Apology time

The season's 1st quarter is complete, with the Giants sitting at 3-1. It hasn't been easy, but it's been a pleasant surprise for many, including this blogger, who expected doom in 2011. As a result, I owe apologies to the following people after a Giants 3-1 start.

GM Jerry Reese

Losing Steve Smith and Kevin Boss hurt. And with inexperienced Victor Cruz and Jake Ballard taking their places, it appeared Reese had really dropped the ball, having failed to find suitable replacements for key players. Instead, Cruz and Ballard have been just fine, and should only get better going forward. The time to pine for lost free agents is over.

Offensive Coordinator Kevin Gilbride (often affectionately known as Kevin "Killdrive")

Gilbride had been my default whipping boy for whatever went wrong with the Giants' offense. He doesn't know what he's doing, I would say. No consistency. Doesn't play to the personnel's strengths. Sure, I'd still like to have the Redskins game back, in which Brandon Jacobs didn't touch the ball in the 2nd half. But since then, Gilbride has called good games, especially the last two. The offense has found a rhythm and come to life.

Osi Umenyiora

When a guy is injured while sulking over his contract, it's so easy to just say, "Who needs him, trade him and be rid of the headache." But Osi can still make an impact, and he was especially valuable yesterday with Justin Tuck out. What a boost a healthy Umenyiora can give the Giants over the remainder of the season.

Victor Cruz and Referee Jerome Boger

My immediate reaction was to be furious with Cruz for letting go of a seemingly live ball, after not being touched on the ground during the Giants' go-ahead drive late in the 4th quarter yesterday. But by rule, Boger made the right call. Although, Cruz should just take the ball back to the huddle with him for the rest of his career from now on, to be on the safe side. It would have been maddening to lose a game that way.


There is still a long way to go, and plenty of teams have started 3-1 or better in the NFL and not made the playoffs...but so far, so good.