jerseygiantfan

June is here, all is quiet, and that is how the Giants want it.

This silence, this monotony, is by design.

Football is the only topic of discussion as Big Blue prepares to open its mandatory three-day minicamp on Tuesday, and Giants GM Dave Gettleman no doubt feels vindicated watching Odell Beckham skip the majority of Cleveland Browns voluntary offseason workouts.

This was Gettleman’s primary objective in jettisoning outspoken personalities such as Beckham, Landon Collins and Olivier Vernon, after all: to eliminate so-called distractions and keep the focus on the field. The result so far? Mostly crickets.

Fewer distractions, however, also mean fewer excuses. So if the Giants don’t start winning, the only meaningful change will be a transformation from bad and dysfunctional to bad and boring.

Unless you reject the concept of Gettleman’s wholesale culture change in the first place.

Consider: while Gettleman has spent a lot of time pointing out the misgivings of Jerry Reese’s players, he drafted two in April’s first round who came with an asterisk.

Defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence (No. 17) was suspended for Clemson’s two bowl games after testing positive for the performance-enhancing drug ostarine. His Tigers won those two games without him by a combined score of 74-19.

Cornerback Deandre Baker (No. 31), meanwhile, drew criticism for behavior surrounding Georgia’s bowl game and for his work habits leading up to a disappointing NFL Combine.

No one is demonizing either player. The point is Gettleman is living with his own imperfect prospects; they’re simply getting the benefit of the doubt as newcomers, with focus on their on-field potential instead of their off-field mistakes or immaturities.

The reduction in public offseason drama surrounding this team is a welcome change, though, especially for Giants ownership, which owns the blame for plenty of it.

In 2016 it was Josh Brown. In 2017 it was the Boat Trip fallout, Beckham’s contract-related offseason absences, and Vernon’s OTA skip.

In 2018 it was the Manning ‘benching,’ the firing of a coach and GM, Beckham’s night in Paris, Gettleman’s OBJ trade talks, a tug of war negotiation with Beckham, and the dead body of Roosevelt Rene found in the basement of cornerback Janoris Jenkins’ New Jersey home.

Now, here in early June 2019, there is limited noise. The Giants’ record has reset to an optimistic 0-0. They are more in control of the “narrative” they constantly reference.

Even after all of Gettleman’s mind-numbing moves and controversial selection of Daniel Jones, Eli Manning and his teammates are keeping a lid on any personal grievances with the situation and maintaining a united front.

Saquon Barkley even reportedly said on Saturday at his New Jersey kids football camp that Jones will make critics eat their words when Jones “wins two Super Bowls.”

Barkley should be careful with such effusive support of Jones, though. For if the No. 6 overall pick looks that impressive, it may demand Pat Shurmur entertain a quarterback competition for the starting job come August.

That could create the ultimate distraction. Or it could just be the organization making a decision in its own interest that ruffles some feathers.

It all depends on how you look at it and sell it.

Dave Gettleman called Odell Beckham Jr. directly on Tuesday night to tell him he had traded him to the Cleveland Browns.

Beckham, 26, knew a year ago that Gettleman was talking to teams about trading him off the Giants. So it’s not like the GM’s phone call was unexpected.

In fact, in recent days, Beckham had wondered amid all the rumors of his departure whether he’d wake up one day on a different team.

But Beckham still was stunned Tuesday, according to sources close to him, that it actually had happened.

He is no longer a Giant. OBJ no longer will wear blue. He will be immortalized in his Giant uniform, reaching back for that iconic one-handed catch as a rookie in 2014.

But he is now part of the Dawg Pound. He is now a Brown.

And truth be told, this is best for Beckham.

He escapes a Giant franchise drowning in its misplaced loyalty to Eli Manning, with eight wins in its last 33 games. And he joins a rising tide in Cleveland led by Baker Mayfield, OBJ’s best friend Jarvis Landry, mentor and wide receivers coach Adam Henry, and an excellent GM in John Dorsey.

It is the culmination of trade talks that began when Gettleman listened to overtures from the L.A. Rams last spring, which were first reported by the Daily News and kicked off a flurry of interest in OBJ from various suitors including the Niners and Patriots.

The conversations never truly subsided, even after Gettleman re-signed Beckham to a five-year, $90 million contract last August. And ultimately, Gettleman paid Beckham $21.5 million in for 12 games in 2018 ($20 million signing bonus, $1.459 million in base salary) to then trade him.

