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New York Giants Receive High Grade From ESPN For Free Agency

By Kenneth Teape

Jan 15, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; (left to right) New York Giants general manager Jerry Reese , wwner John Mara , new head coach Ben McAdoo , Laurie Tisch and Jonathan Tisch pose for a photo during a New York Giants press conference at Quest Diagnostics Training Center Auditorium. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 15, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; (left to right) New York Giants general manager Jerry Reese , wwner John Mara , new head coach Ben McAdoo , Laurie Tisch and Jonathan Tisch pose for a photo during a New York Giants press conference at Quest Diagnostics Training Center Auditorium. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports /
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The New York Giants received a high grade from ESPN for their work during the NFL Free Agency period thus far.

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The New York Giants were not shy in the early going of the NFL Free Agency period. They were armed with a boatload of money and they were not afraid to use it, as they landed some of the marquee free agents on the market. The top defensive end and defensive tackle in Olivier Vernon and Damon Harrison were both signed to massive contracts, while the Giants also landed arguably the top cornerback in Janoris Jenkins.

In addition to the players signed away from other teams, the Giants managed to re-sign Jason Pierre-Paul to a one-year deal. With the additions they have made, the Giants defense looks infinitely better than it did last season when it had one of the worst seasons in franchise history.

The free agent frenzy that the Giants went on caught the eye of many people, including analysts and fans alike. Over at ESPN, the Giants’ free agency spending was looked upon highly. The panel of Bill Polian, Mark Dominik, Louis Riddick, Field Yates and Mike Sando were fans of the Giants offseason; they gave the team a B+ grade.

That was the third highest grade handed out this season, as the Philadlephia Eagles with an A and the New England Patriots with an A- were the only teams to receive higher marks than the Giants. Here is what the panel had to say about the Giants offseason:

"There is nothing fundamentally sound about how the Giants are trying to build their defense. The question is, did they have any choice under the circumstances?“They had no choice,” Polian said. “If you are going to spend it on somebody, spend it on somebody who performs. Vernon does. It is a lot of money, but that is the business. I could justify giving them an ‘A’ because they got good players.”Riddick had a harder time going that high simply because he thought the Giants were to blame for getting into such a desperate situation from a personnel standpoint. He thought the Giants spent too much for a two-down player in Harrison. He also thought adding top-of-the-market free agents could make life a little tougher for a first-time head coach. Yates justified the spending by saying the Giants could reasonably think these moves could buoy their defense enough to enable a 2016 push for a division title. Dominik thought an ‘A’ grade was appropriate.“It’s not like the Rams wanted to lose Janoris, and I know for a fact losing Vernon was not the most popular move in [Miami],” Dominik said. “The Giants took advantage of two unique situations affecting very talented players on other teams. These were good moves.”"

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It is hard to argue against some of the contracts will be overpaying players right now. Vernon landed one of the biggest contracts ever, while Harrison mostly plays only two down. While that may be true, it is also a fact that the Giants defense is much improved right now from where it was in December when the 2015 season was winding down.

There is some positive to receiving a grade this high as well. Last season the three of the four teams to receive the highest offseason grades, the Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers and Washington Redskins made the postseason. The fourth team, the New York Jets, won 10 games and just missed the postseason.

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If the Giants are able to turn things around and win 10 games in 2016, there is no denying that they will be in the race for a Wild Card spot in the NFL at the very least, if not for the NFC East division title.

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