The plaudits continue to roll in for the work done by the New York Giants this offseason in an effort to upgrade the talent on a team that hasn't made the playoffs in four seasons. ESPN joined the plaudit party Wednesday morning, with their panel of NFL Insiders giving GM Jerry Reese & Co. a "B+" for their work in free agency and the draft.
The panel consisted of Mark Dominik, Louis Riddick, Bill Polian and Field Yates.
Here is Dominik's take:
"I love what the Giants did in free agency," Dominik said. "I love it when teams find unique situations and take advantage. That is what the Giants did. Janoris Jenkins was a tough decision for the Rams. Olivier Vernon was a tough decision for the Dolphins. The Giants capitalized on those situations. Damon Harrison helps in the middle. In the draft, Eli Apple will play a lot as a rookie, and Sterling Shepard will work his way up the depth chart in a blink and be on the field producing because of his strong hands and route-running ability."
And this from Riddick:
"They told [general manager] Jerry Reese to improve the team, and they did what they could do," Riddick said. "Did they overpay? Yes, they did. But they needed to make those moves. And if you look deeper, their fourth-round pick, B.J. Goodson, can be one of the least-talked-about, most-impactful rookies in the draft. He's built like an Adonis and can play the Mike, Sam or Will spots. If Ben McAdoo is as good as they think he is, and if Steve Spagnuolo is as good as everyone thinks, this is a team that can turn it around quick. They get an 'A' grade from me."
This is just the latest example of the "Kudos" being showered upon the Giants for what they have done this offseason.
- Bucky Brooks of NFL.com recently said the Giants have one of the 10 most-talented rosters in the league.
- Pro Football Focus gave the Giants a "B" for their offseason works.
- Mel Kiper said the Giants had a "fantastic" draft.
- Our poll results showed that BBV readers were pretty happy with the draft, too.
Valentine's View
Getting praise for your work is obviously much better than having it shredded in the media. Reese deserves "Kudos" for what the Giants have done, on paper. I have said many times that free-agent spending sprees don't always translate to victories. Good draft classes don't always yield immediate turnarounds, either.
The Giants still have plenty of questions, and since we spend so much time obsessing about those I'm not getting into them here. You know what they are. So do Reese and the Giants.
Talent-wise, the Giants appear to be in a better place than they were when the season ended. That's a good start toward getting back to being a contending team.