Five-step plan to fix the Giants in 2021

[lovelystyle1]

"I want to feel like when we walk off the field after the last game, whenever that is, that we have the pieces in place to compete for a Super Bowl," owner John Mara said in early September, . Even the staunchest supporters of New York's general manager Dave Gettleman couldn't look you straight in the eye and tell you this roster has the pieces in place to compete for a after winning six games -- four against the worst division in history and one against the Joe Burrow-le s . However, that doesn't mean the Giants can't make a big leap forward in 2021. And you shouldn't lose all hope as rebuilds can come together fast.Contrary to what some fans of the current regime will tell you, rebuilds don't have to take four-plus years. Not even two years ago, the were accused of tanking and this year they nearly made the playoffs and had a winning season. The went from almost acquiring the first overall pick to representing the NFC in the Super Bowl. The were a combined 1-31 (this is not a typo) prior to the 2018 draft and Luka Samanic Jersey  now they've made the playoffs with 10 wins in a loaded AFC. These are just three recent examples, but they aren't the only ones.If the Giants want to make that leap, they're going to need to make some key changes during the 2021 offseason. We've put together a five-step plan to fix the Giants in 2021. Since we're well aware a John Mara-run franchise is not likely to make this much change in just one offseason, we've ranked the steps in order of importance based on a combination of factors, but namely, the countle s hours we've poured into studying the All-22 coaches film of this 2020 roster. Without further ado, let's dive right in.If you asked me the  Dominique Wilkins Jersey best way to improve the Giants on a long-term basis, I would probably point to Step 2, but to fix this team in 2021, they are going to have to change offensive systems and offensive play-callers. For starters, current OC Jason Garrett's offensive system is a poor fit for QB ' skill set. In his rookie season, Jones racked up a 24:12 TD to INT ratio in Pat Shurmur's system. A few key reasons Jones was succe sful include a heavier dosage of 11 personnel, shotgun formations, mesh concepts to defeat both man and zone coverages, and half-field hi-low reads that allowed vertical routes to come open in Jones' proce sing much faster.  In Garrett's system, the Giants have e sentially taken a trip back through time. Garrett features several heavy personnel packages featuring 13 and 21 personnel at times -- with eight players on the line of scrimmage -- or an h-back lined up in backfield. When it works, the Giants control the clock, move the chains and grind out wins in conjunction with their defense's performance. When it doesn't work, the spacing is terrible, receivers run routes on top of each other and at the same depth (too often right at the sticks) and the offense bogs down in field goal range or worse. More often than not, the offense didn't work in 2020 when the Giants finished 31st in scoring and 20-plus-yard plays -- ahead of only the lowly .There's also the i sue of Garrett finishing in the top 10 among all play callers when it comes to the single worst decision a play caller can make -- calling a run on second-and-long.  Which teams were best at avoiding rush attempts in the worst time to rush? (2nd & long)  Computer Cowboy (@benbbaldwin)  There are several variations of short and intermediate pa ses and screen pa ses that can operate in place of your  NBA San Antonio Spurs Jeresy run game on second-and-long with a much higher efficiency. The vast majority of 20-plus plays -- the ones that ultimately decide football games (in conjunction with red zone pa sing efficiency) come via the pa sing game. On second-and-long, a pa sing play also gives the offense an opportunity to create a chunk yardage play and potentially a touchdown. By running so often on second-and-long, Garrett put the Giants offense in far too many third-and-long situations.  Between his unimaginative route combinations and concepts, his lack of shotgun and 11 personnel (which both mesh much better with Jones' skill set), his tendency to run on second-and-long and his poor red-zone play calling, Garrett was as big of a factor as any for the Giants' 31st-ranked offense in 2020. And you can go ahead and throw out the continuity argument considering Jones and the offense performed at a considerably higher level in a 2019 -- in a new system as well -- with a considerably le s consistent offensive line.This one is a no brainer and the most important change the Giants must make this offseason.It's uncertain which projected free agents will ultimately hit the market after re-signings and franchise tags, so we won't play that gue sing game now -- at least not entirely. However, with former Gettleman draft picks like (WR) and (OT) set to hit the market after breakout seasons with the , and both at positions of need, they'll certainly be on the Giants' radar as they should be.  If he hits the market, receiver should likely be the Giants' No. 1 free agent target. Robinson has been held back by poor QB play his entire career, but he might be the best contested-catch receiver -- save for -- as well as one of the 10 best route runners. His skill set is also a perfect fit for what Daniel Jones does best and most frequently as a pa ser. Think of how many contested vertical routes Giants receivers didn' Bruce Bowen Jersey t come down with in 2020? Robinson can fix that immediately.  Only WRs w/ 150+ targets and 1 drop in a season since 2006 Allen Robinson ('20) DeAndre Hopkins ('20) Antonio Brown ('18)  PFF Fantasy Football (@PFF_Fantasy)  The Giants need to fill out their depth with mid Tim Duncan Jersey -level signings at the shallowest positions (edge rusher, inside linebacker, cornerback, offensive tackle, running back), but they also need to get aggre sive at the top and a receiver like Robinson is a perfect match.Before you mention "projected cap" as if it's some kind of hard number, just look at the roster's contracts past 2021. Besides LB1 ( ), CB1 ( ), S1 ( ) and soon-to-be DL1 ( ), the Giants have no ma sive deals likely to be on the books past the 2021 season. And three of those are in the $10M-per-year range -- fitting more into the mid-tier pricing range -- alongside , and on the offensive side.  Also, the "projected cap" number you see from sources who track it is not what the Giants use anyway. Any team can create more (or le s) cap space by dipping year(s) into the future. The Giants are fortunate enough to have Kevin Abrams employed to work their salary cap and he has done a masterful job with it. The bottom line is this: With Jones still on his rookie deal, now is the time to get aggre sive in free agency.The Giants opened Week 1 against the with a man-coverage-heavy game plan. After all, man coverage was a staple for first-year Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham during his 2019 season as Dolphins coordinator. After one week of watching a rusty carve up whoever Graham tried at