Tag: John Mara

Giants new GM Joe Schoen faces tall task ushering in new era

New York Giants new GM Joe Schoen faces a tall task as he ushers in a new era.

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The New York Giants are finalizing a deal to make Joe Schoen (pronounced SHANE for those wondering) their new general manager.

That leads to the next question: What can Schoen do to turn this listing Giants’ ship around?

First off, Schoen, if empowered, must take this dusty rug of an organization out into the backyard and beat it until all of the dust is gone. If John Mara doesn’t allow him to make the vital institutional changes in the scouting, medical, conditioning and personnel ranks this hire will have all for naught.

“We are looking for a person who demonstrates exceptional leadership and communication abilities,’’ CEO John Mara said recently. “Somebody who will oversee all aspects of our football operations, including player personnel, college scouting and coaching.’’

If he does get empowered, Schoen can lead the Giants back to prominence through proper scouting and drafting and not overpaying for players. The other part of that equation is keeping those player healthy and on the field.

Schoen could very likely hire an offensive mind who can develop fourth-year quarterback Daniel Jones. One coaching candidate is a natural fit – Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll who turned Josh Allen from a raw rookie into one of the NFL’s most dynamic players. Many believe Jones possesses some similar characteristics that Allen has.

It will be interesting to see what Schoen thinks of Jones. After all, having the right quarterback is the key to success in this league. He must have told the Maras and Steve Tisch that he can likely salvage and/or develop Jones as the Giants appear to still be tethered to him.

“Throughout our search, Joe impressed us with his ability to communicate a progressive and comprehensive vision for our team. His philosophy and collaborative approach to building a roster and coaching staff align with what we were looking for in a general manager,’ Mara said in a statement on Friday.

“Joe is the kind of exceptional leader we sought to oversee our football operations,” said chairman Steve Tisch. “We will do whatever it takes to support Joe’s vision and strategic plan for success. We are excited to begin this next chapter with Joe as our general manager.”

A new era is about to begin in East Rutherford. If Schoen is sold on Jones, he can begin to rectify the many mistakes his predecessor, Dave Gettleman, made. The salary cap must be addressed. The medical and conditioning staff has to come up with answers to why they lead the league in injuries almost every year and the team must be built the right way – from the inside out, not from the outside in. They must get bigger and meaner in the trenches.

Schoen is likely to know all of this already. The Giants’ mistakes under Gettleman and Jerry Reese are well known across the league. That is why the job was so sought after. The problem are well known and the solutions may be easier than we think if the owners allow Schoen to do the job properly.

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Report: Giants offering carte blanche to general manager candidates

The New York Giants are reportedly offering carte blanche to general manager candidates, but is that offer truly genuine?

The New York Giants are at an all-time low. Or at least that’s how co-owner John Mara currently views things.

“I kept thinking during the season that we had hit rock bottom and then each week it got a little worse. Honestly, I’m not proud of saying this, but if I’m going to be 100 percent honest, I would have to say the answer is yes,” Mara told reporters when asked if this is the most embarrassed he’s ever been.

That statement came on the heels of Dave Gettleman’s “retirement” and Joe Judge’s termination as head coach.

It was just the latest of a seemingly endless overhaul for the Giants, but this time they are committed to doing things right. And in an effort to see that through, Mara and his fellow co-owner, Steve Tisch, are apparently offering all general manager candidates carte blanche.

That’s an encouraging step for the Giants if it’s true. However, despite his defiant denial that nepotism exists within the organization, a recent article from Dan Duggan of The Athletic paints an ugly picture.

In Duggan’s article, several former members of the front office and a few scouts sound off about Chris Mara’s role. And while they don’t attack him on a personal level, it’s made abundantly clear that Chris has much more “authority” than John claims.

It didn’t sit well with some colleagues when Chris Mara, a partner in Starlight Racing, left the Giants’ war room during the third day of the 2015 draft to watch his horse run in the Kentucky Derby. New York made one pick during Mara’s flight to Louisville and another after he arrived at Churchill Downs. “Look, if we were in the first or second round today, I probably wouldn’t be here,” Mara told a Sports Illustrated reporter chronicling his double duty.

“Is that really your priority over what we’re doing here in the draft?” a former member of the front office said. “It’s something that all the other guys just couldn’t do.”

Chris doesn’t go on the road to scout college games during the fall. His in-person scouting is typically limited to postseason all-star games, the scouting combine and college pro days. According to multiple current members of the organization, he has been less hands-on in recent years.

“I think he figures, ‘[Expletive] it, I’ll come around when I want to,’” a former Giants coach said. “He’s not answering to anybody.”

If the Giants are truly offering carte blanche to turn the organization around, that’s a legitimately positive step. But if that does not include the ability to fire and/or reassign Chris Mara, Tim McDonnell, Jonathan Tisch and Charles Tisch, then it’s not really “carte blanche,” is it?

