Starting to Look Like a Professional Operation

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Summary
In this episode, Harinam Khalsa and Kevin Weldon discuss the upcoming NFL season, focusing on the New York Giants' preseason performance, team improvements, and prospects. They share insights on team strategy, player development, and their personal travel experiences, providing a comprehensive preview of what to expect.

Key  topics
Giants' preseason performance and team organization
Player development and roster changes
Team strategy focusing on physicality and defense
Insights from travel experiences in Cuba and historical football moments
Predictions for the upcoming NFL season and game expectations

 Sound  bites

"Traveling in Cuba is like visiting a different continent"
"Giants' history is rich with Hall of Famers"
"The Giants are building a physical team again"

• (00:00) -
• (00:00) - and Summer Break
• (01:58) -
• (00:00) - Experiences in Cuba and Cultural Insights
• (04:03) -
• (00:00) - on Football History and Giants' Legacy
• (06:52) -
• (00:00) - 1958-1959 Era and Key Players
• (10:07) -
• (00:00) - Strategy: Building a Physical and Tough Team
• (15:05) -
• (00:00) - Performance and Player Evaluations
• (19:52) -
• (00:00) - Teams and Key Player Highlights
• (25:04) -
• (00:00) - and Offensive Line Analysis
• (29:59) -
• (00:00) - and Season Outlook
• (34:59) -
• (00:00) - Development and Roster Decisions
• (39:49) -
• (00:00) - Staff and Team Culture
• (44:51) -
• (00:00) - Expectations and Final Thoughts

Creators and Guests

Host

Hari Nam Singh Khalsa

Hari Nam is a renown spiritual teacher, whose passions include opera, philosophy, photography and travel (to name a few). But on Sundays in the fall you can find him living and dying with his beloved New York Football Giants, following since 1959 and a season ticket holder since 1964!

Host

Kevin Weldon

Kevin is a lifetime Giant fan and long time season ticket holder. Currently a PGA golf professional after many years as a semiconductor technologist. He enjoys history, traveling, music and spending time with friends, family and the cats.

What is Giant Conversations?

Hosts Hari Nam Singh Khalsa and Kevin Weldon provide their insights on the latest happenings in the world of the New York Football Giants. Drawing from twelve decades of Giants football fandom, their perspectives offer a unique and comprehensive view. They will also integrate their shared passion for world travel and curiosity for unique new experiences into each episode. Join them in their lighthearted and wide-ranging conversations, always infused with their unwavering love for everything Big Blue.

Hey, welcome back everybody to Giant
Conversations and ~ like a

lot of the podcasters out there we've kind
of been taking a summer break.

I'm Harinam Singh Khalsa and again ~ my
sidekick here,

Kevin Weldon. ~ welcome to see you back,

Kevin. ~ are you calling are you calling
from Cuba or ~ is is it just warm memories

of of Havana?

Well, you know, I've I watched the last
giant game and they seem

to have a revolutionary improvement in the
the operation of the team.

Not necessarily the play, but just the
operation.

So I was inspired by other revolutions.

And ~ I I had

~ okay, there you go.

I had the good fortune ~ my wife and I
went to Cuba in two thousand and
seventeen,

when you

Uh-huh.

could actually go. So we flew directly
from United States to ~ Cuba.

And I know you've been there. ~ and

I think I was there in two thousand
seventeen.

Yeah, well that's when you could go,

I'm not surprised. And and ~ okay.

Right. There was no we took a cruise
actually.

We we took

a cruise and we but we we we laid up there
for a couple of days and I

I went back like a couple of years later.

So yeah, it's great.

Yeah. Wow, that's great. Yeah.

I mean it's a it's it's a fascinating
place.

You know, it's in the Caribbean and the
people speak Spanish,

but it doesn't seem Caribbean and it
doesn't seem Latin.

It seems like the eighth continent,

actually. It's a very it's a very,

Yeah, it's its own thing. It's a

very

inter interesting place. ~ you know ~
people have these misconceptions about

~ Cuba and you know, I don't wanna get
political about this,

but I I'm only talking about, you know

My experience and y and and you had a
similar experience,

I'm sure, is that the the people were f
fantastic

Great.

and fun and is virtually no crime,

but you know, ~ their system is such that
everybody has a house,

everybody can go to school for free,

everyone has medical care, I don't know
how good it is,

but nobody has any disposable income.

And

Right, that's a very good ex that's a very
good and and if you go

to the supermarket there

they have, you know, a thousand ~ bottles
of like detergent but nothing else.

So you gotta be you know, you and there
are lines,

you have to wait like like

Yeah.

okay, Tuesday is bread day, so there's
nothing but but their their their version

of Wonder Bread and that's it.

But then

Yeah.

the next day they may have their version
of Coca-Cola,

so it's you don't have the consumer
choices there,

and and people are very ~ frustrated,

obviously.

But ~ it's it's a totally different thing
and aside from the politics,

I will say this. like yourself,

I've traveled all over the world.

I I don't even know how many countries
I've been to.

~ if you had to ask me with a gun to my
head,

who are the friendliest people I've ever
met,

I'd have to say Cuba. I

Yeah.

think that

they're so warm and so kind and don't have
anything.

