Not even Patrick Mahomes could have saved the 2023 Giants.
That’s the message Giants general manager Joe Schoen preached during Tuesday’s premiere episode of HBO’s “Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants” while defending embattled quarterback Daniel Jones.
“The reality is, facts — three serious injuries in two years, we need to protect ourselves,” Schoen said, referencing the need to have backup plans. “He didn’t have much of a chance this year, that’s legit.
“All season, the four guys, your core guys that are going to play together, played less than 60 snaps together. Miami, we got f–king three practice squad guys playing for us. Nobody can f–king — you could have Pat Mahomes, he can’t f–king win behind that.
“I’m not giving up on him. He’s under contract for three more years. Just protecting ourselves because the best predictor of the future is the past.”
Warning: Explicit language
The 2023 Giants surely would have fared better with three-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Mahomes under center rather than the rotating cast of Jones, Tyrod Taylor and Tommy DeVito, but Schoen’s comments highlight how the Giants’ porous offensive line doomed the season and prevented a true analysis of Jones’ play.
The Giants rewarded Jones with a four-year, $160 million contract entering the season coming off a playoff win against the Vikings, but Jones did not play well and failed to stay upright in 2023.
Jones threw two touchdowns versus six interceptions in a career-low six games while tallying only 909 passing yards.
Along the way, he suffered a neck injury — his second such ailment in three seasons — before suffering a torn ACL against the Raiders in Week 9.
As Jones struggled, his offensive line offered little support.
The Giants’ offensive line ranked 30th in Pro Football Focus’ annual rankings, with Andrew Thomas battling injuries and 2022 first-round pick Evan Neal struggling at right tackle.
The shoddy play resulted in the Giants being one of the lowest-scoring offenses in the league.
In the October clash against Miami, where Jones suffered the neck injury, the Giants had two backups in the starting offensive line with another starter shifted to a different position.
Mahomes surely would have raised the ceiling of this team, but Schoen hit on the generally accepted truth that it’s hard for quarterbacks, even the great wins, to win without solid offensive line play.
The Giants attempted to rectify the situation this offseason by adding Jermaine Eluemunor and Jon Runyan to help protect Jones.
Big Blue also signed Drew Lock to backup Jones, hitting on Schoen’s point of needing to protect themselves against Jones’ lengthy injury history.