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Report: Giants’ Steve Tisch pushed John Mara to fire Joe Judge

New York Giants CEO John Mara was inclined to give Joe Judge a third year but reportedly changed his mind due to pressure from Steve Tisch.

The New York Giants have wasted their fans’ time the past five years by thinking they could put band-aids on gunshot wounds hoping that some divine intervention they would turn them back into winners.

Heading into the 2022 season, the Giants are devoid of talent with 60 percent of their salary cap dedicated to seven players, none who can be considered a “franchise” player.

Co-owner Steve Tisch apparently pleaded with his partner, John Mara, to ‘blow up’ the model two years ago and start from the ground up. Mara balked and stayed the course, giving general manager Dave Gentleman a vote of confidence and Joe Judge was hired as the head coach.

You know the rest. The Giants have been going downhill with no brakes ever since. They finally crashed last week when they were embarrassed by a marginal Washington team at home in a game that saw the coaching staff basically circle the wagons and surrender.

Gettleman chose to retire before the team got a chance to fire him but Mara waffled on Judge, who was clearly in over his head after finishing 10-23.

This time around, Tisch convinced Mara it was time to let go of the past and move forward, reports Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News.

Co-owner Steve Tisch did not talk and has no plans to do so, outside of Monday’s statement that it’s an “understatement” to say he is “disappointed.”

Tisch should have to answer for coach Joe Judge’s firing in particular, because sources say Mara was the one who initially wanted to give the coach a third year, but Tisch pushed to blow it up after failing to achieve a full reset two years ago.

Mara knew that firing Judge after two years saddled by 19-46 GM Dave Gettleman — despite hiring him for a long-term rebuild — was not only moving the goalposts on his coach. It was ripping them down.

Mara was fully prepared — and maybe still is — to continue doing things the way he’s done the past decade. Had Tisch not stepped in, the Giants would be conducting their GM search with Judge in tow, and that would have made the job a lot less appealing. Some top candidates would have stayed away. Instead, there are nine very qualified people interviewing for the position.

“I just feel given where we are right now, on the verge of bringing in a new general manager, we have to give that person the flexibility to bring in the head coach that he wants,” Mara told reporters on Wednesday. “And I think that was a large part of the decision here in making a change.”

That’s correct. The tail can’t continue to wag the dog in East Rutherford. It’s time for a real football person to come in and install a 21st century NFL infrastructure to this once proud franchise.

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New Giants GM will decide fate of Daniel Jones, Saquon Barkley

The next New York Giants general manager and head coach will decide the fate of QB Daniel Jones and RB Saquon Barkley.

The New York Giants will hire a new general manager in the coming weeks and they will not be saddled with taking on Joe Judge, who was fired as head coach on Tuesday.

Rather, the incoming GM will help lead the head coaching search and have input on who’s hired. That is, of course, how it should be.

But what of the team’s personnel? Where do the players who were brought in under the previous regime fit? That, too, will be up to the new GM and head coach to decide.

“In terms of Daniel (Jones) or Saquon (Barkley) or anyone else you want to ask me, that’s going to be between the general manager and the head coach,” co-owner John Mara told reporters on Wednesday.

That comment is in stark contrast to what Mara has said about Jones and Barkley in the past. He’s long viewed them as anchors of the team and foundational rocks to build upon. But things have changed. Losing has changed the team’s trajectory.

And again, that’s how it should be. Nothing should be forced on the incoming general manager or head coach, whether that’s fair or not to the players. The entire process has failed and a fresh start isn’t just a good idea, it’s imperative to turn this ship around.

Both Jones and Barkley have underperformed in recent years and the reasons why no longer matter. Things have to change even if that means the Giants eat their losses and part ways with high draft picks.

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John Mara has never been more embarrassed of Giants

New York Giants co-owner John Mara admits that he’s never been more embarrassed of the organization than he is right now.

The New York Giants have become a poverty organization over the past decade. Once considered among the most successful and respected franchises in sports, they are now little more than a punchline.

Even co-owner John Mara himself can’t deny it, acknowledging on Wednesday that he’s never been more embarrassed of the team.

“Honestly, I would have to say yes. Yes, it is,” Mara said when asked if this is the most embarrassed he’s ever been. “I kept thinking during the season that we had hit rock bottom and then each week it got a little worse. Honestly, I’m not proud of saying this, but if I’m going to be 100 percent honest, I would have to say the answer is yes.”

Things got so bad for the Giants in 2021 that Mara was forced to do something he didn’t originally intend: Force general manager Dave Gettleman out, fire head coach Joe Judge and start over. Again.