And ~ it's a it's a very different way of
relating with people.

I I I still am in touch with the people I
met there.

Obviously there's a football show.

I didn't have a lot of football to talk to
them about.

But ~ super interest,

so I mean super in super a beautiful
country too.

Yeah, and ~

when we were there, you know, they were
just starting to allow private enterprise.

So ~ apparently before if you visited you
had to stay in a state sponsored hotel.

And ~ we we stayed in bed and breakfasts
and you know,

they're an old kind of mansions and it's
really a bed and breakfast.

You wake up basically with the family.

I remember going going to this one place
and we went we went into the

Kitchen for breakfast, and the grandfather
of the family was sitting there without

his shirt on. And this guy was a I don't
know what he was saying,

but it was because I don't speak much
Spanish,

but it it would he was funny. And we we we
were just eating and laughing.

And then we even though we couldn't
communicate with each other language wise,

it it didn't matter. And that you know,

the just another example is we took a tour
of Havana and our

our our tour guide who was driving us
around was a college professor

for thirty years. And he left that job to
become a a

~ a you know a tour operator because he
made like four times as much money.

So so it's ~

yeah, no, I had we had a guy,

we had a guy take us around for the day,

you know, like sightseeing in in his ~
car,

you know. And this guy actually was a
practicing physician.

And he was making like two or three
hundred dollars a month as like

a high level physician, and he had a drive
cab.

He was like you say, he's making four
times as much.

as a cab driver as he was as a doctor.

Although as you say, you know,

he was telling us that he didn't have to
pay for medical school.

I mean medical school was free.

Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

And

and he was a practicing doctor,

but he couldn't actually pay for his rent
being a doctor.

So it's a it's a very different thing,

but all that said, I think you'd agree,

I I'd go back in a heartbeat.

Me too. And they and they have two
different currencies,

right? One one for the local people and
one for the tourists.

Right, right. Right, exactly.

And

you know, there's this obviously a
disparity.

There's a there's a huge disparity in the
people that are visiting versus

the people that live there, but the the
elegance of the people that live there

is ~ really heartwarming. And you

It is, it is.

you mentioned that you

mentioned that before. And you know,

I'd say the nicest people I ever met were
in Cambodia,

but the Cuba is

And Cambodia are neck and neck.

They're both they're both on the they're
both on the podium.

I've been I've been there too.

I've been there too. It's a horse

They're both on the podium.

it's a horse race. You got it you got
Cambodia by a nose,

I got Cuba by a nose. But ca I agree,

~ And you know,

Cambodia people very very kind as well.

and

the picture you see behind me with all the
old cars is because,

you know, I

Yes.

think in nineteen sixty or fifty-nine or
whatever it was,

you know, there's been a US embargo and
they can't get they c you know,

they're they're stuck with what they had,

so it's kind of frozen in time for that
reason.

And ~ it's ~ it's interesting,

it's a little sad, but mostly it's
interesting.

And

But you know what?

That's a good segue into my picture.

Because

Yeah.

this picture, I believe, was taken in 1958
or 1959,

when I actually started following the
Giants.

I started following the Giants in 1959.

I specifically remember that. And these
play me,

I'm moving a little here. These are this
was the giant backfield.

Of the late 50s, a really kind of a golden
time for professional football.

It still was not ~ a major,

major sport. It was just kind of coming in
to its own.

And the Giants, I think a lot of people
either forget or they weren't born yet,

don't realize that the Giants ~ had a lot
to do with the emergence

of the popularity of professional
football.

You know, they were in New York,

that was the entertainment capital.

And they had a very, very intriguing team.

A lot of people forget that their
offensive coordinator of those teams

in the late 50s was Vince Lombardi,

and their defensive coordinator was Tom
Landry.

That that's ~ it kind of blows your mind
and who

Yeah.

landed up if the Giants had either of them
as their coach in the in

the sixties and seventies, it would have
been a different team,

no doubt.

Not exactly

a couple of stiffs, huh?

No, it they and

they had ~ many ~ a Hall of Famers on that
team.

And they played some of the most famous
football games of the era in that time.

And so this was kind of a a real not only
a giant picture,

but like a a New York era picture.

So ~ you know, over here you've got ~
Frank Gifford who

was not only ~ a fabulous player,

actually

I believe the last NFL player who made it
to the Pro Bowl

on both defense and offense. He was a both
a defensive back,

and then he landed up to be a great
running back and i in a revolutionary time

of football. And then he he had a a very
famous concussion when he

was knocked out by Chuck Bednarik.

And almost everybody thought he was dead.

That was in nineteen sixty. I I actually
saw that game.

~ Wow.

I I was

I was yeah, I saw the game. I was eight
years old,

you know. I started finally giant

I wasn't alive yet.

I the giant that's right. So a lot of
people but but he almost was killed.

They thought he was dead. And ~ and he did
not actually that was in nineteen sixty.

He didn't actually return to the NFL till
nineteen sixty two.

He missed a year and a half because of
this concussion.

