Several theories have been offered for the demise of the 2009 New York Giants, including one we consider to be very valid: Players lean too often on past successes to get them out of their current malaise.

You are sure to hear various versions of, “Our backs are against the wall and this is when we have been at our best,” leading up to next Sunday’s game with Dallas. The problem is these players have been unable to link the past to the present during this period, in which an overtime coin toss probably saved them from an 0-6 stretch.
Then there’s the idea that first-year defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan is in over his head and not relating to his players. Recent play by what once was considered a premier NFL defensive unit does support that theory.
Maybe Tom Coughlin should have let Sheridan stay in the coaches’ box, rather than on the field, as was his preference. Maybe Coughlin should let Sheridan head upstairs now. Things can’t get much worse than they were Thursday night in Denver when a mediocre offense with a mediocre quarterback diced them like pieces of turkey stuffing.
So there have been several legitimate reasons offered for the collapse. But here’s one that may be at the root of the whole problem.
Maybe this team just isn’t that good.
Whoa, you say! Didn’t you and the other pundits label this team as one of the deepest and most talented squads in the league heading into the season? Didn’t one of those TV talking heads crown the Giants as the NFL’s next dynasty when this team got off to a 5-0 start basically against 1-AA opponents?
How could we all be so wrong? Maybe it was the assumption those players who have played well in the past would continue at that level for another season, and that the younger players would take that next step in their projected developments.
Look at the play so far this season, however. How many Giants can you say are having good seasons? Remember, this is a team that sent seven players to the Pro Bowl in Hawaii after last season. How many deserve to make the shorter trip to Miami for this year’s game?
Offensively, wide receiver Steve Smith has had a consistent season in leading the young wide receiver corps, which was thought to be the weakest point of this team heading into the season.
But the offensive line, which sent two members to the Pro Bowl last season, has not been the same physical, root-’em-out group it had been in the past. The quarterback has been up and down. And the running backs? Brandon Jacobs is not running with the same zip, Ahmad Bradshaw can’t stay on the field and when DJ Ware gets his shot he comes up with a fumble and a concussion.
Now to the defense. Cornerback Corey Webster was having an excellent season until the past three games, two of which have been subpar. Fellow corner Terrell Thomas has been steady.
Yet the defensive line, which was supposed to put such pressure on opposing quarterbacks has managed just nine sacks since the Giants started playing real teams six games ago. The linebacker play has been undistinguished and teams have been going out of their way to exploit the safeties since Kenny Phillips went out after two games with his knee injury.
So while Coughlin presses the “team, team, team” concept, it takes “individuals, individuals, individuals” to make up that team. From what has transpired, the talent on this team was overrated heading into the season. You watch teams such as New Orleans, Minnesota, Indianapolis and New England and the level of their play far exceeds what the Giants have put onto the field.
As Bill Parcells once said, “You are what you are.” And based on the results the Giants are not a very good football team. We have heard all the theories as to why, but it might simply boil down to the quality of the players.