“It just got to the point where we dug a hole so deep, I didn’t see a clear path getting out of it unless we started all over again,” Mara said.

Since pressuring Tom Coughlin to resign in 2015, this will be the third full rebuild for the Giants. They will hire their third general manager, their fifth head coach (if you include Steve Spagnuolo) and compile their fourth reconstructed coaching staff.

Mara admits the latest reset will likely prolong the team’s losing.

“That is not going to be an overnight process. That’s going to take some time, but it starts with getting the general manager pick done correctly and then with hiring the right head coach. That’s going to be a process that we’re going to have to earn their trust again,” Mara said. “As I said, that’s not going to happen overnight.”

In other words, more patience has been requested, Giants fans.

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Defiant John Mara insists nepotism does not exist within Giants

John Mara defiantly denied that nepotism exists within the New York Giants even as his brother, Chris Mara, sits in on GM interviews.

New York Giants co-owner John Mara met with reporters via Zoom conference on Wednesday and did so with several strict rules in place.

First and foremost, the Zoom call was not to be livestreamed for anyone to see. Secondly, reporters in attendance were permitted only a single question before being muted and not allowed any follow-ups.

That setup allowed for Mara to completely control the conversation, as well as any and all information that would be made available.

Never was that more evident than when Mara shut down any suggestion that nepotism exists within the organization, essentially blaming that on a media fabrication.

“The perception [that family members aren’t held to accountability during this stretch] has been created by you and others,” Mara chided a reporter. “The reality is that in terms of my brother, my brother spent the bulk of his time doing the evaluation of college players. His grades go into our system, and he participates in the draft.

“All personnel decisions in this building, and this has always been the case, have been made by the general manager and the head coach. When they agree on a decision, they come to me with it. As long as they are both in agreement, I okay it.”

The irony of Mara’s statement — other than acknowledging that Chris Mara grades rookie prospects — is that the team announced just hours earlier that his brother was sitting in on general manager interviews.

The Giants held their first such interview on Wednesday, meeting with Buffalo Bills assistant general manager Joe Schoen. And Chris was right there alongside John and Steve Tisch.

“Chris is a very skilled evaluator, but he does not have any authority here other than that I will go to him on occasion and ask him about players,” Mara added.

And general manager candidates, apparently.

Outside of Chris, the Giants also employee another unfirable entity: Tim McDonnell, the team’s co-director of player personnel who just so happens to be John’s nephew (and Wellington Mara’s grandson).

“Tim is probably the most respected person we have in this building,” Mara boasted. “Coaches, front office staff, the general manager go to him and ask his advice on players because he’s a good evaluator, he’s worked his way up from the bottom, and he’s earned his stripes. He does not have any authority here.

“The personnel decisions have always been made, and will always be made by the general manager and the head coach. If they agree on a draft pick, on a UFA, then I’m going to okay it 99.99 percent of the time. The only reason I will raise an issue with that is if there’s a conduct issue. I’ll question them, I’ll make them defend their position, and make sure they’re on the same page. But, at the end of the day, if they’re in agreement, that’s the direction we’re going in.”

So, Chris evaluates rookies, provides grades and sits in on general manager interviews. Tim evaluates players and offers his input to both the general manager and head coach. And John signs off an all personnel moves after the GM and head coach consult him.

John did say one thing that rang true, however.

“I kept thinking during the season we had hit rock bottom, then each week it got a little worse,” Mara said.

Yes. Yes it did. And Wednesday’s Zoom conference call was no exception.

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Giants’ John Mara holds year-end press conference: 11 takeaways

New York Giants co-owner John Mara held his year-end press conference on Wednesday and here are 11 takeaways from the bizarre ordeal.

New York Giants co-owner John Mara jumped on a Zoom conference call with local beat writers on Wednesday and expectations for substance were high.

That was dashed immediately, however.

Moments before the call went live, the Giants informed NFL Network, WFAN and other outlets that the conference call was not to be livestreamed. Meanwhile, reporters who were on the call were informed they would be allowed only a single question. No follow-ups.

Fellow co-owner Steve Tisch was not on the call and as things currently rest, is not scheduled for any availability.

So, what did Mara say? Here are several quick takeaways.

Joe Judge did not receive a fair shake with Giants

The New York Giants have fired head coach Joe Judge who, contrary to popular belief, did not receive a fair shake in East Rutherford.

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The New York Giants officially pulled the plug on Tuesday, firing head coach Joe Judge after just two seasons with the team.

The termination represented the end of a remarkable fall from grace for Judge, who arrived in East Rutherford with the full support of team ownership. John Mara and Steve Tisch were convinced that Judge would finally put an end to the vicious coaching cycle and restore Giants pride.

As recently as two and a half months ago, Mara and Tisch still believed that. In fact, Mara offered his public support of Judge.

