Giants vs. Cowboys ‘things I think’: Has the Jake Fromm era begun?

Let’s get to some of the ‘things I think’ after the New York Giants’ latest futile offensive performance in Sunday’s 21-6 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

Better late than never

The Giants came out with a run-first game plan. Saquon Barkley (9) and Devontae Booker (5) combined for 14 first-half carries while quarterback Mike Glennon threw only 9 times.

It ended up not helping on the scoreboard thanks to Giants’ turnovers. I think this, though, is the plan the Giants should have had a week ago against the Los Angeles Chargers. In that game, against a team ranked 31st in the league in run defense, the Giants passed the ball on 19 of 28 first-half snaps.

The Giants ended up with 124 yards on 24 carries (5.2 yards per carry).

The ineptitude of the passing attack until Jake Fromm entered the game made that moot.

Free Pepsi. Seriously?

Embarrassing. Ridiculous. Laughable. Ludicrous. Absurd. Choose whatever adjective you want, the Giants’ decision to give a free medium Pepsi to season ticket-holders at MetLife Stadium on Sunday for “Fan Appreciation Day” is an incredible low point.

Shoot, even a Dave Gettleman bobblehead would have been a better idea. At least then any season ticket-holders who bothered to mix in with the Dallas fans in the stadium would have been able to take out their anger at the organization by smashing it.

Two-minute misery. Again.

The Giants botched yet another two-minute situation and have now been outscored 65-0 in the final two minutes of the first half this season.

I have said this before, but I think the ineptitude in the final two minutes is simply a microcosm of what had led the Giants to a miserable 4-10 record.

For starters, the Giants defense surrendered a 10-play, 68-yard drive that started with 8:16 left in the half, finished inside of two minutes and led to a field goal that pushed the slim Dallas lead to 12-3.

The Giants took the ball and started with a 15-yard screen pass to Barkley. Surely, this would be the time the Giants erased that zero from their ledger. Two plays later, though, Demarcus Lawrence ripped the ball out of Barkley’s hands, Dallas recovered at the Giants’ 46-yard line and added yet another field goal to stretch the lead to 15-3 at the half.

Fourth-down decisions

I’m going to disagree with Chris when it comes to the fourth-down decisions. I have called for aggression in those circumstances all season, and I think I have to support Joe Judge’s willingness to go for it twice in the third quarter from around his own 30-yard line. One worked and one did not, but the analytics liked both decisions.

What I HATED was the fourth-and-1 QB sneak by MIke Glennon.

Judge said the Giants liked the sneak there as he thought it was the right play against the defensive look Dallas presented. I think anything would have better. Give the ball to Barkley. Give it to Booker. Give it to Elijhaa Penny. Put Dexter Lawrence in and give it to him.

Glennon has zero mobility and with those sticks for legs had no chance to push the pile and get a first down.

Jake Fromm has to play

Duh.

I have no idea how much of the offense Fromm, a Giants for less than three weeks, knows. In his NFL debut in relief of the atrocious Mike Glennon, Fromm at least gave the Giants wide receivers chances to make plays.

Fromm completed 6 of 12 passes for 82 yards. There were completions of 36 and 10 yards to Kenny Golladay, a 14-yard pass to Darius Slayton and an 8-yard pass to Sterling Shepard.

I’m sorry, but Glennon, a 32-year-old nine-year veteran, is a terrible, inaccurate NFL quarterback. The first of his three interceptions was not on him, but the last two were awful throws throws that were simply not NFL-caliber.

If Daniel Jones can’t play or the Giants decide to shut him down, there is no point in Glennon playing. The Giants have failed to score touchdowns in two of Glennon’s three starts, and the only touchdowns they did score were in garbage time last week vs. the Los Angeles Chargers.

Maybe Fromm doesn’t have a big enough arm to be a relied upon starting NFL quarterback. At 4-10, though, after what we saw on Sunday Fromm has to play. There is no point in seeing any more of Glennon, who truthfully gives the Giants no chance.

Head coach Joe Judge did not commit to a starter next week. He said the Giants would “open up a conversation” about that.

Fromm said after the game that getting on the field allowed him to “complete a childhood dream.”

I think there is really only one right decision for next Sunday vs. the Philadelphia Eagles — Fromm starting if Jones can’t. I honestly can’t imagine the Giants’ receivers being happy about seeing Glennon start another game.

Offensive line thoughts

Chris might be right that most of the offensive line will grade out fairly well. Even with Matt Peart’s two false starts, including one on a fourth-and-1, I was glad to see him in there and thought he played decently.

I think Will Hernandez did not. The Cowboys quite obviously identified Hernandez as a player they wanted to attack, lining Lawrence up against him. Hernandez was overmatched. I think it is also dumbfounding that four seasons into his career Hernandez cannot pick up a tackle-end twist.

Props to the defense

I think the Giants’ defense deserves to be applauded. The Giants’ offense turned the ball over four times and failed on a fourth-and-1 at their own 29-yard line. Dallas seemingly had short fields all day. The Giants were without Adoree’ Jackson, Aaron Robinson and J.R. Reed in the secondary, due to COVID-19. Jaylon Smith was playing after being signed on Friday. Leonard Williams played with one arm. Lorenzo Carter might have played the best game of his four seasons with the Giants.

Quick thoughts

• I want to believe in Barkley, but it was telling that the two biggest runs of the day by the Giants (31 and 28 yards) were by Devontae Booker.
• Evan Engram dropped a pass that would have been a first down. Fortunately for him, there weren’t enough Giants’ fans in the stadium to hear any boos.
• I think Sterling Shepard’s Giants’ career ended Sunday when he tore his Achilles tendon.
• In case you are looking for signs that Judge has lost the locker room, I don’t think so. I thought the Giants competed vigorously Sunday. They are just inept offensively.