And he came back to be a all pro receiver,

actually. So ~ and and he landed up then

~ to be one of the first well-known ~
broadcasters of the NFL when he retired.

Well during his playing even he was he had
his own television show and

he was a famous model actually too and he
was in Hollywood and all that.

And then of course he became one of the
faces of Monday Night Football.

And that's where a lot of people know him.

But he was when I was a kid, when I was a
kid actually that guy with his hand

on the football, ~

over on that side. That was my first
sports idol.

I I'd get upset if the ball wasn't it was
caught by anybody other than Frank

Gifford. He was my first true sports idol.

And a lot of people don't know that in New
York sports back then,

there were like two huge, huge sports
idols in New York City.

It was and they played at the same time.

And they actually started playing in New
York at the same time.

And that was Mickey Mantle for the Yankees
and Frank Gifford for the Giants.

And they played in the same stadium,

actually. They both play. The Yankees used
to play in the Giants used to play

in the Yankee Stadium. That's when I
started following them.

And right next to ~ Frank Gifford is Mel
Triplett.

And he was ~ a a really great fullback,

but he was very fast also. Back then they
the the fullback wasn't really

a blocking position per se. They were both

Equal running backs. One was generally ~
more forward and one was back.

They just played a different running
style.

But Mel Triplett was was was bigger and
stronger than Frank Gifford,

but he also was great athlete.

And then you can see I move a little.

Then this guy over here, whoops,

right over there, that's whoop.

Well, but you can see right on the other
side,

that's Charlie Connolly. Charlie
Connolly's also in the Hall of Fame.

And also he

You know, people know that ~ what's his
name?

Manning. Eli Manning went to Mississippi.

But but but ~ and now it's really
interesting.

So ~ Eli Eli Manning, one of the greats in
Giant history,

he went to Mississippi, all right,

and then Jackson Dart, who's playing,

went to Mississippi. But the first
quarterback from Mississippi who played

for the Giants is Charlie Connolly.

And and so that's why the Giants to this
day have roots that they have a very large

fandom in Mississippi, but it goes all the
way back to Charlie Connolly because

he was a hero. And back when, I mean,

before they made like advertising for ~
smoking illegal,

if you remember, when I don't know if when
you were a kid,

they still had this, but they had these
billboards with with tobacco companies.

And there was the Marlborough the Marlboro
man.

There was this guy who smoked a Marlboro.

He was he was on a horse and that was
their whole

~ advertising campaign was around the
Marlborough man,

this tough looking guy with the cigarette
on a horse and a cowboy hat.

But Charlie Connolly actually was the
original Marlboro man.

So, you know, being in New York and all
that.

And then the guy over here, okay,

on the other side, ~ that's Alex Webster.

He was a great player and he also was in
the backfield.

And he landed up being coach of ~ albeit
not a good coach.

He actually was the coach of the Giants in
the late 60s and early 70s.

I I don't know if you were starting to
follow them yet,

but he coached the Giants. He took over
from Allie Sherman and he coached

the Giants from like 1969 through I
believe 73.

Okay, when they had and then they then the
the team tanked and they

got Bill Arnsparger from the the the
Dolphins.

But

But he wasn't a great coach, but ~ you can
even look at him.

He was a really tough guy and he wasn't
large by today's standards,

but he was a kind of like this rumbling,

bumbling, really strong physical player.

Kinda like a guy like Cam Scattaway.

Yeah, he that's that's his running style.

And him and Frank Gifford and Charlie
Connery and and Mel Triplett,

they made up the great giant backfields of
the late

fifties who played some of the most famous
games in giant history.

So I was going through some pictures to
have as my artificial,

my my virtual background today.

I'm going, ~ this picture actually touched
me.

It really did. It kind of brought me back
to my childhood and there

was an innocence about it that
unfortunately we don't have these days,

but we're able to share with our younger
audience here.

So I'll try

Wow.

to bring on these pictures in some of our
future

podcast, you know, and try to share some a
giant history that me

and you personally share that others
didn't have the ~ you know,

privilege of experiencing personally.

Maybe they could look back into that,

especially with all the stuff you can get
on YouTube these days.

Yeah, it's interesting you mentioned Frank
Gifford was a model 'cause I

did a little modeling also, but I was the
before model,

you know? The the guy they showed

Ha.

and then they took the treatment and then
you look like this.

That that was me. And I also noticed that
none of them have their revolutionary hats

on, so I don't know if they were part of
the

Yeah, but I can't

help imagining them wearing a turban like
me.

I

think Frank Gifford

I I don't

in a turban would be very and a beard
would be very dashing actually.

I

yeah. I don't know if they were part of
the Cuban resistance back back then.

But any event, ~ we we we now have

the ~ the the data of two games to talk
about.

This is the first time that w first time

Yes, we do. Yes, we do.

we've done this podcast. ~ by the way,

I don't know, you said there's a lot of
fans in Mississippi.

I don't know how many of our seven
subscribers are from Mississippi,

but I I'd like to get that data.

And but you know, now we have two games
and

You know, I watch both games and ~ my
comment that I already kind

of mentioned is that the it's a it's a
well run production.