And now by dealing Beckham, Gettleman assumes a $16 million dead cap hit on the Giants’ books for 2019. This on top of failing to rebuild the offensive line sufficiently for his first season with a 5-11 record.

Rough goings for the GM, indeed.

The idea that this was going to take two first-round picks was simply the Giants negotiating.

Their original asking price last spring with the Rams was a first-round pick plus a second- or third-round pick. And generally that’s what they got on Tuesday, plus a player.

The Browns sent their No. 17 overall pick, a third-round pick (No. 95 overall) and third-year free safety Jabrill Peppers (of East Orange, N.J.) to the Giants.

The inclusion of Peppers was a big deal to the Giants, I’m told. As the trade was coming together, a message was conveyed on the Giants’ demands: “They want the safety,” a source said.

The Giants have two first-round picks in April’s draft now, too. So they have the capital to potentially get both a franchise quarterback and a premier pass rusher using the Nos. 6 and 17 overall picks.

On the other hand, the pressure is on Gettleman to pick great players there, as well, since he just traded one off his roster.

“Gettleman had better do well with those picks,” one NFL executive told the News. “It’s hard to replace that level of talent.”

To that end, what can’t get lost in the Giants’ hype of Saquon Barkley and the Manning lovefest, is how truly great a player Gettleman just traded.

What’s going to get lost in the Giants’ hype of Saquon Barkley and the Manning lovefest, however, is how truly great a player that Gettleman just traded off the Giants for good.

Beckham shattered Giants and NFL records left and right, amassing 91, 96 and 101 catches in his first three seasons, plus a ridiculous 35 touchdown catches in his first 43 NFL games.

Ironically, where it all started to fall apart was in the preseason in Aug. 2017 in Cleveland. Browns safety Briean Boddy-Calhoun undercut Beckham on an ugly hit after Manning overthrew a hospital ball to OBJ. And Beckham limped off the field in agony.

He said he was OK. And he tried to play through, but then he broke his ankle after catching a slant from Manning in Week 5 against the Chargers. OBJ missed the rest of the season. Manning’s poor play led to Ben McAdoo asking him to play just the first half in Oakland. Manning refused to play at all. Geno Smith started. Everybody got fired.

And then Beckham grinded, and worked, and pushed himself to rehab and start fresh with Gettleman and Shurmur and to help the organization win. Until he realized he’d come all the way back to play with a QB and a team that still wasn’t ready to win.

Throughout, Beckham’s behavior often did not jibe with what the organization expected of him: from his 2015 street fight on the field with Josh Norman that Tom Coughlin declined to break up; to the infamous Boat Trip; to last spring’s scandalous video from his vacation to France.

But all in all, Beckham is one of a kind, a transcendent talent, and the Giants are going to miss him.

NFL offseason is abuzz connecting OBJ's name almost daily to trade talk, most recently with the New England Patriots

This could make for an unprecedented star-studded wide receiver trade market, as the Pittsburgh Steelers already have committed to dealing the disgruntled Antonio Brown.

While the Giants certainly have discussed Beckham trades before, there is misinformation now clouding the conversation about his history and potential fate.

FICTION: The Patriots’ interest in OBJ convinced the Giants how good Beckham is.

The Giants have plenty of failings, but evaluating Beckham’s talent is not one of them. Dave Gettleman did not need the Patriots to covet Beckham last offseason to know the star receiver is a desirable player worth keeping, as NBC Sports reported recently. It is possible, though, that the Patriots’ involvement raised the stakes and led to the Giants keeping Beckham.

The Giants’ initial asking price in a Beckham trade last spring when they were talking with the L.A. Rams was a first-round pick plus, as first reported by the Daily News in March 2018. That meant a first-round pick plus a pick lower than a second first-rounder. But two days later, their price had gone up to two first-rounders, per ESPN, and that led to no trade at all.

Hypothetically, it’s possible the Patriots made the highest offer as an aggressive suitor, and with no other team willing to match, the Giants stayed put. New England did end up with two first-round picks (Nos. 23 and 31) after their early April trade of Brandin Cooks to the Rams, so they could have tried to turn their increased capital into an OBJ upgrade at wideout.

I also would believe the prospect of a Tom Brady-Beckham Super Bowl, from a public relations perspective, could scare the Giants away. But let’s get this straight: the Giants were not suddenly made aware of Beckham’s talent by the Patriots’ interest. Give them some credit.

FACT: A Beckham trade remains possible.

