Sunday the New York Giants took on the Kansas City Chiefs and pulled off their second huge upset of the season with only two wins versus eight losses. In the media, the Giants were crushed by commentary calling them quitters and demanding that the head coach Ben McAdoo be fired. Somehow in the midst of this disarray, the players came up with an exceptional effort and won another game that no-one gave them a chance to win.
New York expects more of the Giants
Yes, the Giants season is over if measured solely by the attainment of goals and objectives put on the Locker Room whiteboard at the start of training camp.
Yes, everyone is disappointed, and plenty of fair weather fans would like their ticket money back. However, quitting really isn’t an option. And, if you grow up playing as many years in sports as these young athletes have, you know that.
Most of the NFL teams that set out goals and objectives don’t reach their loftier ones in a given season. And when you are having a season the likes of which the Giants are, well, the weak members in the ‘crowd’ will spread scurrilous reports and announce that it is time to declare a scapegoat and throw in the towel. That’s life.
Character trumps Chiefs
The New York Football Giants, however, have a nearly 92-year history and solid foundation. Right at about the time lifelong fans were doubting this provenance, defensive tackle Damon “Snacks” Harrison, spoke out against whiners on the team labeling them rats, for calling out the coach anonymously.
Through the miserable storm of eight out of nine losses this season, coach Ben McAdoo kept quartering his ‘vessel’ into the wind, taking a pounding with every loss the Giants suffered and more so after embarrassing losses to the Rams and 49ers. Then the rookie all-star to-be spoke out. Evan Ingram the rookie tight end, having an eye-opening year, implored his teammates to play with more energy.
And finally, on Monday it came out that the true leader of New York, Eli Manning gave an uncharacteristically strong speech before the game on Sunday.
Locker Room on the side of winners
In the end, the team responded. They responded in a way that looked like the expectations -filled team before all the injuries and losses. They may have been underdogs to the Kansas City Chiefs during a normal season but the Giants won, and they followed the stronger characters on the team who took them down the right path to get it done.
This win doesn't mean that they win on Thanksgiving evening. This doesn't mean that they win half of their remaining games. But it does mean that the locker room did not choose the wrong path; the decadent 'me first' path that has its teeth in every pro sports team in existence. And just for the record, they did not quit on coach McAdoo.
