FanPost

Melo = Eli?

Knick/Giant fans -

Both Eli and Melo are superstars

Both, relatively late in their careers, are being asked to embrace an entirely new system. Eli and the WCO, Melo and the Triangle

In both cases, there are questions about whether they could adapt. For Eli, there were questions about whether he could change his mechanics, get used to the shorter drops and quicker releases called for in the WCO. While the "vertical" game that the Giants have used for Eli's entire career focused on the big play downfield, the WCO focuses on short passes, slants, and the QB quickly checking down his options. It was obvious the entire team and Eli struggled badly through preseason and the first two games. In the preseason, the first team offense did approximately nothing. Since then, they have done very well, and over the last three games, Eli has played some of the best ball in his life.

Melo is being asked to go from a player that thrived in isolation to one who is focused on passing and ball movement. Like Eli's change, it will be a fundamentally new way of thinking

There are differences, of course. Last year, even though the Knicks pretty much sucked, Melo still played at an elite level. The same could not be said of Eli. It is also true that the Giants have brought in a lot of new talent to make the WCO work. The entire inside of the offensive line is new, the running backs are new, the tight end is new, and this week we saw the first glimpse of what ODB could do.

So this really boils down to 2 questions for the Knicks -

1) Can Melo change his mindset and playing style for the triangle?

2) Do the Knicks have the talent around him to be a successful team