Chapter 1: What does John Harbaugh's hiring mean for the Giants' future?
It changes your feelings about this franchise moving forward. At the beginning of the show, we were talking about Joe Shane, the much maligned general manager of the New York Giants. All of a sudden, Joe Shane gets to walk around town a little bit different of a hop and a step. But I also think what this hire does...
is it changes your view on next year, especially when you see what a coaching change can do. We've seen it with New England, the success they're having this season, the Chicago Bears, the success they're having this season. So I ask you, Tiki, and you, Sean, and this isn't predictions. These are, this is what I expect now from my football team now that I have a real head coach. Is it...
A Super Bowl or bust year? Is it a playoff or bust year? What are your new expectations for the Giants now that you have a real head coach? I think the lowest common denominator for all Giant fans right now is going to be a winning season. A winning season. A postseason berth would be fantastic. Gotcha. Right? Going to the Super Bowl would be awesome. Could happen. Unlikely, but it could happen.
But everybody said it was unlikely for the Patriots. Said it was unlikely for whoever. Who else is still that was terrible?
Chapter 2: What quarterbacks would C-Mac consider trading Jaxson Dart for?
Chicago. Chicago, absolutely. Nobody was sold on Caleb Williams after year one. Now they're sold on him. And so I think a winning season is what my floor is. Winning season is the floor. Fair enough. I mean, I guess it's sort of that, but I'm just going to start with this baseline. This is my pure expectation. I need to leave Thanksgiving weekend... alive for the playoffs, realistically.
Meaningful football in December. Yeah, and I think that's the definition of it. And realistically, I don't want to hear, you know, hey, you know, they got six wins in the NFC East at 7. You know, be a real-looking team that you can envision in the playoffs leaving Thanksgiving. They don't get home for whatever reason. That's a good one.
Chapter 3: What are the expectations for the Giants in Year 1 under Harbaugh?
I'll live with that. At least you've made me get to December going, we got a shot. Injuries could derail anybody's season.
Sure.
It's funny. I wrote down my expectations, and Tiki's going to think now, oh, Evans decided to troll the Giants, which I am not.
Chapter 4: How does the coaching staff impact player performance?
I am merely being an IFO in this regard. And let me make this clear. If the Giants have a bad season, if they don't meet my expectations, your expectations, no one is suggesting John Harbaugh's going to be fired after one year, anything crazy like that. Just it would be a disappointing season. Disappointing seasons happen. I think at the minimum, you've got to make the playoffs.
And I say that because... It's hard to make the playoffs.
Chapter 5: What should fans expect from Harbaugh's introductory press conference?
It's hard because just look at the division. Jaden Daniels is going to be back. And so Philly is Philly, especially if they hire Dabes. The Cowboys, if they do anything defensively to shore up their biggest weakness, because they had one of the top offenses in football. Their defense couldn't stop a nosebleed. So the division is tough. I didn't say the division. Unlike with...
I was going to say New England, but it's not even the case because the Bills are good. I'm trying to think of a division that's just foregone. There aren't really any. No, it turned out to be the NFC South.
The way it was played this season.
It's not like it's the NFC South where it's like, all right, we just got to be somewhat over close to 500 winning the division. But my counter to that is the NFC West. 75% of the division made the playoffs. You don't have to be the best team in your division to make the postseason. I understand that. but that's also in the NFC.
So if we're not winning the division, and then there's two or three teams from the NFC West, and then obviously the South gets one, and then the North has three good teams. Honestly, when I think about this and talk through it, I think a playoff expectation is ludicrous for the Giants. Oh, come on. Ludicrous? I really am. Now, they can over... But the Eagles are going to be good next year.
I know people think they suck, but whatever.
The Eagles are going to be good.
The Eagles are the surest thing in the conference.
I will totally agree with that.
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Chapter 6: How does the NFC East competition affect the Giants' playoff chances?
I don't know. But the North has three good teams. They have three good teams this season. It's a year-to-year league. And I look at, and that's probably a part of why I would look at it as... The West has three good teams. This year they have three good teams. It's a year-to-year league, man. First of all, the East was good two years ago, and Washington was able to party crash.
There's always a party crasher. You should be good. And I would just say this. Washington would have been the same if they hadn't lost their quarterback. Right. That was from the very beginning. But I'm talking about two years ago. You know, Washington ended. Nobody thought they were going to do it. Right. But I don't think the rest of the conference was that strong. Okay.
Because think about this. Chicago was nowhere. Right? Yeah. Green Bay was kind of coming, but kind of faltering at the same time. And this year, everybody got good. Okay. All with good quarterbacks. But I think it's a major issue. If in year five of roster building by Joe Shane, you add John Harbaugh to it, and we're saying it's ludicrous that they should make the playoffs. Thank you.