Pat Shurmur and the Giants were most sensitive last season to any needling of the Beckham-Shurmur-Giants relationship, and I believe it’s because he was the one - and by far most important - player they couldn’t control/rein in. There was consistent friction, never more public than Beckham’s ESPN sit-down interview. And while he initially bought in - and does respect Shurmur - he wasn’t going to stay silent while the season spiraled into oblivion.

If the Giants had a different GM and coach, maybe it would be water under the bridge. But the OBJ-Giants relationship has entered a Groundhog Day-like annual cycle: drama, frustration, makeup, repeat. Gettleman is traditional and has a history of harshly parting with malcontent star players (read: Josh Norman, Panthers). Shurmur is prioritizing culture above all.

And Beckham is on the record stating what the Giants won’t - that Eli Manning can’t get it done anymore - while the Giants appear ready to bring the QB back in 2019.

There also are a lot of teams with capital and/or in the market for a receiver, including the soon-to-be-Las-Vegas Raiders (three first-round picks), San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts and Patriots.

FICTION: Beckham is a selfish person and player.

Beckham was labeled selfish on Fox Sports this week, which is unfair and untrue. Beckham has made selfish decisions in the past, but he is a loyal and beloved teammate, a hard worker and a passionate competitor who recently has prioritized the team above himself.

When considering Beckham’s criticism of Manning and the Giants’ direction, and any frustration he carried onto the field, ask this question: why was Beckham frustrated? Why did he speak up?

It’s because he had worked incredibly hard to get healthy after breaking his ankle in 2017, and he had bought in to what Shurmur was selling. But he came back to find a team poorly constructed to win around him, primarily at the quarterback position.

Beckham is not getting any younger, and he wants his team to win. And he is correct that he can help a team do that better than most. And if he’s not getting the opportunities to lift the Giants to victories, what is he supposed to do?

FICTION: Trading Beckham is financially impossible.

If the Giants trade Beckham, they will eat a $16 million dead money charge against their 2019 salary cap. That’s the number. Write it down. Anything else you hear is false. And while this isn’t ideal, there is precedent of Gettleman doing this just last spring: he ate $15 million in dead money in 2018 to trade Jason Pierre-Paul to the Bucs. The only major difference is that former GM Jerry Reese signed JPP to his big contract; Beckham’s deal is Gettleman’s.

FACT: Beckham was nearly traded last offseason.

A year ago, no one wanted to believe the Giants were considering trading Beckham. Now, everyone talks about last spring’s activity as fact, with no attribution, as they rush to get on the board with their take before something actually happens. To recall the chronology: the Daily News first reported last March that the Rams had talked with the Giants about trading for Beckham and mentioned the Niners and Patriots among likely suitors as a market developed. Talks heated up as other teams checked in. The Niners were the second known team to do so. Even after Beckham re-signed in New York, he made reference at one point to his uncertainty in the spring of whether he was going to be a Giant in 2018. And then Fox reported at the October trade deadline that teams had called the Giants with decent offers for OBJ again. Now this offseason has been flooded with a ‘bold’ trade prediction in The Athletic and Beckham gossip.

FICTION: The Giants and Steelers may swap star receivers OBJ and AB.

Brown’s social media trade demands and calling out of QB Ben Roethlisberger are the absolute last types of behavior that the Giants would want to introduce into their dressing room. And it makes any recent Beckham transgression look tame in comparison.

Plus, if the Giants do trade Beckham, they wouldn’t be getting a better player in return. They would be doing it for an accumulation of players and assets to improve talent deficiencies at several positions, or perhaps a combination of a quarterback (Derek Carr/Jacoby Brissett) and assets. And they would be doing it in part for culture reasons. AB won’t be a Giant. Forget it.

LANDOVER, Md. — Sunday’s 40-16 decimation of pathetic Washington might be the game that seals Dave Gettleman’s belief the Giants still can win in 2019 with Eli Manning as their starting quarterback.

You could hear the ‘just wait until next year’ drumbeat in Pat Shurmur’s final comment after his team’s inspired fourth win in five games to keep Big Blue’s slim playoff hopes alive, done impressively with injured stars Odell Beckham Jr. and Landon Collins out of the lineup.

“Years are connected,” Shurmur said of how such a dominant victory can be a building block. “I like the locker room. I think the guys are listening. … We’re on the right track.”

The Giants (5-8), you see, believe they’ve found the blueprint: punish teams with Saquon Barkley and play aggressive defense, creating optimal conditions for Manning in the pass game, asking him mainly for red-zone efficiency and ball security.

Manning gave them that Sunday with three touchdown passes, no turnovers and a few other pinpoint throws. And on top of that, rookie backup Kyle Lauletta laid such an egg in his NFL debut in the fourth quarter to confirm there is no better option than Manning yet in the building.

