Episode one of Hard Knocks was great. The second one was even better. Here are some takeaways from an entertaining and in-depth episode two of the off-season show.
Boy, Did The Giants Love Drake Maye.
The proof was in the pudding for those who still don’t believe the New York Football Giants didn’t want to trade up to the third overall pick for quarterback Drake Maye.
Drake Maye might’ve been the smartest player in the draft ?
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) July 10, 2024
pic.twitter.com/ee1eYqfW6I https://t.co/Vi73awhxZz
His smarts and ability to recall the play head coach Brian Daboll gave him was impressive to witness. You could see it in the face of Daboll: he was impressed.
Oh, and Schoen and the rest of the scouts were too. So much so that trading up for the third overall pick was a true story than just a rumor it was made to be.
Joe Schoen talking with the Patriots about trading for the 3rd pick pic.twitter.com/aTqBvHdQYX
— Talkin’ Giants (@TalkinGiants) July 10, 2024
Can you blame the Giants? Not only was his smarts on display, but Maye was one of the most talented quarterbacks coming out of this year’s draft. The 22-year-old threw 62 touchdowns compared to just 16 interceptions in his last two seasons at North Carolina. Scouts loved his arm strength and his gun-slinger mentality. If New York was able to trade up to third overall, they may have landed their future franchise quarterback.
In the end, the New England Patriots got themselves a star in the making. A smart one, to be exact.
Also, New York did its homework on all the quarterbacks, bringing in Jayden Daniels, JJ McCarthy, and Caleb Williams for interviews.
I love Hard Knocks. Just getting a look at what scouting and seeing their players talk and impress the coaches is so entertaining.
The Giants Also Loved Malik Nabers
It was all about the scouting in this episode. Not only did we see the quarterbacks get interviewed, but we got a look at the wideouts as well. New York brought in Marvin Harrison Jr and Rome Odunze to get to know them more.
But, the player we were all anticipating seeing was Malik Nabers. Getting a chance to see the behind-the-scenes look at how the conversation went between the former LSU product and Brian Daboll.
The scouts loved what they saw from him.
Giants on Malik Nabers pic.twitter.com/TzGK3m53Jb
— Mace The Flip Flopper ? (@realmaceblack) July 10, 2024
When asked by Daboll how he would handle losing, he responded that he hates it more than winning. How about not being involved early in the offense?
“It’s tough… All the work you put during the week [to just not get the ball]”
Malik Nabers on his reaction towards not getting involved early in an offense
It’s clear he has that competitive juice that New York has been craving. Though he may seem reserved at times, he has that “dog mentality” that will make Giants fans believe he is the WR1 they’ve been searching for years now.
Saquon Barkley Never Wanted To Return To The Giants After All
Let me educate some of you fans here… I can’t bail or become a traitor if I never got an offer to come back.. so I went to the organization I felt that was the best and after already being here for a month man I’m excited to be a eagle ! Go birds ?
— Saquon Barkley (@saquon) May 3, 2024
Well, this aged well.
The New York Giants handled the Saquon situation as well as they could have. This episode along with the pilot supports this statement.
Schoen and his team tried to work out a contract last offseason. That didn’t work. So, this offseason, we’ve seen how hard they’ve been working on trying to find a fair deal with Barkley. But, because the general manager didn’t want to disrespect the star player, he allowed him to test the market.
We saw Schoen call his manager Ed Berry to discuss the plan. He mentions that letting him hit the open market and see what his value was was the best idea.
When asked by Berry if he is okay about heading into 2024 and beyond when he is thinking about it late at night, Schoen responds that he feels torn. He knows he can play.
We all know Barkley can perform. He’s been the driving force for this offense ever since his arrival in 2018. But, New York didn’t want to overpay. They offered him a $13 million per year deal last offseason that included $19.5 million guaranteed.
Joe Schoen telling Saquon Barkley that he’ll let him hit the open market
— Talkin’ Giants (@TalkinGiants) July 10, 2024
pic.twitter.com/wIfp4vx5pP
Also note: Barkley was seeking more than $16 million per year on a new deal last July.
Spoiler alert: Barkley signed with the Eagles this offseason on a three-year, $37.75 million deal. $26 million guaranteed.
If it was the guaranteed money that pushed Barkley away, I get it. But, on a per-year basis, it’s clear New York offered more and did right by him the entire way. Schoen didn’t offer the franchise tag to not disrespect him. It was all up to Barkley, who decided to go behind everything he said and wanted to go to a division rival.
A Giant For Life? Right… Based on your tone and your decision, it was all just for show.
Make sure to visit Belly Up Sports every week for more NFL content and follow me on Twitter/X! See you next week for another review of Hard Knocks. Also, check out me and my co-host Brian Germinaro on the Third and Ten Podcast, available wherever you get your podcasts!
Featured Image: Stacy Revere/Getty Images