You're almost siding with me. No, because I'm not setting the playoff mandate. I'm more with Tiki, like winning season and all that. I'm not going to think it's outrageous that they don't make it, but I think it's outrageous to think they can't make it. I'm going to implore people, Giant fans, set the bar average. Oh, come on. You have to. I can't go along with that. You have to.
Internally, set it high. But expectation-wise, because if you set it high and you don't reach it, now all of a sudden, what's wrong with John Harbaugh? No, but I want to make that clear again. You can have a disappointing first year without it being, oh, my God, the guys. Because it happens in sports. I'm not getting rid of them after one year.
I'm merely saying with the roster I have, with the quarterback I have.
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Chapter 7: What are the potential challenges for the Giants this season?
And remember, you only have a few more years before you have to pay the quarterback. We talk all the time about the advantage you have. You have four more years before you have to pay Joe. Four more. Now you could do it easy. Three more if next year is not the success I'm talking about. My point is every year you chart a year off. Yeah, before you have to pay him.
No, you have a four-year contract, so there's three years left, the fifth-year option, and then the franchise tag. Okay, either way, you're charting off a year of that opportunity. My point is, you don't have to pay him until six years from now. But you have to pay him eventually. Of course, but that's six years.
Okay, and you're just saying this year is ludicrous to even make the playoffs, and I'm saying that's a year you lose. I'm talking based on the... I don't know what the Giants are going to look like next year. They could be the best team in the NFC, and that would be awesome, and they make the playoffs, and it's fantastic.
But I'm telling you, if you look at where the rest of the NFC is right now with Philly, Dallas, maybe Washington gets back. That's just a division. Then you got Chicago, who's not going away anytime soon. Detroit, Green Bay, Minnesota. who underachieved this year because their quarterback stunk, but they have a good coach.
So what happens if they figure out their quarterback situation or turn J.J. McCarthy into a good player? The whole North is now viable. The South is the only conference. You're leaving out. And you throw in the West. Those three teams aren't going anywhere. They could. It's the NFL. From year to year, things happen. So as much as teams rise, teams also fall.
And so it's not that if they go 7-10, it's a disaster, but I would be disappointed. Like, I look at next year as, I better make the playoffs. Not that I'm firing people, necessarily, but I would look at it as a disappointment. No, you're saying you better make the playoffs, but you're not a fan. So the question is, what should be the expectation? Not what you hope is going to happen.
What should be the expectation? Yeah, I would go with should. To me, it's having a winning season, and more importantly, it's what Sean said, playing meaningful games in December, which we haven't done in... Five years. That's a great step forward. And I do say this as an un-Giant fan. I admit that. Maybe every Giant fan disagrees with me. I have no idea. I'm trying to be an IFO.
I would look at it. I know I would look at it this way if this was my team. If I added this kind of coach and I was this excited about this kind of coach, which you should be. How do you know it's going to all work? I don't. I'm just telling you that would be my expectation. We added this kind of coach in 2004. You know what? We won seven games.
You also benched your quarterback in the middle of the season for a rookie. It's very different. Yeah, but no. Yeah, come on. That's a difference. Well, that's why, John, six games we won. We didn't even win seven. We won six. But what was your record before you benched Eli? Like, you weren't— Five and four? The season— It's not like we were great. But you were contending.
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Chapter 8: How can the Giants restore their franchise pride?
Are they starting 0-5 and then finishing strong? Like, there's a lot of factors that lead into it. But, yes, I would agree with you. The microscope would go back on Shane if they had a 6-7 win season. Right. But I also believe... Because I also want to leave this conversation before we get to your calls with some confidence.
I say that they should be a playoff team because genuinely, I think they're going to be. I don't say that just to... Are they a playoff roster? Yes. Should they be a playoff team? Yes. There you go. I'm saying that it's hard and might be... short-sighted just because of all the good teams in the NFC.
But I think a lot of those good teams, and this is such a year-to-year sport, a lot of the teams that we're giving platitudes to right now, they're going to come down to earth. I'll give you a small example. The Rams are a great example. They may win a Super Bowl this year. And I love Matthew Stafford. We all do. Dude, he's old. He has an injury-prone season where the Rams crumble.
But he's not looking like he's aging. Not today. But in next October... Okay, what about San Francisco? Look, Kyle Shanahan's done such a remarkable job. They're actually a good example of what can happen. They were a last place team a year ago. Right. And even the Rams. Well, that was because they didn't have a quarterback.
Right.
Brian Purdy was hurt.
But that happens.
And more importantly, Christian McCaffrey, who is the all-world player on that base in the conference, wasn't available. But that will happen to a few of the teams you're talking about. I can't predict injuries, but it's football. It happens all the time. Look at the Rams after they won. I'm assuming health. I can't say, well...
The Seattle Seahawks are going to lose Jackson Smith and Jigba in week four, and therefore, they're not making the playoffs. I can't predict the future. All I can do is predict on what should exist for each team. And so if I look at each team, the Seahawks are going to be good. The 49ers are going to be good. The Rams should be good. The...
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