The New York Giants have received an important assessment from a legendary NFL coach.
The New York Giants were once one of the top organizations in all of football. That has changed dramatically over the last decade-and-a-half.
Since 2012, the Giants have made just two playoff appearances. They have not won a single NFC East title throughout that span, and they have cycled through head coaches like water.
But now, New York finally appears to have a direction.
The Giants hired John Harbaugh during the offseason, giving them their first proven presence on the sideline since Tom Coughlin. They also largely improved a roster that went just 4-13 a year ago, and it's important to note that New York was very competitive in most of those losses — against strong competition, I might add — last season.
So how quickly should we expect a turnaround in the Big Apple?
Well, former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, who knows a thing or two about winning football games, doesn't think it will take too long.
"[The Giants] have had bad teams, but I think it’s a good organization. So I think that the fix there is going to be quicker than maybe outsiders might realize," Tomlin said during an NBC Sports conference call Thursday, per Ryan Dunleavy of The New York Post.
Tomlin was widely viewed as a potential head-coaching candidate for the Giants after last season, but he decided to take a year off after parting ways with the Steelers.
There is no doubt that New York should be better in 2026, but the Giants also still have plenty of questions that must be answered.
How will Jaxson Dart look in Year 2? How healthy is Malik Nabers? Is Cam Skattebo genuinely a lead back? Did the Giants do enough in the trenches to compensate for the loss of Dexter Lawrence? Is the secondary even going to be adequate?
Those are just a few concerns facing Big Blue as the team prepares for a tough matchup with the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1.
It also doesn't help that the Giants are playing in an absolutely loaded NFC, where New York was recently ranked 14th by NFL executives.
The Giants don't exactly have a forgiving schedule this year, either. For example, they will have to head on the road to face the Los Angeles Rams in Week 2. They will also see the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers this fall.
Tomlin might be right, but up until this point, everything positive we've heard about New York this offseason is all lip service. The G-Men need to prove it on the field.
