Since Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll took over as the general manager and head coach of the New York Giants in 2022, they have changed the culture of the franchise for the better.
Many around the league are pleased that one of their flagship franchises has finally got back on course and is winning again.
Not everyone is buying in, however. There are talking heads still critical and seeking to rain on the Giants’ parade.
The "Disease of Me" is creeping into the Giants locker room after Jones' big deal, with Barkley and Lawrence skipping workouts. Daboll needs to snuff this out because this team is not good enough to deal with these issues.
Check out #GMShuffle at https://t.co/b4sYN4CC91 pic.twitter.com/KRpOYpIhX8
— Michael Lombardi (@mlombardiNFL) April 13, 2023
Michael Lombardi is a former NFL executive and media analyst that is simply reading headlines and not providing a lot of context.
The Saquon Barkley situation is well known and has been well-covered by the Giants’ beat pool here in New York. He does not want to play under the franchise tag and is skipping the team’s voluntary workout program, which begins this coming Monday.
What you need to know about that is Barkley can’t participate because he did not sign his franchise tender and is not under contract.
Dexter Lawrence is not attending until the Giants sign him to a contract extension. Keep in mind, this means very little as the workouts are voluntary. When the mandatory workouts come and he fails to show, then people can start to worry.
But Lawrence isn’t exactly sitting around waiting for the phone to ring…
Not even rain stopping Leonard Williams and Dexter Lawrence putting in work preparing for the 2023 season 💪 #TogetherBlue
(🎥 via 56zayrozayy on Instagram) pic.twitter.com/3Pmx0M4mKg
— Giants Fans Online (@NYGFansOnline) April 14, 2023
As for the ‘disease of me’ angle Lombardi is talking about — he’s right. It does happen to teams who experience a sudden turnaround like the Giants have.
But this team appears to be different. They are rallying around Daniel Jones, not shunning him for the lottery-level contract he signed this spring.
About 20 players, including Barkley, joined Jones for voluntary workout sessions this spring in Arizona. Teams that have the ‘disease of me’ don’t do that in my experience.
Follow all of your favorite teams at Giants Wire, Nets Wire, Rutgers Wire and Jets Wire!