The tip of the cap thread

[burgold]

I'm not a fan of list threads because inevitably I forget someone or leave someone out, but all season I called this team a try-hard team or a team of overachievers. So, I thought as we sum up this season, it would make sense to pass out flowers. My intention is not to create a best player or guys we need to keep list, but a celebration of guys who played above their weight. So, while I would normally begin this list with Adam Peters, I'm not sure he belongs. Still, it's my thread and I get to do what I want. Please do fill in the gaps or present more detailed acknowledgements of the players you think drew flowers and not just of the superstars, but of the blue collar guys, glue guys, and guys we depended upon and came through despite their pedigree.



Adam Peters: Tip of that hat for turning over 60% of the roster and assembling a group of underrated free agents that fit together and fought together. Very good draft class, too. Daniels, Sainristil, and Coleman were hits.

Whitt: I ragged on the defense especially at the beginning of the season, but I think you wrung out as much as you could from this group. The difference in play from game one to the Lions game was remarkable.

Quinn and Kingsbury: A lot of people grumbled about your hiring. You obviously earned your keep.

Johnson: The most questioned coaching pick. The Giants o line was a disaster. Most thought Peters did not do enough in the offseason. Despite injuries, we managed to have a pretty good o line. I think our C group of players played like Bs.

Players:

Jayden Daniels: Daniels played so far above rookie expectations that I almost considered not putting him on this list. Yet, if anyone overproduced it was him. Maybe the best rookie season of all time.

Noah Brown: For most of the season, the seventh best player waiver claim produced like a number 2. Great blocking. Our run game really suffered after he went down. Tough receiver.

Dyami Brown: Everyone thought you were a one trick pony who wasn't good at your one trick. You made your case. Elevated your game.

OZ: like Noah Brown, you were a cast off not considered good enough to make your former team want you. Bit of an up and down season, but there we won several games because of you.

Zach Ertz: Before the season, people thought you might hold up for three or four games before injuries and age forced Sinnott in as a starter.

No one in the running back room, though I suppose we could make a case that Ekeler overproduced.

Trent Scott: Why am I starting with him? Because you don't expect your fourth string tackle to come in and start at guard and hold up for two playoff games. You don't expect to rely on him at tackle. Maybe not the best player, but he gave all he could give. Flowers.

Brandon Coleman: Third round rookie, new to the position, no offseason coming off two foot injuries. Yeah, he did better than we had a right to expect.

Alegretti: I don't know that you overachieved, but this was your first year as a full time starter and you took over playcalling when Biadazz fell.

Speaking of which: The reports on Biadazz when we signed him was that he was okay. He played better than okay.

Defense: Here's where it gets trickier

Sainristil: only because you were supposed to be a slot guy did he play above expectations. I think we expected him to be good and he was. He also had his issues, but was one of the better secondary players on a unit that gave up plays.

Chinn, Wagner and Luvu: Kept making plays. They deserve a tip of the cap, but probably were the players we expected them to be.

Fowler: played above expectations

All the players I should have mentioned, but didn't that I hope other posters will.

 

[Henry]

Marcus Mariotta.

I thought he was washed up and a terrible choice when we signed him, but when he got on the field our offense didn’t miss a beat. In fact, I give him credit for beating Dallas, and that’s no small thing. I don’t care if we needed the game or not. I needed it.

 

[burgold]

Good call Henry

 

[Neophyte]

Larry Izzo - did we go through 4 kickers? Or was it 5? No more clenched buttocks on the snap for FGs and he turned Tress Way into a QB with a 119 rating.

Zane Gonzalez - Mr. OCD and the last kicker standing. Wasn't called into action as often as many would have liked but when his number was up, he was pretty clutch. He's the only guy without his picture on the active team roster page.

Dorance Armstrong - always around the ball. He didn't have Fowler's numbers but he was more consistent, IMHO.

 

[burgold]

Isn't it awesome that we can name almost every player and backup sincerely and no one has yet argued... "Are you kidding me? Take that bum off your list!"