New York Giants general manager Jerry Reese offered strong words that might cause a domino effect.
Reese, speaking to reporters Saturday before the first day of Giants training camp, put "everybody on notice" for the 2013 season, making it adamantly clear that the team's recent playoff struggles are unacceptable.
"All I know is that we've been in the playoffs one time in the last four years, and that's really not acceptable for us," Reese said, according to ESPN.com. "That's not our standards. That's not what we shoot for."
Reese knows a thing or two about winning. He has steered the Giants to two Super Bowl championships since taking over as GM in 2007. And the lone playoff appearance in the last four years? Big Blue parlayed that into a Super Bowl win in 2011.
But the magnified blemishes during the last four years have left Reese with a bad taste in his mouth. The Giants' title defense ended quickly in 2012, when they missed the playoffs by losing three of their final five games, including lopsided defeats to the Atlanta Falcons and Baltimore Ravens.
There's a strong sense of urgency for Reese, who made it a point to say that Super Bowl XLVIII is just 190 days away. That it's at MetLife Stadium, the home of the Giants, underscores Reese's message for a turnaround season.
"The sense of urgency really jumps out at me," he said. "We're going to put up in the locker room a countdown just so guys can see how urgent it is to be ready."
Reese signed left tackle Will Beatty and wide receiver Victor Cruz to long-term contracts, but he hopes his latest chess move lights a fire under veterans signed to one-year deals.
"I think when guys are on one-year deals, there is definitely a sense of urgency for them as well," Reese said. "If you want to continue to play in this league, you have to play well. It's a high-performing business. So those guys on the one-year deals, I think there's a sense of urgency for them for sure."
