Dan and Nick get back on the horn after they each took a vacation to do their favorite offseason (and in season!) pod experience – the MAILBAG! They’re getting to every question but breaking it up into parts and this part features early thoughts on JJ McCarthy, their ideal offseason, surprise positions that the Giants can draft in Round 2 and a lot more.

Dan and Nick dive into the 30,000-foot view question of how to establish a run game, why it’s important, and the importance of a singular back within a run game. They then discuss the current roster at RB, Saquon Barkley’s impending free agency, other team free agents at RB the Giants should consider if they don’t re-sign Barkley and how to approach building the position out via the draft.

Dan and Nick are joined by Mike Herndon of PaulKuharsky.com to break down new defensive coordinator Shane Bowen from an Xs and Os standpoint given what Mike has evaluated on film during Bowen’s tenure with the Titans. They discuss personnel, run defense success, red zone success, pressure packages, safety usage, which QBs gave him system trouble and a lot more.

Dan and Nick break down the Giants decision to hire Shane Bowen as defensive coordinator by diving into the philosophical changes to come on defense from a blitzing standpoint, a yardage allowed standpoint, red zone defense and more. They go over some of his fronts, disguised coverages and pirate stunts on the DL. They then discuss how this impacts players like Xavier McKinney, Dexter Lawrence, the two inside LBs and more. Finally, they take questions from the listeners in this LIVE show edition of Big Blue Banter.

Dan and Nick dive into the second part of their offseason mini-series on the biggest burning questions the Giants must address during the 2024 offseason. They discuss the impact of locating an alpha WR1 by diving into 1. How the Giants would do it 2. How it would fit their current and future QB situation 3. How other teams have done it and whether or not it has worked out and it leads to a larger discussion on what John Mara’s ultimatum might be for Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll – and how that should impact their roster-building decisions during the 2024 offseason.

Dan and Nick dive into the NFL coaching cycle and the likelihood that Bill Belichick will now sit out the 2024 season before looking to get back as a head coach in 2025. They discuss what that means for the Giants, if it puts more pressure on Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen to make win-now decisions this offseason and then the hypothetical about whether or not the possibility of hiring Belichick to be head coach (should the 2024 season go awry) in 2025 is actually even a high upside thing for the Giants at this point given where the franchise is at. Then, they transition to discussing the current defensive coordinator search, why no hire has been made yet, and what the Giants should be looking for as a DC hire.

Dan and Nick dive into the latest hot topic on Giants Twitter over the recent podcast appearance Kayvon Thibodeaux made where he discussed the locker room’s reaction to Daniel Jones getting paid before Saquon Barkley. They dive into whether or not Kayvon should be knocked for his decision to discuss this, why it’s important that Kayvon discussed the Giants’ lack of explosive plays in 2022 and how many Barkley accounted for, whether or not he’s right about if they should have paid both (with Barkley getting paid first), and a lot more.

Dan and Nick begin their five-part series addressing the five biggest questions facing the Giants as they enter the 2024 offseason. They start with the most obvious and largest question facing the franchise – how do they address the quarterback position. Nick and Dan break down whether or not the Giants should continue to build around Daniel Jones and by doing so even dip into their future salary cap space to do so, whether or not they should try to locate another quarterback in the draft, or free agency, ideas like trading up for a quarterback in Round 1 – or even with one of their two second-round picks to get back into the end of Round 1, and a lot more.

Dan and Nick break down the Giants 2023 rookie draft class by assigning individual grades for each player based on their performances on tape. They start with first-round pick Deonte Banks and work all the way through to UDFA QB Tommy DeVito with individual brekadowns of what they saw on tape plus projections for what to expect in the future.

Dan and Nick catch up on and put a bow on the Wink Martdinale drama with the Giants by evaluating the Dan Duggan Athletic article with team sources revealing Brian Daboll’s treatment of assistant coaches and whether or not that will impact future hires. They also break down what it means for Daboll moving forward and his future with the team.

Dan and Nick break down the recent Giants news with their decision to hire offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo and interview defensive coordinator candidates Dennard Wilson and Shane Bowen. They break down background on each candidate and expectations for Bricillo.

