Soon enough, the Giants can claim victory, declare “Mission accomplished,’’ pat themselves on the back for a job well done and bask in the glow of their good fortune.
Back on April 11, when they convened for the start of the offseason workout program, it was the main goal, if not stated, then certainly front and center in the minds of the coaching staff and, even more prominently, the front office. It carried on through training camp and the preseason games and every practice and workout since: Get through all this unscathed.
And they did it.
The Giants are whole heading into their workweek in preparation for the Sept. 11 opener against the Cowboys — whole, as in healthy. Of the 22 starters they projected nearly two months ago, all 22 could line up this week for a first game that holds greater significance than most. The Giants have lost five consecutive season openers; the last time they were 1-0 was 2010. Three of those losses have come to the rival/despised Cowboys in what have been NFC East double-whammy defeats, three losses by a total of 13 points, setting an early and ugly tone for the season.
This year, the Giants come in fully armed and loaded with a stronger talent base and, remarkably, every piece where they planned for it to be. Ben McAdoo as a rookie head coach did not break down everything already put in place by his predecessor, Tom Coughlin — who was hardly a taskmaster in his later years — but he instituted enough change to warrant notice.
Darian Thompson, a rookie and starter at free safety, is dealing with a shoulder issue and will likely be touch-and-go all week as far as readiness to face the Cowboys. This can hardly be considered debilitating, with improving Nat Berhe waiting in the wings.
The only player of significance who did not make it was tight end/fullback Will Johnson, signed from the Steelers and on injured reserve with a neck burner. If healthy, he would have made the team, but to characterize him as a starter is not accurate, given how infrequently the fullback position is utilized within the offense. How infrequently? The Giants did not replace Johnson and do not currently even list a fullback on the roster.
“We’ll do it by committee,’’ McAdoo said.
One of McAdoo’s most important hires was Aaron Wellman as the new strength and conditioning coach. Wellman arrived with not a shred of NFL experience; all of his previous jobs were in college, most recently at San Diego State, Michigan and Notre Dame. Wellman immediately ripped apart the expansive weight room and refitted it, at great expense to the team, reconfiguring the entire workspace. The emphasis is less on free weights and more on air-resistance machines.
McAdoo for the past two years was a part of a vicious cycle around the Giants. They were the most-injured team in the league three years running, according to an Adjusted Games Lost database compiled by footballoutsiders.com. The Giants’ three-year totals of 141.3 games, 137.1 and 138.1 last season are the three highest totals for any team since 2000. The Giants ranked 22nd or worse in AGL six years running. This was not a sniffle, this was an epidemic.
So far, McAdoo has found the cure. He constricted the training camp regimen, starting off slowly — one hour on the field, with gradual increases day by day — and cutting back after the most strenuous practices with recovery opportunities that he called “Fresh Friday’’ and “Launch Day.’’ It does not hurt that the Giants are the 14th-youngest team in the NFL, according to data from phillyvoice.com, with an average age of 26.02. Last year, the Giants were the 25th-youngest team, 31st in 2014 and 27th in 2013. When it comes to staying healthy, younger is usually better.
No, Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. did not get protected in bubble wrap, but both played in just two preseason games, sitting out the first and the fourth games. A groin pull put 29-year-old Victor Cruz on the sideline for a few weeks, delaying his comeback bid. McAdoo allowed Cruz to slowly build back up. Cruz made it into the final two preseason games and appears ready to make a contribution once the real action begins.
“We’re confident with the way we that we built these players up and made them stronger as we went through camp,’’ McAdoo said. “You have to be fortunate in a variety of ways, you have to be lucky a little bit, but we were confident heading into it that we could build up a team that was strong.’’
Strong is a good way to be feeling this time of year.
The gang is all here. All any team can hope for is to get through the grind with the players it envisioned taking the field actually lining up in their assigned spots. Whether they are good enough remains to be seen. But they are all aboard at the start.