The New York Giants are my favorite football team. As a fan, I've seen Superbowl wins against Tom Brady and seasons where it was obvious the playoffs were a dream. Recently, the Giants do not look like a Superbowl contending team so it has been a rough couple years. Here are some of the struggles that you will live with each year as a fan of the New York Football Giants.

Giants poor drafting choices

Starting this season off 0-2, things are starting to look bad for the Giants. The team usually has high picks in the NFL draft due to poor records but for some reason, they cannot get the production needed.

The problem lies in who they draft. The Giants focus on great skill prospects like wide receivers, safeties or cornerbacks but never have the same accuracy in getting good offensive linemen. As a result, the offensive line is as weak as ever.

These past couple years, the offensive line has been detrimental to the Giants' offense itself. The front-office has tried to remedy this problem by selecting Ereck Flowers, 9th pick overall in the NFL draft. Take a look at an excellent summary of his performance these last two games through the gif below. Performances like that are the reason why Eli Manning was sacked five times against the Detroit Lions. The only thing that's keeping the Giants alive is the excellent receiving core.

But they come with their own problems.

Giants' receiving problems on and off the field

The Giants' have star wide receivers such as Odell Beckham Jr. and Brandon Marshall. They have players showing potential like Sterling Shepard, Dwayne Harris, and Tavarres King to complete this competitive roster.

On paper, it would seem that the Giants pass offense would have no problem exploding on most teams.

Well, let's take into account some on-field factors. The Giants' offensive line strikes once again. With zero time in the pocket due to poor blocking, Eli Manning has almost no time to get the ball off and the receivers have no time to get open.

A lot of times, receivers have to make the big play themselves with extra yards after short passes. Other than that, the offense is completely terrible.

Now let's take a look at the Giants' receiving problems off the field. Two of our best receivers, Odell and Brandon Marshall, have a history of anger problems. It began for Odell with the Josh Norman altercations where he was labeled as immature. It began for Brandon Marshall when he discovered that he had borderline personality disorder. Combining immaturity and personality disorders with the aggressive sport of football is a potential disaster. These two are essential to the offense, but at what cost?

Now it's time to talk about the notorious Giants wide receiver boat trip.

Several wide receivers including Odell, Victor Cruz (released this past offseason) and several others went to Miami the week of a playoff game last season. It raised several questions of how prepared they were to face a challenging Green Bay Packers team. Critics pointed to this trip when players like Odell performed poorly during the playoff game. This event lingered for some time even to the point where Victor Cruz said he regretted going on the trip in the first place. Now you are probably thinking; If the pass offense can't perform, maybe it's time for the run game to show up. Well, if you are a Giants fan don't count on it.

Now you are probably thinking...If the pass offense can't perform, maybe it's time for the run game to show up?

Well, if you are a Giants fan don't count on it.

Giants' run offense is terrible

The header for this article is not an exaggeration or the over-reaction of a disgruntled fan. The Giants run offense is truly one of the worst in the NFL. The running backs are average at best, and due to the poor offensive line, they are always getting hit in the back field. This preseason, they were averaging a horrendous 3.2 yards per carry and starting running back Paul Perkins was averaging a laughable 1.2 yards per carry. The team needs a leader to bring the offense together, tell the o-line to toughen up and help the receiving core make better choices by giving them at least some time to get open. The closest this team has to a leader on the team is quarterback Eli Manning.

But he comes with his own set of problems.

Giants' quarterback, Eli Manning

Eli Manning. The two-time Superbowl MVP against the historically great Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. Eli Manning is a man with accolades of considerable passing yards, passing touchdowns and Superbowl wins that will grant him a spot as a future hall of fame nominee. But, this man is far from perfect. Notorious for his poor decision making that inevitably leads to interceptions, his skill has been questioned at multiple times in his career. To play devil's advocate, the offensive line gives Eli no time in the pocket where he's rushed to make terrible plays(see below). Add that to the fact that he's not getting any younger, and there's not much he can add to their game.

He has the experience and skill set to lead the Giants but with age and a bad offensive line, he is clearly on the decline.

Looking at the positives

Sure they don't have the best quarterback, the running game is terrible, the special teams are missing options that allow punt returns and the offensive line is hindering the offense itself but let's take a look at the positive. The defense is getting better and better. The two losses this season don't reflect that but watching the games, the defense can only do so much when the opposing team gets good field position from bad punts.

The Giants have a lot of key players, and the potential to become serious contenders in the playoffs. With some improvement from the coaching staff, they can mold this relatively young team into the Superbowl winners this franchise saw in the 2008 and 2012 NFL playoffs.
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