The New York Giants are headed into a new direction pursuing and acquiring receiver Brandon Marshall from the Jets. The Giants signed Marshall to a 2 year,12 million dollar deal. This is a big acquisition for a team that needs more offensive power. The problem with the New York Giants last year was not the defense, but the struggling offense. It struggled greatly at times besides Odell Beckham Jr.'s amazing talent and offensive might.
The heartfelt news of Victor Cruz being cut and not being resigned was of concern. Although Cruz did not play productively at the slot position all season long, he showed some small flashes of a man who still had it after that deadly injury which plagued him all last season. Cruz showed a lot of resilience and pride coming back from a devastating knee and calf injury. Cruz did a lot for the Giants organization and will always be a Giant and be a hero for both the town and team.
The addition I believe helps out the team greatly on the offensive side of the ball. Brandon Marshall is a tremendous athlete who has proven his worth in the NFL. He has good size and strength being 6 foot 4, 230 pounds. He is very shifty in open field and he is very physical, Marshall has no trouble or issue with running a player over or stiff arming them. This gives Eli Manning a good huge target to throw the ball too. Also, Eli Manning is solidly the best quarterback Marshall has played with so far. Manning could make Marshall better than ever. The addition of Marshall also will pressure defenses because of having to guard both him and Odell Beckham Jr. It will be tough for any defense to guard them both on the field. So this acquisition is also great because it puts pressure off of Odell, who last year was doing just about everything on the offensive end and running out of gas at times. Defenses would double Odell because he was the only big playmaker, but with Marshall they have another huge playmaker. Sterling Shepard is also emerging as a great receiver going into his second year. All three receivers make the Giants a threat on the offensive side of the ball, which the Giants were struggling to get last year.
It is safe to say that the New York Giants are moving on. There are certain questions that will be addressed heading into next season. Some questions are how Brandon Marshall will react with Odell. How will Marshall be in the locker room? Will Marshall be better on the Giants next season than on the Jets last year?
Marshall in his 2015 season with the New York Jets had 109 receptions for 1,502 yards, along with 14 touchdowns. He is surely one of the most prolific receivers in the game of football. This is very productive and if he does this for the New York Giants, they will be in business. This past season he had only 59 receptions for 788 yards and 3 touchdowns. This is understandable because of the Jets lackluster and horrible season. The Eric Decker injury placed a big amount of pressure on Marshall and defenses would double him due to this fact, making it hard for Marshall to be as productive.
I believe the Giants are in a good position and that Marshall will be great on the team. His addition makes the Giants a better offense and I believe he can be the same player and be just as productive as he was two years ago on the Jets. He is 32 years old, but I still believe he has more gas in the tank and years to go in the NFL. The team was cautious about that fact which is why they signed him to a two year deal to see how it turns out. The organization overall made a good deal because the Jets were paying him more money to stay. The team got him for more of a bargain.
Moreover, Marshall is a skilled athlete with high strength, length, and speed. Additionally, he has a great passion for the game and loves the sport. He is a veteran in the league and knows how to get it done and can be clutch at times. Marshall is sick of losing and he has never reached the playoffs in his whole NFL career. With the Giants, he knows that he has a great chance to make the playoffs finally and win. He is hungry to win a title; I would not be surprised to see the team on top of the NFC east this upcoming season with both the Redskins and Cowboys losing key players. On top of the fact is that Brandon gets to stay in New York. There is a possibility that Marshall has a rejuvenating career with the Giants and is like how former player Plaxico Burress was to them. It is possible that the Giants get further into the playoffs with this addition to their team. The Giants are now more of a threat on the offensive end, making them more of a complete team on both sides of the ball. The Giants had trouble in the red zone, but with Marshall it could get easily better. They still have their own problems in still needing to get a solid running back and an offensive line. The Giants in my opinion right now need to draft a guard and a tackle to be able to protect Manning and to give him enough time to throw the ball. Ultimately, this deal done by the New York Giants is great and provides more offense which is what they truly needed.