I'm not talking about the talent,

but all the little things that are
annoying you don't see.

You don't see the wrong player on the
field,

you don't see stupid penalties for the
most part.

You see people look like they know what
they're doing.

They may not be able to do it,

but they look like they know what they're
doing.

So I think that's attributable to the
coach.

And, you know, we can talk more about the
specifics of the game.

So, you know, at a high level,

the first game about the Vikings looked
like last year to me.

It was just, you

Yes.

know, it was game eighteen of of of last
year.

The ~ they couldn't run the ball,

they couldn't ~ they did okay you know,

in pass protection. ~ the quarterback got
whacked and then he made this kooky play.

~

That was terrific. But y yeah,

you're not gonna make a living on that
play.

~ but it just reminded me of last last
year.

The the game yesterday ~ was a different
animal.

Now I know I know Miami's in you know,

they are what they are, but they're
they're still putting

out a professional product, but the Giants
just dis destroyed them.

You know, and I I'm sure they have more
talent,

but but ~ the talent ~

Is organized very well. So over you know,

in in terms of the big picture,

that's my takeaway from the first two
games and and we can talk a little

bit more about the specifics, but ~ you
know,

I'm curious about your opinion.

Well, you know, ~ not unsurprisingly I I
think that

I saw the same thing you did, and I'd be
surprised anybody who watched

the game would have a dramatically ~
different opinion.

I'm you know, we were gonna originally
talk last week,

and I'm almost glad we didn't,

because ~

watching the Viking game, I I had no
opinion at all following the game.

It looked as you said, it looked like last
year.

And I had a temper it knowing that still
early,

very early in the in the process,

but I didn't see other than this ~ rookie
receiver they had,

I don't think there's anything I saw that
~ opened my eyes to anything particular.

But I I wasn't jumping to any conclusions
about that.

And ~

Then, as you said, you know, we follow it
regularly,

so you're hearing that they dominated in
these

~ these private practices with the
dolphins and dominated them.

And it's really interesting also in our
lives,

you know, getting back a little history,

is that when I was younger,

they used to play six exhibition games.

They used to play their starters actually
through three quarters.

I mean it's changed, it's evolved over the
years.

But I remember that you'd go to an
exhibition game and there would be like
when

I was a kid, I used to go see,

sorry for being so nostalgic here,

but I used to go see the Giants play every
year.

They used to play the Eagles in Princeton.

Okay, and and then they had a preseason
game also every year

in ~ Yillbo. And there'd be like 60,

70,000 people. They'd sell out.

Those exhibition games and people would
cheer for them as if they were

at a regular season game, and the starters
were playing.

Now it's really interesting that they're
playing their regulars

in the private practices and not in front
of people.

And two days later they're charging like
$200 a ticket for something that's

an exhibition game that the starters are
are not even dressed to.

So the whole approach to this has been
different.

So

We we heard that they dominated Miami,

but I I I think a lot of people feel that
Miami is actually tanking this year

and that they're gonna just field a team,

but they may not actually win a game.

So I I saw the Giants play against a team
yesterday that

barely looked like a I mean, didn't look
like a professional football team

out there. I mean there's no and I I
imagine they're gonna get smoked every
week,

but

That being said, I still concur that
especially yesterday,

more so than the Viking game, obviously,

~ it looks like ~ people know what they're
doing.

And there's little

Yeah. Yeah.

touches to it also. Okay, like I'm talking
about,

and we can get into the details about guys
who did play.

Okay, so we can kind of ~ kind of

sharing kind of alternatively here,

but one of the things that ~ I'm gonna
start with,

okay, and you could take it from there.

The thing, one thing that caught my eye
was this special team play.

That it they actually have a fantastic
punter and we almost forgot what

it was like to have like a real NFL punter
because that they have been fielding

a guy as the punter for the last six years
who still seems to be a project.

I mean, the guy was not a reliable punter.

He never was a reliable punter.

And somehow he kept a Rasta spot for I
think six years.

And and even before him, they didn't have
much.

I mean, you could you have to go back to
probably 15 years ago since they've

had like a real punter. And this guy
looked like he's a great punter.

I forgot what it was like for the Giants
to actually have a really

a great professional punt, and they seem
to cover the

Okay, like you're supposed to do.

And I think that guys are gonna be
dropping his punts because he,

you know, he kinda he kind of puts English
on the ball.

But the guy's a really good punter,

you could tell. And then they look like
they don't have one,

but they actually it's kind of
interesting,

they don't have one veteran, but they have
two young field goal kickers

who both actually look like they can
really kick.

And so, ~

That really stood out to me that it just
looked like their kicking game

is dramatically improved. And it's really
the difference between winning

and losing games in this league.

So that's where I would start.

I I'd start the the special teams,

especially the kickers, are looking like
it's a a totally different level than what

they've been operating on.

Yeah, and w well organized. You know,

~ having having watched the games,

you know y you know, there's this one guy,

you know when I'm terrible with names.

~ Ch Chauncey Golston,

he's the defense

Yes.

defensive guy they picked up from Dallas.

