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The New York Giants welcomed back tight end Evan Engram on Sunday after the former first-round pick missed two games with a calf injury.
Engram’s return should have provided a spark for the offense, adding a versatile weapon capable of creating mismatches all over the field. Instead, he returned with a dud, coughing up a fumble on just his second touch.
That was all it took for Giants fans to turn. It was the match that lit the powder keg.
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Each time Engram stepped onto the field after that fumble, he was met with a loud chorus of boos. And each time he checked out of the game, a loud roar of cheers.
Quarterback Daniel Jones, a team captain, did not appreciate that. In fact, he found is quite disrespectful and was displeased with the fans for acting such a way.
“I don’t think that was deserved,” Jones told reporters after the game. “I’m not sure I really understood that. He played hard all game and fought back from an injury a few weeks ago to be out here. He’s a big-time player for us and is going to be huge for us down the stretch.”
In typical Jones fashion, he tried to accept blame for some of Engram’s miscues, but that’s just not going to float anymore. Fans have run out of patience with Engram and the whole Jones-Engram connection, which often leads to turnovers.
Still, Jones tried to comfort his teammate and lift him back up.
“I think he knows how much we believe in him, how much I believe in him. Like I said, he’s a big-time playmaker for us. He’s made a ton of plays in the past and I have no doubt he’ll continue to do that as we get going in the season. I’ve got a lot of trust and a lot of faith in him personally and I know our team does as well,” Jones added.
Head coach Joe Judge went a different route. He claimed to understand why fans were booing and refused to tear them down over their understandable frustrations.
“I love our crowd. It’s New York, it’s supposed to be a tough place to be, right? Isn’t that the nature of where we’re at? People demand excellence because that’s where we’re at, in the biggest market. Isn’t that what people want? So, that’s what we have to work to give them,” Judge said. It’s not their job to show up and here just go ahead and pat us on the back. It’s our job to entertain them and give them something to cheer about.
“I got it, I got booed early in the game for not going for it on fourth down. . . In terms of any reaction from the crowd, I’m never going to criticize the crowd – what, are you kidding me? It’s our job to entertain them, it’s our job to please them. That’s the reality of what it is.”
Whether it’s Engram, Judge or anyone else on the team, they should expect more of this. Giants Nation will continue to grow more hostile if the team continues embarrassing themselves. And rightfully so. It’s been a full decade of humiliation for a franchise once considered among the best.
Prices aren’t going down. The experience isn’t improving. The team is lousy. There’s literally nothing to cheer for, but there’s plenty to boo over.
The real issue facing the Giants is that the boos may soon fade away as the team finds themselves playing in an empty stadium. Maybe things will change then.
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