This is the Michael K show podcast. Listen live weekday afternoon, starting at three on 98.7 ESPN in New York, the ESPN app, the two-minute app, or on your smart speaker.

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I want to do a little football too, you know, focus so much on the jets and rightly so because of Aaron Rodgers and all that.

But I think the giants are really interesting too. Now, Thai Butler, who you can hear at 10 o'clock tonight on 98.7 ESPN in New York, it is a great job.

And you worked with him in the morning a couple of times last week, and I know if he banged the drum on that show, but I know he's been doing it at night, that if the giants don't make the playoffs, it's a failure.

Like it's playoffs or boss, they've got to be better than they were last year.

I caution people on that because better than last year means being a 10 win team with this schedule is going to be very difficult.

And also being better than last year means you're playing in the championship game. I'm a giant fan and I like this team.

But do I think that they're going to be in the championship game of the NFC? No, I don't.

I think they can be better and not have as good a record. Now I heard Pat O'Keefe was on a couple of days ago, and he says you're playing both sides of the fence.

How could you say they're going to be better and then not have a better record? I think that's possible because of the schedule and because of how things went down last year.

There were a lot of games that broke the giants way. Jaguars get to the one yard line on the final play. What if they get in the end zone? They lose that game.

What if they don't get the two point conversion in Tennessee to open up the season? Like how is that going to look?

And now of a sudden you're a seven win team and you're missing the playoffs and is anybody saying it's playoffs or bust?

Now they gave Jones a lot of money. They went on and got some weapons. I like this team, Dan. I do.

But it's a tougher schedule. You're in a very difficult division with the cowboys who you never beat, the Eagles who you never beat.

So is it possible that Jones can throw 25 touchdown passes, throw for an extra thousand yards than they did last year?

Barkley be great. Defense be very good. And this is a nine win team. And instead of going nine, seven and one, you go nine and eight and you miss the playoffs.

Now the conference I think is going to help you because nine wins may be enough to get into the playoffs. It's not going to be nearly enough in the AFC.

But I don't think you're splitting hairs. I think it's feasible. They could be a better product that you feel good about.

And yet they're not, you know, playing in the second round of the playoffs like they did last year.

I agree. And we talked about it. I mean, really over the last several weeks, like once since training camp is open, I mean, all shows.

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