He didn't play much last year,

Right. Didn't play at all, yeah.

but when he f but

he well he played in the last couple of
games and he I noticed him

in the last couple of games. Every time
he's on the field I notice this guy.

I mean I

He he is a he's a you know,

kind of a wild card. We don't know he's
not really talked too much about,

but he seems to make an impact every time
he's on the field.

That's a one one guy ~ I noticed and you
know,

I have to I I'd have to say that the th
the secondary looks better

as a collective. They've got some new
pieces I don't know too much about.

You know, this guy Tay Banks, who ~ you
know,

wasn't ~ didn't always look like the
sharpest knife in the draw.

But you know, he did go to Maryland,

so that's I think that's ~ typical of the
people that attend that university.

~ Harry Nam went to Maryland, by the way,

so

The fighting the fighting t the fighting
Turks.

Yeah. So, you know, he looks he looks like
he at least his head's in the game.

You know, which which is which is good to
see.

Obviously he's a very good athlete.

He's a very good returner. And the other
guy,

the two returners they have back to
special teams,

look great. I mean the guy

Yeah, the sky Austin looked very good.

and the guy last week, Braxton Ba Barrios,

Various. Yeah.

he also looked

good. No, the the receiver who they're
gonna end up keeping for receivers

is gonna be interesting because I I don't
think they're gonna keep two guys

to run back punts.

so it's gonna be interesting who's gonna
be left standing in the

end because you know they probably have
eight guys that could play in the NFL.

So ~ you know, they may go to the practice
squad,

they may trade some of these guys.

~ I I don't know, but it ~ it's it'll be
something interesting to watch.

And they also seem to have a mess of guys
in the secondary.

And ~ you know, I think they need a mess
of guys in the secondary.

~ to ~ weed out and ~ but ~ again it
looked like the people were where they
were

supposed to be to me. Then the secondary

Yeah, and they they you know what actually

actually ~

And a lot of them were addressed.

But they actually

Yeah. Not the people that played.

ha I don't know exactly I don't know
exactly how this happened because

I think everybody could agree they've it
looks like they've drafted very poorly

for for a very long amount of time.

But somehow, maybe it's because they
drafted so high and basically couldn't
make

a mistake, ~ they actually have

A lot of very good players. They also have
some holes,

and they've not had a lot of depth for
years,

but it looks like they're starting to get
good depth now.

A good example of that is you can see
yesterday.

It's where you should be as a team.

~ a player that I've always kind of liked
is Michael McFadden,

the Mika.

McFadden, the the linebacker. But to me,

he's not like a top level. I mean,

he has limitations, so he's not a top
level NFL linebacker,

but to me he's a very high level ~ second
string player.

And

so I've heard people say this is that you
know that your roster is good when

you know the guys who used to start for
you are now

Good second string players where the where
they should be.

And I think that there's various places on
the team now that they have

second string players who not that long
ago would have been starting players

for them, but really didn't have the
talent to be a starting player.

Yeah, I I I would say they have a bunch of
good players.

I wouldn't say very good. They may have
some very good.

I actually I'd phrase it as they have a
bunch of NFL players.

Yeah. And y you know,

for the first time in a long time,

they're probably gonna have to cut people
that will probably end up

on other teams and play. Now yeah,

That's another sign. That's not happened
before.

That's another sign.

right. I and

I and I'm not saying

They're very good. I'm just saying th they
as a collective they're much they're

better than they were. And you know,

maybe significantly better, but I'm not
saying that they're great players.

I also like the backup quarterback,

man. This guy can play. I mean I mean I

he's great. I I actually like him.

You

know, it's unfortunate for him that no
matter how well he has played in games

in his career, there's something about him
that he'll make some like incredibly

bad mistake to to to break your heart.

He'll make throws that no other
quarterback can make both on both ends of
it,

like the good

Yeah.

and the bad. And that's his i it's kind of
weird that.

Nobody's actually been able to coach that
out of him to the extent that people go,

Okay, that's just who he is. 'Cause he
certainly has the skill.

I mean the guy is a he could

Yeah. Yeah.

throw the ball.

He he th he threw one of those passes
yesterday.

He threw it into the end

That's right.

zone between two between two two ~ Miami
guys.

You said they were probably like the
company's softball game,

they probably got those two guys out of
the stands before the game 'cause

But it still was a great pair.

you they're out of bodies. But it was a

no, he threw a horrible one horrible pass.

It wasn't a pass to Beckham. It was a it
was a pass and into the end zone.

And the only there were only two guys from
Miami standing there and they didn't know

I remember that. Yeah.

what to they didn't they didn't

know what to do. ~ but ~ and also the guy
has

a a really interesting personality.

The guy has the guy

He does, I like

is funny, he's he's genuine, he has
charisma.

You know, this you know, I'm you know,

I'm a golf pro in my ~ job and you know I
I so I watch golf

and and and this is lacking.

They need they need James Winston to
become a golf professional play in the PJ
Tour.

Somebody with a little you know,

a little personality, a little charisma.

but that's a that's a I I I regress there,

but so ~ the offensive line is the same
way to me.

It looks like they have seven or eight
professional football players.