Gettleman, too, was giddy in the press box while watching Barkley put Washington’s defense in a headlock and give them noogies for three quarters before resting in the fourth.

“We were taken to the back of the barn, kind of like your grandmother does with one of those big thick paddles,” Washington corner Josh Norman said. “And we got it put to the backside pretty good. That’s what happened.”

Barkley rushed for 170 yards on just 14 carries, including a 78-yard touchdown and another 52-yard jaunt. And with the score 40-0, he said he gladly would have kept putting it on Washington if Shurmur hadn’t enacted the mercy rule.

“Well at 40-0 my mindset is why not keep going?” Barkley said. “If you can put up 60 — obviously you do it the Giants’ way with respect, you’re not just trying to embarrass a team — but if you have an opportunity, why not? Why not continue and keep going?”

The Giants defense (five sacks, three interceptions, a Curtis Riley touchdown) drove Mark Sanchez to the bench for Josh Johnson, holding Sanchez to a 10.7 quarterback rating that reads more like an NBA power forward’s rebounding average.

But most pertinent to the franchise’s future at the sport’s most important position, Manning complemented Barkley’s ground game efficiently with three TD passes to Sterling Shepard, Bennie Fowler and Russell Shepard.

And the quarterback also hit Corey Coleman down the sideline with a 30-yard strike that probably will be the throw Gettleman mentions at the top of Manning’s contract extension press conference in February.

That is only a half-joke. The Giants are emboldened by their win streak, and despite Manning playing poorly in their Week 13 win over the Chicago Bears, for example, they see a path to winning on Barkley’s shoulders with Manning capable of complementing the star back.

Manning sees it, too.

“He’s a tremendous player,” Manning said of Barkley. “I think we’re starting to figure out this offense runs through him a little bit. When we’re running the ball well, it just sets up everything else.”

“I think we’re starting to figure out this offense runs through (Saquon) a little bit."

The Giants defense didn’t have any takeaways in Thursday night’s unacceptable 34-13 beatdown to the Eagles. But we have 5 from the disappointing defeat.

1. TIME TO LOOK “IN THE MIRROR”

Defensive captain Alec Ogletree bristled when I asked him if there was a problem with effort: “I don’t question any man’s effort out here,” but he’s a diplomatic leader, and in another way Ogletree essentially challenged his teammates to give more and fight to save the season.

“We’ve got a little break here, so I hope everybody goes and reflects on what we wanna come back and be,” said the veteran linebacker (eight tackles, one for loss, one QB hurry). “(It will take) every man just looking in the mirror and doing the things they say they want to do. We’ve got to come together as a team and play as one. We can’t have mistakes all over the field, because it hurts us.

2. SUPER SAQUON

Saquon Barkley had several runs Thursday night that left the entire nation breathless, making comparisons to Walter Payton and Barry Sanders, and yet when he looked up after his 50-yard TD run in the third quarter, the score still was 31-13 Eagles. I asked Barkley how strange it was to dominate individually but still see his team down by so many points.

“You really don’t even know that you’re dominating in a game when you’re down two touchdowns, three touchdowns,” Barkley said. “Only thing in your mind is no matter what, if you’re down by 40, if you’re down by 50, 60 or whatever, you just continue to play your heart out for this team and for your brothers on the sideline. So you’re not even focusing on that. I guess that’s why you don’t even notice it because that’s just the mindset that I have.”

I also asked Barkley if he was trying to “carry” the team to a win. He basically said he doesn’t want to characterize it that way but, hey, if we want to, he can understand why we would.

“I wouldn’t say that I was trying to carry the team. That’s not my mindset really ever,” Barkley said. “My mindset is to go out there and play my butt off, lead on the sideline, push myself, push my teammates and do whatever it takes to help the team win or help put us in a better position to win. It’s never really the mindset of carrying the team on my back. If that’s how people take it or see it, then I guess you could say that. But my mindset is just go out there fighting, fighting my butt off and try to break tackles and make plays for my teammates.”

3. APPOINTMENT VIEWING COLLEGE FB SATURDAY FOR GIANTS

While Pat Shurmur flies to Nashville to see his son, Kyle, lead Vanderbilt against Florida in a noon start, GM Dave Gettleman should flip on his TV at 3:30 p.m. and watch No. 17 Oregon and quarterback Justin Herbert take on No. 7 Washington. If the Giants are going to have a top three pick again, and they’re well on their way, they need to evaluate the emerging top QB in the 2019 draft class. The Giants, by the way, as of Friday morning are dead last, 32nd of 32 teams, in the NFL standings. Same record after six games that they had last season. They also have lost four straight head-to-head vs. the Eagles, and Philly coach Doug Pederson is 4-1 in two-plus years so far against the Giants.

