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The New York Giants are in the midst of what some would argue is the worst stretch in franchise history. They’ve suffered five straight double-digit loss seasons, have finished above .500 just once since 2012 and have just one playoff appearance since winning Super Bowl XLVI in 2011.
That level of futility is tough to overcome. And we’ve seen that in East Rutherford as the Giants have cycled through two general managers and four head coaches since 2015.
But despite resting at 4-11 with just two games remaining in 2021 and more changes on the horizon, some of the team’s young players remain committed to steadying the ship.
Safety Xavier McKinney, who was snubbed for the Pro Bowl, is one of those players.
“Obviously, things haven’t worked out for our team, and individually for myself this year, but it is what it is,” McKinney told reporters on Monday.
“Obviously, it sucks to lose, and we all hate to lose. I hate to lose, and I’m trying to be a part of this organization and change the culture, just knowing that’s been kind of the culture the last four or five years, however long it’s been. I want to be the one to change that culture and turn it around. I think having this experience and seeing what loses you games, to be able to fix that and come back next year and obviously be able to change that up.”
It’s a tough road back for these Giants. The losing has become an expectation and the organization a laughingstock. With each loss, they dig deeper and deeper into a hole that’s becoming increasingly difficult to climb out of.
But to the credit of McKinney and his teammates, they still show up to work each day and put in max effort. On the field, no matter how lopsided the score, they keep fighting. That’s at least something positive — one of the very few reasons for optimism in East Rutherford these days.
Obviously, things aren’t going to change for the better in 2021 but the team has some footing with players like McKinney. But they may only have one more year to get it right before the entire thing is blown up yet again.
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