I have been a Giants fan since the days of Frank Gifford, Andy Robustelli, and Sam Huff. While there have certainly been highlights, great teams in the 1958-1963 run, two Super Bowl wins with Coach Parcells, two more with Coach Coughlin, these have been separated by long periods of angst driven by what might have beens.

For example, the great late 50s to early 60s teams never got over the top, losing in the NFL championship game in 1958, 1959, 1961, 1962, and 1963. Yeah my Giants were the original Viking/Bills. They actually won in 1956, but I was too young to remember that one. Adding insult to injury, the losses in the 61 and 62 championship games were to the Green Bay Packers, coached by Vince Lombardi. Lombadi was the Giants offensive coordinator from 1954 to 1958 when he left to become the Packers head coach and possibly the greatest coach in NFL history. Oh, and the defensive coordinator during that same time period? Former Giants cornerback Tom Landry. You might have heard of him too.

1964 began a stretch of mediocrity at best, culminating with the flyover during a game in 1978 of a private plane towing a banner that said, 15 Years of Lousy Football - We've Had Enough! This lead to the hiring of George Young as GM. He hired Ray Perkins as his first head coach, then when Perkins left to succeed Bear Bryant at Alabama, he hired Bill Parcells. Great move but in typical Giants fashion, they almost fucked it up. When the team went 3-12-1 in his first year, Young offered the job to University of Miami head coach Howard Schnellenberger and would have fired Parcells if he accepted. Fortunately he declined.

Unfortunately, Parcells "retired" after his second Super Bowl win in 1990. The Giants have always tried to promote from within so one of his assistants was hired to replace him, Ray Handley, who was one of the worst head coaches in team history. Young passed over the team's defensive coordinator because he didn't like him. His name was Bill Belichick.

The Ernie Accorsi/Tom Coughlin years were good. The years since Accorsi retired, not so much. Jerry Reese, Dave Gettleman and now Joe Schoen have not been the answer at GM, and the Giants have cycled through coaches since stupidly firing Coughlin. 2024 has (hopefully) been the nadir, culminating in the banners once again appearing over Met Life Stadium.

But will it be rock bottom? Could it get worse? Oh yes. It certainly can. Owner John Mara is now facing a difficult choice. Does he clean house again, and start the cycle anew with a new coach and GM? Or does he give Schoen and Daboll another shot, probably with the first overall pick in the next draft?

I fear he will do the latter, and Schoen will buy himself another year or two by drafting a quarterback. This will appease the fans who think any QB drafted first overall will be the next big thing. But on a team as bad as the Giants it's the wrong move. First, the QBs in this draft aren't that good. Neither of the top two would have gone before the three taken at the top of last year's draft. But this team has so many needs even if Ward or Sanders were can't miss prospects, it wouldn't matter. The smart thing to do is trade back and accumulate as many picks as possible. Then rebuild through the lines. Like Detroit and Philly. The two best offensive lines in the NFC and their defensive lines are no slouch as well. And neither team has an All Pro QB.

But no doubt we will see Cam Ward or the Prime Time Sanders circus chosen with that pick. The fans will cheer. And the team will go from the worst in the league to maybe mediocre. At best.