should never have reached this point…now having said that if it were up to me, I would go with Louis Riddick as the GM and Aaron Glenn as the head coach. I know Jets fans would love an offensive mind like Ben Johnson, or reunion with their beloved Rex Ryan, something about this tandem just feels right in my own mind about the changes. While you may knock Riddick by saying it’s easy for him to sit there on TV and critique players as opposed to picking them, but at the end of the day an executive who puts a premium on quality drafting and developing of players can go a long way. With team surprisingly holding the seventh overall pick in the upcoming draft, an executive who can find true impact talent to help change things around here is critical. Not to mention more premium picks could be coming if the rumored mass exodus happens this offseason as the core is broken up.

As for Glenn, I feel he’s done some fabulous work with less than elite units in Detroit on the defensive side of the ball. Sure, you’re going to say you don’t want another defensive head coach with high energy antics on the sideline, but Glenn’s done impressive work and his demeanor stands out in watching the Lions who have been greater than the sum of their parts the last few years, a testament to their coaches. Another reason I like them both is Riddick’s calm demeanor and Glenn’s prior experience in the New York market as a player, while also having played, learned and coached under the great Bill Parcells. They’re not the only two I’d be open to on the list above, but they’re certainly my favorite.

No matter who it is, they’re going to have their work cut out for them to get this turned around. I really don’t think much of anything from this roster should return to next year’s roster, from Rodgers to hall to Adams to Wilson to Gardner. It’s time to gut it once again and try to get it right this time. Will they? Probably not but what other choice do they have? And don’t say “they can keep trying to win now with this core,” because that is not an option at all. This era needs to end here and not be revisited again…so long baby goodbye.

Giants

Another year, another disastrous drop in the bucket. Since 2011, the New York Giants have been mired in their worst decade plus of football since the 70’s. Just two playoff teams have followed in the wake of that Super Bowl winning squad and those of us hoping for signs of life this year were disappointed to say the least. I admit that much like my preseason pick for the Jets, I was way off as I saw this team as a .500 type of squad whose defense kept them in games, yet they were nowhere near that. Now how did that happen? Well, the funny thing about bad roommates is that they tend to have a lot in common, and so just like the Jets, the Giants have failed from the top down.

It’s hard to put into words just how far the Mara family, and in particular its patriarch John Mara, has fallen in the eyes of Giants fans everywhere. The man in charge of the Giants, who inherited the throne from his legendary father Wellington, now finds himself in a position his old man once was. Back in 1979, Big Blue was in a similarly rough patch and the Mara’s couldn’t quite get things right, so in stepped commissioner Pete Rozelle who essentially forced Wellington Mara to hire general manager George Young from the Dolphins, to save Rozelle crown jewel franchise in the biggest market. Young was the best decision ever forced upon the Giants as he hired Bill Parcells and drafted several of the 80’s core players that led to multiple titles. Frankly it’s time for Roger Goodell to step and do the same here…why you ask? I believe the below summary of Mara’s end of season presser succinctly captures it.

Mara’s end of season press conference was mostly just him telling the media how bad things are, while sitting next to the two people most responsible for the mess he was referring to, whom he was not firing. Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen started their tenure’s brightly but to say things went south in the last two years is an understatement. Daboll is a far cry from the swaggering leader he was in year one, a year where his bold convictions bred a winning culture and got the Giants back to the playoffs with a 10-7 record and Wild Card round win over the Vikings. That identity has given way to having…no team identity at all. The Giants aren’t hard to play against in the trenches, flashy at the skill positions (outside of Nabers), or adequately prepared to play on a weekly basis. Quite the resounding endorsement of their leader.

Now I’m sure you’re all champing at the bit to get to Joe Schoen so let’s move onto him, as the general manager is safe along with his chosen coach, in the name of “organizational continuity.” Schoen’s time in charge of the Giants has been a mixed bag at best, with some big swings taken. While he will always be saddled with the contract extension paid to Daniel Jones, I still feel he had very little choice but to pay him the bridge deal to try and keep the team competitive. In conjunction with that extension, his decision to let Saquon Barkley walk in free agency will keep him out of the fan’s good graces for a long time, and frankly I’m surprised it didn’t get him fired after seeing John Mara’s reaction on Hard Knocks. I still don’t believe in paying a running back an extension, but this one is tough live down, much like his trade for Darren Waller, which did not pan out. But there have been wins too, like pairing Brian Burns with Dexter Lawerence and Kayvon Thibodeaux, and this past year’s draft class spear headed by Malik Nabers, which impressed as a whole. I say all this to make the point that any GM’s time can be complicated and has its peaks and valleys, but not to give a pass out for a group that has failed to establish what this team should be. I could maybe see where Mara is going with keeping Schoen in charge, but in the end, it certainly isn’t something I would have done.

So, with the leadership of the team and front office remaining intact, aside from some likely staff changes for Daboll, the Giants must begin on the quest for a franchise quarterback. I’d expect the answer to “who will be under center next season?” to come from the slideshow of candidates above. Miami Hurricanes signal caller Cam Ward had another brilliant year in the college ranks, and he is flanked by Colorado QB, football’s leading “nepo baby” Shedeur Sanders. It’s hard to say which one is better and we’ll cover that on the site and podcasts, but one thing is for sure, Sanders comes with the baggage of his father Deion Sanders looming over the situation.

If they don’t want to go the rookie route, they could trade for a player with rookie status, Vikings 2024 first round pick JJ McCarthy. McCarthy missed the whole season due to an ACL injury in the wake of winning a national championship at the University of Michigan and may be out of a job with Sam Darnold taking his place so he’d likely be available via trade, though the cost is hard to determine. Should the Vikings elect to keep McCarthy, then perhaps his stand in Sam Darnold could be an option as a free agent to bring back to the big apple in the wake of his career best season. There is also Kirk Cousins who will likely be out of a job in Atlanta and Russell Wilson, who likely won’t be back in Pittsburgh, whom the Giants were linked to last year. The latter of these “outside options” don’t sound that appealing but something has to be done to upgrade the play under center in 2025.

There will likely be some staff changes a result of maintaining of the coaching staff. Daboll will be giving up the play calling so a search for an OC will be on the horizon, but Shane Bowen should not return either to coach the defense, a unit that got worse despite increasing talent. While I’m not sure he’d fit the DC role, Antonio Pierce could make sense to return to the Giants on the coaching side. This franchise has lost its way, straying from the Giants traditional team identity of playing tough physical football, and Pierce would go a long way to re-establishing that culture. It would also help win the fans over in the offseason with an alumni player back in the fold and a roster that is hopefully improving.

For Daboll and whoever joins him on the staff to survive another season, it feels like this team needs to win seven or eight games and be far more competitive. I know it’s hard to talk about predictions or demands when the offseason hasn’t even taken place yet, but frankly I only see those demands as reasonable considering how bad things have been the last several years. An improved record, and an improved string of performances against division rivals should be the bare minimum. It is make or break time on the Giants side of the building!

On Twitter you can find Mike @Mike_Sheerin, Tyler @TMon_19 and Sean @SeanMartinNFL. Subscribe to the site by hitting the follow button in the bottom right corner and entering your email address. Check out our Instagram feed @thebroadwaybreakdownsports for special gameday and promotional content. Our podcasts are available on Spotify. Visit the Rangers Ed Shop by clicking the link on our homepage. Check out our mailbag page to join the conversation here on the site and on our partners show, The Rangers Ed Podcast! We’ll be back with more soon!