New York Giants: Jerry Reese Headlines GMs On Hot Seat
By Erik Lambert
Jerry Reese has helmed two New York Giants teams to Super Bowls, but it appears his grace period is nearing its end.
It’s not that the Giants ownership hasn’t had patience on the matter. They’ve given Reese every opportunity to build the team how he wants it, rather than riding on the coattails of the man he replaced in Ernie Accorsi. At the same time, according to Sports Illustrated, there is a strong possibility that the GM can absolutely not afford another down year.
"“After four consecutive non-playoff seasons and three losing records in a row in East Rutherford, ownership finally showed veteran coach Tom Coughlin the door and clearly put Reese on notice that he’s next in line for blame if New York’s fortunes don’t improve this year. No one is certain if it’s playoffs-or-bust for Reese, but we know another 6–10 finish won’t cut it. The Giants’ uncharacteristic $200-million-plus spending spree on defense in free agency only underlined what’s at stake and how much Reese has riding on his latest attempt to upgrade the roster. In the wide-open NFC East, where nine wins go a long way, New York has to become a contender again for Reese to endure.”"
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The New York Giants aren’t dumb. They know part of the urgency has to do with the fact that Eli Manning won’t last forever. He’s into his mid-30s now and his window of peak play is closing fast. Winning another Super Bowl is a legitimate goal as long as he’s still under center but not if they’re constantly having to battle an ineffective defense and underwhelming offensive line.
That is why the team spent so much money in free agency and fired Tom Coughlin. They hope it will be the jolt needed to get out of their funk that has resulted in such a long dry spell without the playoffs. The longer it goes on, the more Reese won’t be able to escape blame for the teams’ decline into mediocrity.