4. SHURMUR AND ELI BOTH SHOWING OPEN FRUSTRATION, TOO

Now it’s not just Odell Beckham Jr. venting openly on the field and sidelines. Shurmur could be seen on the FOX broadcast appearing to say “throw the ball” in frustration after one Eli Manning decision. “I don’t recall that,” he said after the game. And Manning uncharacteristically and clearly blamed RB Wayne Gallman for running the wrong route on a third down incompletion in the second quarter. Gallman had dropped a pass on second down, and Manning and the running back weren’t on the same page on third down, so the pass fell incomplete. Manning made sure everyone in the building knew it was Gallman’s fault. The QB is feeling the heat. He should be.

5. CURSE OF THE BOAT TRIP

Since the infamous Boat Trip, the Giants have a 4-19 record in their last 23 games.

The Giants now are officially Odell Beckham Jr.’s team, not Eli Manning’s.

And while that already was true the second Beckham signed his five-year, $90 million extension on Aug. 27, coach Pat Shurmur’s refusal on Friday to reprimand Beckham for comments critical of the team and quarterback sealed it.

Because when Beckham said in an ESPN interview released Friday that the Giants lack “heart” and “energy” and took his clearest shot yet at Manning’s poor play, Shurmur had his first opportunity to reinforce the new regime’s supposed harder line and lower tolerance for divisiveness and distractions.

And instead, Shurmur publicly passed the buck when asked if he would discipline Beckham.

And so you need to understand something here. Read this however many times you need:

One major and legitimate reason Shurmur is not coming down hard on Beckham for his criticisms of the quarterback has to be that Shurmur knows OBJ is right. He will not say it, but I believe the coach is just as impatient and frustrated with Manning as Beckham is. That, to me, is why Manning was giving off such a defensive vibe on Monday.

My issue is that Shurmur is not coming down on Beckham for questioning the team’s “heart” and for making his criticism of the quarterback so public. Because regardless of what Shurmur agrees or disagrees with, he and GM Dave Gettleman were supposed to avoid repeating the mistakes of predecessors Jerry Reese, Ben McAdoo and even Tom Coughlin.

And one of the trio’s greatest errors was often enabling players, Beckham especially, rather than disciplining them whenever their behavior was destructive rather than constructive. This was part of the reason the culture deteriorated: unclear standards and expectations, inconsistent enforcement and special treatment.

Shurmur, though, is faced with the harsh reality that his team has a 1-3 record and desperately needs to win Sunday at Carolina, and suspending or disciplining Beckham would not help their goal to do so.

Still, I expected this coach to do more than he did at his Friday afternoon press meeting, which was to deflect and spin like a top. At first I thought maybe Shurmur actually had told Beckham that, in lieu of a punishment, he must explain himself publicly to squash the drama. Because Shurmur said three different times to ask OBJ to explain himself.

“I guess you’d have to clarify — that’s probably a better question for him what he meant by it,” Shurmur said, adding later, “I’m not sure he was unhappy. I don’t know. Again, if you have a question regarding what he said or what he meant, I would just ask you to spin back and ask him,” and, “You just need to clarify (from) him what he meant.”

But Beckham was not available in the locker room afterward, so it was tough to see how Shurmur resolved this at all.

Beckham posted on Instagram a few times Friday, saying “perfection is the goal, n I’m headin to the pylon;” “Love me…or hate me. I am who I am…” and issuing a heartfelt reflection on a trying past 365 days recovering from his broken left ankle. He concluded with: “Last year and the past is now officially behind me n I ain’t loookin back, on GOD. Let the games begin #JokerSzn #ImBack.”

The meat of Beckham’s controversial comments to ESPN’s Josina Anderson, though, was that the Giants’ poor start “has to do with the energy that we don’t have, that we don’t bring every single day. And you know me. I’m a passionate, energetic person. I always have to have that. If I don’t, it’s gonna be a problem for me. And just playing with some heart. We just need to play with some heart.”

Beckham then alluded to frustrations with Manning’s inability and reluctance to throw the ball downfield.

