2018 New York Giants Season Win Totals Predictions and Expert Picks
2017 Record: 3-13
2018 New York Giants Las Vegas Season Win Total: 7.0*
2018 New York Giants Season Win Total Picks NFL Football: 'Over'
Notorious pud Ben McAdoo was sent out to pasture after leading the Giants off a cliff last season. Pat Shurmur, he of the 10-23 career head coaching record, was brought in to pick up the pieces for this crumbling franchise. Yet every week we get further away from the Tom Coughlin Era it is becoming more and more obvious that the Giants blew it by letting Coughlin walk.
Shurmur parlayed a successful run as the Minnesota offensive coordinator into this gig with the Giants. The hope is Shurmur can work the same magic with Eli Manning that he did with Case Keenum last season. However, I don't think that Shurmur is a good fit with Manning. Manning has been one of the least accurate and most turnover prone quarterbacks in the NFL during his career, and Shurmur's strategy focuses on short, accurate passing and ball control.
It is also interesting that Shurmur hired Mike Shula as his offensive coordinator. Shula, erstwhile of Carolina, is known for putting a focus on a strong vertical passing game. That's the antithesis of what Shurmur's philosophy has been throughout his career.
One thing you can count on is that Shurmur, Shula and the Giants will put the focus back in the running game. New York has finished No. 26, No. 29, No. 18, No. 23 and No. 29 in rushing the past five years. Drafting Saquon Barkley and bulking up the offensive line this offseason show a renewed commitment to getting back to "Giants football".
If the Giants are going to return to the meat-and-potatoes, blue-collar style that had been their staple then that also means retooling the defense. New York has finished No. 27 or worse in total defense a whopping five times in the past seven years. That includes last season when they had the second-worst defense in football.
New York is making a shift from a base 4-3 to the more linebacker-oriented 3-4 defense. New defensive coordinator James Bettcher served as the DC in Arizona the past three seasons, stewarding a Cardinals defense that finished in the Top 10 three straight seasons.
The Giants have a lot of things that they need to improve if they want to be competitive in the NFC East this year. The offensive line and running game needs to be revitalized. The receivers need to produce. The secondary needs to get on the same page, and the new linebackers need to pay immediate dividends.
But the two main things that will determine the Giants season are A) Eli Manning has to reverse the precipitous slide that his career has been on the past three years and B) the Giants have to stay healthy on offense - which they didn't do last year - because they have zero depth.
Manning has been garbage for most of the past two seasons. His 46 total touchdowns have been negated by 42 turnovers. His game management has been atrocious, and he looks like a guy that is ready to call it a career. Manning desperately needs to be better.
The Giants have a brutal schedule to start the year. They could be 3-5 - at best - when they head into their Week 9 bye. But then things really lighten up, with home games against Tampa Bay, Chicago, Tennessee and Dallas down the stretch. Throw in three road games against non-playoff teams from 2017, and the Giants have a great opportunity to build some late-season momentum.
I will buy low with the Giants. If they can stay healthy, and if Manning has absolutely anything left in the tank, then I can see them going 'over'.
Robert Ferringo has been the top football handicapper in the country the past seven years, earning nearly $28,000 in total football profit. He has also posted seven of nine winning seasons (including back-to-back winning years) and produced 26 of 41 winning football months and an amazing 45 of 70 winning football months over the past decade. Robert has eight of 10 winning NFL preseasons and he is at nearly 60 percent winners over his last 900 totals picks. Also, Robert's proprietary KING College Football Betting System has posted three of five winning seasons. Robert is looking for a third straight winning football year and wants more profit this fall. SIGN UP HERE TODAY AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR 3-FOR-1 FOOTBALL SPECIALS!
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