A year ago, the New England Patriots were in a similar spot as the NY Giants. But baby, look at them now.
fans will want to take note of Sunday’s AFC Championship game between the New England Patriots and the Denver Broncos. A year ago, the Patriots were coming off their second straight 4-13 mark, a season that saw then-head coach Jerod Mayo go one-and-done as the Patriots landed in the basement of the AFC East.
Once Mayo was fired, the team brought in Mike Vrabel to take the reins. Almost in the blink of an eye, Vrabel transformed a Patriots team that had missed the playoffs for three straight seasons–all with losing records by the way–into a powerhouse that went 14-3 this year with a second-year quarterback at the controls, while also giving the Patriots a clear identity. Yes, it’s all about coaching, Giants fans. The Giants finally learned that lesson by scrapping the practice of going for lower-cost options who were either head coaching novices or had something to prove . Instead they spared no expense in going all out for a proven winner like former Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, even if it meant revamping the power structure within the organization that for over fur decades, the Giants clung to. Harbaugh, in his introductory press conference, expressed determination to get the Giants into the postseason by this time next year, certainly not an impossible goal which, as we saw with the Patriots, can happen when a team has the right coach and a clear vision of how to build up the team into a winner. Although the Giants are just a couple of weeks into a long, cold offseason, Harbaugh is a winner, and he also happens to have a very promising quarterback in Jaxson Dart who is entering Year 2 of what will hopefully be a long NFL career. And although the Giants are not in the title game after finishing with their third straight losing season and second straight NFC East basement finish, there is hope that those days will soon be a thing of the past once Harbaughand starts planning for what Giants fans are hoping will be a revival of Big Blue football that makes the Patriots’ 2025 rise from the ashes pale by comparison.Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls , the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.
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