Not that they're great professional
football players.

But they at least they belong in the NFL.

I mean, the second string line came in,

they look pretty good. ~ you know,

again, it depends who you're playing.

And against Miami, I mean not Miami,

~ the Vikings they they struggled a bit,

but the Vikings were playing like it was
the NFC championship game on defense.

They were blitzing people all all over the
place and you know,

and that's that that's their prerogative
and it's good practice for the Giants,

but that's that's kind of what I'm saying.

The

overall level of the team in terms of
competency has increased.

And

Well you know what? The other

thing is though I I I'm really kinda

I mean, we've been through these
preseasons enough to know that we're

waiting to see what it looks like in the
regular season.

And ~ I know I think you read the
athletic.

The athletic actually to me is probably
the the best sports ~ writing out there
of.

And they did a really interesting piece
about last season's last

season's preseason. And based

on the ~ the numbers and everything else,

if you were just going on the preseason,

the team that was the highest ranked team
coming out

of just the preseason games, just on the
data.

was actually, believe it or not,

the Giants. They were number one.

They had, and they they won all three of
their preseason games easily.

And then the real season started and they
got killed in the first game

and they actually weren't ready at all.

And so we shall we'll know soon enough.

But I am of the same opinion of you as
that just eyeballing it and

Having watched football as long as we
have,

this team, regardless of it being a
preseason,

to the eye, seems more ready to play.

Okay? And we'll see.

Yeah, right.

And the other part of it, and now this
gets to the talent.

This is a really wild card to me.

And then I'm sorry, I'll get it back to
you,

but it's something I really wanted not to
forget today.

~ there's two things that really have

Got my attention, especially yesterday.

Okay, first of all, and this was even with
the backups,

and seeing how they're putting the team
together,

is that even just watching the backups

and how they're playing the game,

you could see that the Giants are
fundamentally changing their style of play

to a style of play that I think me and you
really like,

is real is old-time Giants football.

Big, strong, physical, ~ stop the run.

Well, that still needs work, but run the
ball.

Look at the guy. They're they're a bigger
team.

you know, the guy like ~ Austin is the
exception,

but but the guys they they got,

even their wide even their tight ends and
their wide receivers

and their linebackers, these are like
really big physical guys.

They're trying to make the Giants into a
physical team.

I think that's a really great move.

I don't think that's I think the last five
years or ten years,

it's hard you know, the Giants had no
identity.

They were trying a little of this,

a little of that. Now it looks like no,

no, no, we're gonna build this into a
physical team.

And I I like that they they're committing
to that.

And we'll see how it works,

but I think they're committed to it.

The other thing is that I'm

I'm not sure really where their talent
actually is because

the more I watched this team, even like
yesterday,

and you talked about Ty Banks,

Tay Banks, he didn't even look like the
same player to me.

In fact, the play that stood out to me in
the game,

you may have seen this, wasn't actually a
pass play.

It was a running play up the middle,

and everybody's so bad. He came out of
nowhere,

stuck his head in the middle, and and and

Nailed this guy, the guy actually got
hurt,

and he came out of nowhere, made a very
physical play.

I don't recall him doing that once in the
last three years.

And so something is going on.

There's guys who look like they're playing
like before he got hurt,

even this guy, Zudu, he he did look
better.

And

And if the guys are not gonna be better,

they're gonna be gone. Like guys like like
~ Darius Alexander,

who to me doesn't look like he's at this
point

is gonna be able to make it. And if he's
not,

they'll they'll just get rid of him.

And so I think that I think there's
visible evidence

of players playing better. I actually
think looking back.

I mean in last era of Giants football.

~ I'm not even sure what their talent
level has been.

I think their coaching has been horrible.

And and the the people picking these
players,

they're more or less the same in talent.

It's like to me, the best teams generally
are the teams with the best coaches

and best players. But I don't think

I don't think they've had very good
coaching.

They to me, the team looks better coached,

and I've only seen two exhibition games,

but

Well well it bet it better

we'll see in a couple of weeks.

look it should look better coached.

I mean look at the coaches. I mean this
this is ~ you know

an obvious manifestation of ~ what
everyone was hoping for and why they

and why they hired this guy. Right?

I mean ~ that's ~ I don't that doesn't
necessarily portend

success, but I think in the games that
they're

Like last year they lost a lot of games
they should have won.

Or at least half of those games they
should have won.

I I think they're gonna win those games
this year because ~ because of

who the coach is and and because of of of
the

you know how ~ the ~ you know,

the product the product looks.

So, you know, we we can get into that,

but you know

You know, I d I don't know how you feel,

but you know, I think the Giants have a
decent chance to win seven or eight games.

Nobody knows until we see the first game
against Dallas.

Dallas is always good. You know,

it's it's another reason I can't stand
them.

That's a very long list of reasons that I
can't stand them.

But ~ they're they're a well run
organization and they

They always have a you know, a a lot of
talent and a lot of speed.

And we'll find out then. You know,

~ would you be shocked if the Giants lost
that game by fourteen points?

~ I probably wouldn't. Would I be shocked
if they won the game?

