The emptiness continues to grow and continues to grow.
With the Giants' captains and leaders resigning one after another, there are concerns that the players lack a strong voice to rally around in the locker room.
The latest hits have helped their defense, with Dexter Lawrence out for the rest of the season with a dislocated elbow and Bobby Okereke unlikely to play Sunday against the Saints with a hip injury.
Okereke did not practice Wednesday or Thursday and is considered week-to-week.
Lawrence and Okereke are the team captains, with only one remaining of the five captains: long snapper Casey Kreiter.
On offense, Daniel Jones was cut and Andrew Thomas was out for an extended period with a foot injury. And Lawrence and Okereke were the two captains on defense.
No offense to Kreiter, but the long snapper likely doesn't hold the locker room together. There are only a handful of well-respected veterans, such as Adoree' Jackson, Darius Slayton and Jason Pinnock, who are unlikely to return next year.
Is there anyone left to rely on?
“You're definitely aware of it,” Brian Burns, one of the few influential veterans on the team, told the Post after Thursday's practice. “It's because of their presence and their influence. …That influence speaks for itself. Everyone cares about what matters and realizes that they may be missed and does a good job.” But we have to finish the job.
“People step up in different ways all the time. [Pinnock]Micah [McFadden]there are a lot of guys who lead in a certain way. I think it's a team effort. ”
McFadden is certainly one of the candidates for a larger leadership role. He has started every game this year at inside linebacker alongside Okereke.
If Okereke does not play Sunday, McFadden will likely take over the Green Dot helmet responsibilities and relay defensive instructions to his teammates.
However, he is not a veteran, and will be in his third year with the team after being drafted in the fifth round in 2022.
“When you don't have that many players in practice, you always notice they're missing,” McFadden told the Post. “We all have to step up and try to fill that void. You can't replace Dexter Lawrence. We all have to communicate, be on the same page and all play hard.” If we can, we can close that gap a little bit.”
But the need for McFadden to emerge as a potential leader shows where the Giants stand.
They have a very young roster, filled with first-, second-, and third-year players who are getting significant playing time all over the field.
If there's a bright side to this miserable 2-10 season, it's that a lot of those young guys got a lot of action and a lot of reps to develop.
But the young man has also recently been under the microscope for his comments.
Rookie Malik Nabors, in particular, has been vocal about his team's struggles and how pushed he is.
He then defended the idea of rookies badmouthing teammates, with third-year player Kayvon Thibodeau later saying the ability to speak out is “a meritocracy.”
In other words, if you create theater, you have a say. If you don't create theater, you don't have a voice. ”
The few plays the Giants have made this year have been largely due to their young and promising rookie class, particularly Neighbors, Tyrone Tracy, Tyler Nubin and Drew Phillips.
So, for at least these five weeks, give them the opportunity to grow as leaders and find their voice within a team that needs as much talent as possible.
“I think we're always trying to evolve and develop our leadership, especially with our younger players,” defensive coordinator Shane Bowen said. “Part of being a coach is developing that little by little, especially with players who can handle it. I think you have to be careful. There are players who can take on that role a little bit more. , some players are probably not ready for that yet.
“But I certainly think so, especially within the position groups. Like, who's going to move up in the defensive line group with (Lawrence) gone? Where's that voice?”