“How come we can’t throw the ball for more than 20 yards?” Beckham asked rhetorically. “How come we don’t attempt or try to throw the ball for more than 20 yards? Those are questions that we have to figure out. But for now I would say it’s our heart, it’s our energy. It’s what we bring when we line up before the game, all of that. It counts.”

If Beckham’s comments ruffled any teammates’ feathers, they weren’t showing it. But many of them also were coached up to answer that execution was the issue, not energy and heart, which is the same line Shurmur used.

Most meaningful in support of Beckham was special teams captain Michael Thomas saying: “I have no issue with someone trying to hold guys accountable.” And fellow wideout Sterling Shepard provided the most insightful clarification of what Beckham meant by his remarks on a lack of energy.

“I think what he’s talking about is just before the game, some guys are different,” Shepard said. “Some guys want to sit in the locker and look over plays. Some guys want to get rowdy. That’s what kind of personality he has, so that’s what he likes to see. But some guys are different. But yeah, I feel like it all comes down to just execution and everybody being assignment sound.”

So no, Beckham is not wrong to be frustrated with Manning. And he is not being selfish; he is tired of losing. If he went a career-high fifth straight game without a touchdown on Sunday but the Giants won, he’d be happy.

Still, when Shurmur was hired and Gettleman constantly said “he’s an adult,” the message was that this new regime would not tolerate distractions and nonsense and would enforce those expectations to correct the culture accordingly.

I know Beckham is the franchise’s best player and $90 million man and that he makes some good points, but frankly I am surprised — even in the Giants’ desperate situation — at Shurmur’s refusal to act.

The coach’s message is clear, though: the team needs to win, and it’s not Beckham who needs to be sent a message; it’s Manning.

Olivier Vernon (high left ankle sprain) is a surprise scratch for a fifth straight game to start the season despite Shurmur, Vernon and defensive coordinator James Bettcher being “optimistic” early this week. Vernon joins tight end Evan Engram (right knee MCL sprain) on Sunday’s list of injured players out.

“O.V. had a really good week, he was close but not quite close enough,” Shurmur said. “So then we just backed off a little bit today to give him some rest.”

The good news is that the Giants will get back CB Eli Apple (groin), WR Cody Latimer (knee) and CB Antonio Hamilton (groin). And LB Connor Barwin (knee), Shepard (back) and DL Damon Harrison (knee) all are good to go.

The morning after, here are five takeaways from the Giants’ disappointing 33-18 home loss to the New Orleans Saints.

1. OFFENSIVE FUTILITY

2. COACHING QUESTION MARK

Pat Shurmur knew he screwed up. The Saints had the ball in the final two minutes of the first half. Shurmur had all three of the Giants’ timeouts. And twice, after a completion to Michael Thomas starting with 1:51 to play and an Alvin Kamara run with 1:05 to play, Shurmur let the clock run. The Saints eventually kicked a field goal with 15 seconds remaining and the Giants received the kickoff and knelt on first down and went into halftime without having used any of their first-half timeouts. After the game Shurmur said: “In hindsight I felt like they were working their way down, in hindsight you know maybe I could have done it. We didn’t.” Shurmur’s special teams unit also got caught badly on a fake punt on the Saints’ second possession that kept New Orleans driving for its first points on a Will Lutz field goal.

3. WHAT’S THE ‘D’ TO DO?

The Giants defense eventually broke and Kamara ran wild, scoring three touchdowns, but it’s incredible that James Bettcher’s unit held Drew Brees to just 217 passing yards and no TD passes and the Giants still lost by 15 points. The Giants D is far from perfect, to be sure. There isn’t enough of a pass rush (outside of a B.J. Hill sack). LB Ray-Ray Armstrong and FS Curtis Riley struggle. But considering how well Janoris Jenkins and the secondary covered for a lot of the game — and how Landon Collins did his best to take over the game, especially late — it’s remarkable this was the result anyway.

4. THE 30-POINT DROUGHT DRAGS ON

The Saints were allowing more than 34 points per game to opponents coming in. The Giants scored just seven first-half points and 18 for the game, meaning they have failed to score 30 points as a franchise in 37 straight games, including their 2016 Wild-Card playoff game, a streak of futility that dates back to Week 17 of the 2015 season when Tom Coughlin was still coach. It is the longest drought in the league now after Cleveland scored 42 points in Sunday’s loss in Oakland.

5. TOUGH SCHEDULE WON’T LET UP

The Giants must now go to Carolina to take on a Panthers team coming off a bye week, followed by hosting the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles on a short week on Thursday Night Football. Digging out of this hole won’t be easy. The Giants have lost their first two games at home, by the way, for the second straight season.