A little bit. Shocked in a very good way.

~ so you know, they're starting off with
two very,

very tough games. And just and should they
end up and two

you that's not reason to throw in the
towel.

That you know, those are two very
difficult games.

And but you know, and we'll we'll see what
happens.

But even if even if they lose their two
games,

I'm I'm still not necessarily worried
because ~ because of course

of who's in position and what I've seen so
far in terms of how

the team's responding to him. So

You know though the my

one thing and I I especially although it
was very early,

we're talking about the Vikings first
preseason game,

the Giants did start with their starters.

And I think that, you know,

over the last number of years,

~ to me the most glaring weakness on

the team has been their inability to stop
the run at all.

And they're last year the offensive line
was better,

but but ~ you know, to kind of control the
line of scrimmage.

I think they were I think that they went
from being horrible to being okay last

year, you know, and at times even good,

but never like dominating. Okay,

so they haven't had a dominating offensive
line a long time,

and they can't stop the run. Now to me

I think the offensive line has some
potential,

especially with this guy they drafted.

But I don't see any evidence of them
actually being able to stop the run.

~ and until I see that against a really
good team,

I'm not convinced they have it.

And they did okay in that trade,

but they lost their best interior
defensive lineman and they they couldn't
stop

the run with him.

And and and Chauncey Gold Goldston,

like you're saying, they're talking about
putting him in the middle,

and I think he'll be an interesting piece
on pass downs.

But he doesn't look physically the kind of
guy who's gonna be able to s you know,

be up against a three hundred and twenty
pound offensive lineman for a

run up the middle. He's just physically
not big enough.

They were counting on this Darius
Alexander,

but he doesn't look like he's a run
stuffer either.

So

I st I na the big difference is that I
think that if they stay healthy they have

a big upgrade in in inside linebacker.

Huge upgrade. They that's r th they're
gonna help,

but I'm not sure they really have ~ a good
a good stable

of interior defensive lineman.

And it's gonna be hard to play the kind of

Well, they wanna pl they they have like
great pass rushers,

but if it's always second and three,

you're not gonna take advantage of your
strength.

Exactly. So there's a lot of unknowns.

I'd say their offensive line went from
really

bad to kind of okay.

You know, you know, they're at at the best
they're the middle middle of the road,

even now. ~ so you know ~ you know,

we're we're mistaken comf competence for
excellence.

You know, ~ so w there's still that I I
know.

Well, you haven't had competence in so
long that competence looks like
excellence,

I I know. R right. And and again

right.

the defensive line. Of course there's a
bunch of the two the two guys that

I think they they brought in haven't even
played yet.

So that that may help, but we'll see.

We'll s we'll see when they ~ when they
play Dallas.

And ~ you know, I'm

you know, w there's one more preseason
game,

I guess. The jet game. We should probably
maybe have ~ have another cast

per podcast after the jet game because
after that I'm I'm gonna be out

of town for two and a half weeks.

I'm ~ I'm going to Scotland. I'm gonna
bring my wife,

she's gonna play golf in Scotland for the
first time.

And then

wow, is

she is she taking lessons?

She's taking lessons from me and I give
her five percent off.

The the ~ my the this the rack rate.

Very, very

And and ~ then then I'm going to England
and I p I have a goal

to play every British open course,

and I played all of except for two.

And those two are down in near Sandwich in
England,

so I'm going there to play those two
courses and then we're going to Istanbul.

I'm gonna be back on the nineteenth after
the

Dallas game, so you know, I'm assuming
we'll we'll do another another

one of these after the jet game.

And ~ I think we could we could probably
do it.

You can probably do it from Istanbul,

you can probably do it from anywhere,

Yeah, sure, sure. Let me know in advance
and if not I'll bring on a guest

but ~ yeah. But ~ yeah.

Yeah. ~

well yeah, you're already thrown me to the
to the to the sidewalk,

bringing in some other ~ some other loser.

Yeah, I'm throwing I'm trying to let me
just

I

don't know.

Bring it bring in this bring in the second
team.

Good good idea. But ~ anyway,

I think that's that's all I have to say so
far about ~ what the Giants are doing.

I don't know if you have anything to add.

What do you what do you think

about their it was hard to say yesterday
because I I was trying to

see this in context because and Miami
already I think to

me is is tanking and they didn't even play
a lot of their starters.

So to me, they they didn't feel really

a a competent team ~ yesterday.

And ~ it's hard it's hard to super gauge
this.

~ but I think there's reason

for concern ~ about the Giants secondary.

And it may work out that you know they
have some names.

I mean, if you look at it, the this guy ~
Newsom,

they signed as a free agent, Greg Newsom,

he was he was like a mid, I think he was a
mid first round pick.

you know, four years ago. ~ Tay Banks was
equally so.

He was a first round pick. They paid a
fortune for the this guy Adibo.

So these are these are ~ you know players
that

supposedly are you know ~ higher level

of player but I I they they picked

Newbid high in the second round.

~ I think what's his name?

Holland I

Mm-hmm.

saw play for the Ducks. I think he was a
second round pick.

You know, they've got they've got like
guys who are highly thought of.