Dan and Nick break down GM Joe Schoene’s postseason presser and the key takeaways from it. They dive into the QB position, comments on Darren Waller and a lot more before transitioning into discussions about Bobby Johnson, the state of the offensive line, the first offensive line coach they’re bringing in for an interview (Carmen Bricillo), assistant GM Brandon Brown getting a GM interview and a lot more.

Dan and Nick detail the drama in East Rutherford as Wink Martindale resigns from his position as defensive coordinator. The two discuss the timeline of events that suggest a fractured relationship between Martindale and head coach Brian Daboll, and how there could be fault on both parties. Then they go through potential defensive coordinator candidates, and what this all means for the Giants moving forward into 2024.

Nick and Dan react to the Giants 27-10 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 18. The duo discuss Wink Martindale's strategy to PRESSURE, PRESSURE, PRESSURE Jalen Hurts and Marcus Mariota, which led to four turnovers, including two interceptions by Xavier McKinney. They also discuss Tyrod Taylor and how he enhances the Giants' offense. All that, plus more!

Dan and Nick break down the All-22 coaches film from the Giants' loss to the Rams and dive deeper into the offensive line as it stands and moving forward, the vertical element to the pass attack showed up in a big way in Week 17, Wan'Dale Robinson's projectable traits, Dane Belton and the future of the safety position and a lot more.

Dan and Nick do an abbreviated All-22 film review of the Eagles game touching on key major points on both sides of the ball including Tommy DeVito vs. Tyrod Taylor, the offensive line play, Kayvon Thibodeaux’s worst game on film, Deonte Banks’ physicality in run support and a lot more.

Nick & Dan discuss recent Giants' news and how it will affect the franchise moving forward while previewing their first matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Dan and Nick dive into their break down of the Giants’ All-22 defensive film against the Saints but before they do that they discuss some key forward-looking discussions on the Giants defensive players from both an individual and holistic standpoint as they move the roster forward.Next, they break down several key plays on the All-22 sideline and endzone angles that decide the Giants’ loss in Week 15. Finally, they hand out superlatives.

Dan and Nick break down the Giants’ All-22 offensive film against the Saints but before they do that they discuss some of the key takeaways from the film with a heavy lean on the offensive line. They dive into individual evaluations, the state of the offensive line as it stands, the offensive line coaching and development, the future for each player and more. Next, they break down several key plays on the All-22 sideline and endzone angles that decide the Giants’ loss in Week 15.

Dan & Nick discuss the Giants' 24-6 loss in New Orleans against the Saints and how New York's coaching staff was out-schemed, the Giants' protection fell apart, and the Saints' defense figured out the Passing Paisano.

Dan and Nick break down the Giants’ Week 15 matchup against the Saints while also discussing how the team is coming together at the right time on both sides of the ball, plus Prize Picks and more.

Dan and Nick break down the All-22 defensive film from the Giants’ Week 14 win over the Packers. They discuss individual performances from players like Bobby Okereke and Azeez Ojulari, among others, plus break down the game plan before diving into the game film with breakdowns of both the end zone and sideline All-22 film angles.

Dan and Nick break down the All-22 offensive film from the Giants’ Week 14 win over the Packers. They talk about Wan’Dale Robinson’s breakout game, Tommy DeVito and why his tendency to throw outside the numbers has opened up the offense – comparing to stats on throws outside the numbers from 2022. They also dive into some individual performances by JMS, Daniel Bellinger, and more before diving into several key plays on tape that decided the game with breakdowns of both the end zone and sideline All-22 film angles.

Nick & Dan discuss the Giants' 24-22 victory over the Green Bay Packers. Tommy Cutlets continued to cook when it mattered as the Giants' defense harrassed Green Bay. The two go through the game, how the Giants are winning, listener questions, plus more!

Dan and Nick dive into part 2 of their Week 13 mailbag by discussing the reasons first-round draft picks at QB don’t work out, the best Day 3 pick in the last 25 drafts, how to approach the RT position this offseason with Evan Neal’s future hanging in the balance and a lot more.