Bears vs. Giants Preseason 2019: 5 Questions with Big Blue View

The Chicago Bears travel to play the New York Giants tomorrow night in the second preseason game for both teams, so we wanted to reach out to Ed Valentine, the Editor in Chief of Big Blue View, the SB Nation site that covers the Giants, to get a different perspective on the game.

After checking out our Q&A here, be sure to take a look at my answers to his five questions at his site, and make sure you dig into their comment section for a fascinating pizza debate.

Windy City Gridiron - Now that you’ve seen rookie QB Daniel Jones for camp and a preseason game, how do you like him now?

Big Blue View - I never disliked the kid and, to be honest, I figured for months prior to the draft that if the Giants took a QB he would be their target. It just made too much sense. I’m not putting Jones in the Hall of Fame after one preseason series, but I like the kid. He isn’t Patrick Mahomes in arm strength, but who is? I think he can make every throw. I also think the NFL, and the bright lights of New York, aren’t too big for him. What kind lf QB will he develop into? Who knows? He is, though, off to a good start.

WCG - The Bears are thin at back up outside linebacker, so do the Giants have anyone on the roster bubble that the Bears could sign if waived?

BBV - Well, I’m not sure if he fits the Chicago defensive scheme, but EDGE Kareem Martin might be on the bubble. He’s a decent player, not much more. Inside linebacker B.J. Goodson, a former starter, may be on his way out the door, as well.

WCG - What’s your take on Giant general manager Dave Gettleman?

BBV - I like Gettleman. I think that he’s misunderstood by an angry fan base that hasn’t seen enough winning in recent years. He probably doesn’t do himself any favors with the way he explains some things, but he does what he believes, stands by his decisions and is willing to get up and explain them.

Some things co-owner John Mara said recently about Gettleman sum up my feelings:

”I think the best thing for me about Dave is he makes decisions that he feels are in the best interest of the franchise and he doesn’t give a damn what people think about it. The media, the fans. He has the courage of his convictions and you have to have that.

“He set about to try to rebuild this team and change the culture a bit in the locker room. As I said before our last two draft classes were pretty strong. That’s what gives me confidence going forward. ...

“There was never any doubt in Dave’s ability or in what his motivation was, or what his skill level was,” Mara said. “You don’t like to see all that talent go out the door, but let’s face it, we had one winning season in ’16 and the other five or six years, nothing, not since we won the last Super Bowl, so we needed some drastic changes. Again, he had the courage of his convictions, he knew they would be unpopular moves, but he went and made them anyway.”

My take is this. I don’t know if he will be right or wrong in the end, but I love the fact that he makes his own decisions. He doesn’t do what the media or the fan base says he should do. He does what he thinks is right. That’s the kind of guy I want making decisions, one who isn’t afraid of making a hard, unpopular choice.

WCG - This question if more for fantasy football purposes, but how has tight end Evan Engram looked so far, and what kind of season do you expect from him?

BBV - Engram is the “X Factor” for the Giants. He’s a matchup nightmare -- too fast for linebackers and strong safeties, too big for a lot of corners. If he can stay healthy, he could have a huge season.

WCG - The Giants signed head coach Pat Shurmur a year ago and he went 5-11 his first year, which took his overall coaching record to 15-34. Do you think he’s the long term guy in N.Y.?

BBV - I think that remains to be seen. I think Shurmur is a good man and I would love to get to know him away from the field. Is he the long-term answer? I don’t know. I think he’s going to get the next couple of years, at least, to answer that question. His future is tied to Daniel Jones’ future, and I don’t think the Giants will consider moving on from Shurmur until they have given Jones a couple of years in the NFL and they have an idea if the Shurmur-Jones dynamic is going to work. Blue collar coach. Blue collar quarterback. I don’t see why it shouldn’t.

Thanks again to Ed for taking some time and giving us some insight on the Giants!