And then for one reason or other,

they find themselves in the Giants.

I'm not that confident that they're gonna
be playing Dallas.

Dallas has what, great receivers.

Yeah, it's gonna be

Yeah.

a bit it's gonna be a big challenge and
we're really not gonna know

all that much until then. So ~ you know,

I'm planning on enjoying the ~ jet game
and ~ commenting on that.

And ~ then we'll be we'll be back in the
throes of reality

on the fourteenth of ~ September.

I've no idea why they're waiting so long
to play,

by the way. I mean they're trying to sp
they're try to they're try

I do, I do. They generally don't

play until after Labor Day. That's the
whole

it's ridiculous. They should they it

So Labour Day is supposedly

later than

It's it's ridiculous. Th there's no reason
to wait

It's ridiculous.

two weeks. I think they're trying to do it
so they can get

the President's Day weekend and people can
get people can get people people

Yes. Yeah, I was gonna say that's the
other reason.

Yeah, that's

can go to parties and not have to go to
work the next day.

But you know, it's that's it that's a
topic for a different that's a topic

What part do you feel? What's

for a different time and

~ I guess it's repeating the same thing we
talked about.

What what is your like intuition about

the last especially the last two years

in how much this was especially with the
defense about coaching?

Because you know

We even went to games together,

you see in the game.

To me, they had better talent.

I'm not saying they had the best talent in
the league,

but they had better talent than they were
~ in production.

To me, they especially on the defensive
side of the ball,

the coaching seemed to be horrifically
bad.

And I and that's still, I think,

a comment on the head coach and the
general manager because

I think they were unable to attract
better.

I think that's one of the things that did
them in.

They didn't have very good coaching,

~ a coaching staff. And ~ it just seems
like

~ a guy like Harbor, not only is he more
experienced,

but what comes along with it, which I
don't think is in insignificant,

it seems he's attracting a very high level
of staff that actually want

to coach under him.

that maybe it would be like ~ a way to get
ahead in the profession where

I you really had the feeling that the
Giants w didn't have an ability

to actually a attract a high level staff,

so the head coach was nothing to write
home about,

but they they just didn't seem like a well
coached team.

Yeah, I don't I don't care. I mean I'm I'm
s I'm tired of,

you know, fifteen years of lousy football
and I'm going I'm moving forward.

I'm moving forward with John Harbor and
I've I'm I'm burying

the last ~ decade and a half and ~ that's
the way I'm gonna roll.

So

Right, so so it sounds like at at sir ~ at
six or seven wins,

y you basically see them as being somewhat
competitive,

but not ready to actually ~ significantly
win yet,

but at least put on an interesting product
on the field.

Competent product, yes. I mean that's
that's the way I think.

I mean if they could win eight games,

I mean that would be that would be great.

I mean ~ you know maybe they'll surprise
us and do better than that.

But ~ if they won eight games,

~ I'd I think that would be portend well

for ~ for the future.

Who do you ~ of the gu who do you think is
going to make it on the offensive line?

Who do you do you think that ~ these these
guys who surprisingly they brought

back Azudu and Neil, do you think they're
gonna make the team?

I I I really don't know. I mean,

it seems like they're not even the second
string.

I mean, at least Neil isn't. Neil's a
third stringer.

So ~ I I'd say his chances are not good.

Azudo Azudo plays two positions ~ you
know,

and neither of them particularly well.

~ so he's on the bubble.

~ you know, and

I don't know enough about the other guys,

Stinney, you know. I didn't I didn't
follow Stinney,

you know, from his high school years.

He actually is ~ I think most people think
he's actually pretty good.

Yeah. So I I I like

That's what I've heard.

I said, I trust I trust the coaching staff
there.

You know, I'm ~ I'm not ~ I'm not ~

in the position based on my film study to
to make a cogent argument.

~ one way or the other.

Well, like I said

What do you

earlier, this seems like they have a a a
decent group of people that belong

in the NFL and they'll weed through which
ones are best and ~ and that's it.

All right, well you you know, we're gonna
I think there's a week

off between the preseason game and the
regular season game.

Yeah.

So that means like ~ we'll know in three
weeks.

That's right. But ~ we'll

All right, well.

we'll see the rest of our fans after the
jet game at ~ at some

I well, you know.

We'll let you know. We'll let

you know. I don't want to get swamped by,

you know

The media and the attention. So just just
saying just

Well you know, it

it would be fun if by the end of the
season we're at the we're at

the stadium people yeah, you're the guys
with the giant conversations.

And ~ can you make a recommendation for a
place to stay in Cuba?

I can't stand you. I can't stand you.

That I can do. I ha

No but w no but but I can do it for Uba
Ubekistan.

now that I can do both those plays.

I much more confidence I can make a ~ a a
cogent recommendation in either

of those places than I can predict ~ how
the Giants offensive line's gonna play
out.

Or in my case they go, Wow, I I saw your
picture with Alex Webster

and Frank Gifford. Should shouldn't you be
dead by now?

Ha

ha.

Anyway, it's good to see you my friend.

We'll ~ we'll we'll talk to you after the
jet game.