Perhaps the most embarrassing moment for the New York Giants in their dismal 2021 season came in Week 18 game against the Washington Football Team.
Then-head coach Joe Judge called back-to-back quarterback keepers inside their own five yard-line on second- and third-down rather than run a play and risk losing the football.
It was only the second quarter and the score was only 3-0 in favor of Washington but the Giants’ offense — operating with third-stringer Jake Fromm under center — was clearly in trouble and being dominated by the Football Team’ front.
Giants running back Saquon Barkley was asked what was going on in the huddle and on the sidelines during that series when Judge decided to circle the wagons and play defense with the football.
“So the week before, we played Chicago and we were in the same situation, and we couldn’t get out and we got a safety,” Barkley told Andy Nesbitt of For the Win.
“So the idea was ‘quarterback sneak it’ just to give us space.”
On second-and-11, Fromm dove into the line for a two-yard gain. On the third-down attempt, he gained just one yard. The Giants punted after that.
“There was some thought process behind it (the call),” Barkley said, citing that the Giants were undermanned due to injuries but falling short to admit that his team was just not good enough to try to get out the deep hole.
“At the end of the day we have to go out there and execute the plays. We also have to get the coaches comfortable to call whatever they want back there and I don’t think we did that the week before. A little bit on both sides to blame but I really hate pointing fingers at anyone. But, hey, we just gotta put on the pads and learn from it.”
They won’t need to do that at this point as that coaching staff is gone and so will most of the players who were on the field for that play. Jake Fromm is unlikely to ever take a live snap in a Giants uniform ever again.
Plus, the Giants are going retool their offense completely with new faces along the offensive line.
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