“It is,” Mara said when asked if his belief in Judge remains strong. “Obviously, we’ve struggled this year, but he has not lost the locker room, and I’ve seen that happen over the years. I think the players still believe in him. We’ve just got to get our guys healthy again.”

But things drastically changed after that comment was made.

The Giants completely fell apart on the field, losing six straight games — many of them in humiliating fashion — to close out the season. And then, of course, there was the 11-minute rant Judge unleashed following a loss to Chicago in Week 17.

That speech was likely the final nail in Judge’s coffin.

Changes were necessary and Judge had to go with a new general manager coming in to oversee things. It was the only move ownership could make if they truly wanted to start fresh. Plus, Judge left them little choice.

But how much of the failure was the fault of Judge? Did he really get a fair shake? We’d argue not so much…

Judge started behind the eight-ball in his first season with the Giants. The world was crippled by the COVID-19 pandemic and that drastically altered the approach for the first-time head coach. Rather than working on-hand with his team, Judge was thrust into a virtual world where he had to create a foundation digitally.

There was also the presence of general manager Dave Gettleman, who had already lost the faith of fans and was trending downward. His roster building left Judge very little meat on the bone to work with and that was only compounded by bad contracts and injuries in 2021.

By the time this past season ended, the Giants led the league in games missed due to injury and were so depleted offensively that they failed to function at even a High School level. Never was that more evident than in Week 18 when they ran back-to-back quarterback sneaks inside their own 10-yard line with their third-string quarterback.

That, too, was a bad look for Judge but a necessary evil. Situationally, the Giants had been there a week earlier and failed. Judge simply refused to relive that nightmare.

Then, of course, there was the presence of Jason Garrett — a veteran coach who was forced on Judge as his offensive coordinator. The relationship didn’t work and had completely fizzled by the time of Garrett’s mid-season termination.

Judge was also saddled with a roster that he didn’t help build. He inherited the injured-prone Saquon Barkley, the under-performing Daniel Jones and one of the worst offensive lines ever assembled, among other negatives.

Yes, this was the job Judge had campaigned for. Yes, he was certain he could take what was given and fix things. That did not happen but to poke fun of Judge, pile on and force him to shoulder the majority of blame is both unfair and objectively dishonest. He couldn’t save the already sinking ship and had to go, but he certainly didn’t drown the organization himself.

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The Giants finally fired Joe Judge. What took them so long?

The Giants finally fired Joe Judge on Tuesday. Before they hire his replacement, they’d better re-examine what they want in a head coach.

On Sunday, the New York Giants lost their sixth straight game, and their seventh of eight, in an embarrassing 22-7 takedown by the Washington Football Team. The most ridiculous part of the game was unquestionably head coach Joe Judge’s decision to call two straight quarterback sneaks inside his own five-yard line. Basically, Judge gave his team no chance to compete, and showed no confidence in his players.

“We were backed up,” Judge said of the play calls after the game. “Had a shot at the play-action to get the ball out in the flat. We’ve got to make the throw and hit the guy right there. (Fullback) Eli (Penny) was open there. It would’ve been a good shot coming off the goal line there to get us some yardage and get us some space. Ultimately, we were backed up, I wanted to get room. We were going to push it on forward. I wasn’t going to live through what happened last week in Chicago, so we’re going to give ourselves room for the punt. We did that, we gave ourselves room for the punt. We protected it, we covered well. We played the field position situation I wanted to play. We held them on the next drive and that’s the way we want to go ahead and play that. Do we want to do that all the time we’re backed up? No, but that was a situation that with where we were we wanted to make sure that the things that we had an issue with last week in Chicago was not going to repeat itself.”

When Judge referred to what happened in Chicago, we’re assuming he’s referring to the safety the Bears had in a 29-3 Giants loss in which running back Devontae Booker couldn’t get out of the end zone on a run from the New York one-yard line.

That was Judge’s tenure with the Giants — a whole lot of ridiculous decisions explained away with Judge’s inexplicable confidence in his own coaching abilities. Outside of the quarterback sneaks, the weirdest part of Judge’s second season was the viral 11-minute rant he went on after that Bears game — a rant that Judge later said he did not regret at all.

It took the Giants organization until Tuesday to make the decision they really needed to make, but it happened. Judge was fired after two seasons, and a 10-23 record. This after multiple rumors that the Giants would retain Judge for a third season, and possibly give him more organizational control.

“[Giants chairperson] Steve [Tisch] and I both believe it is in the best interest of our franchise to move in another direction,” team president John Mara said in a statement. “We met with Joe yesterday afternoon to discuss the state of the team. I met again with Joe this afternoon, and it was during that conversation I informed Joe of our decision. We appreciate Joe’s efforts on behalf of the organization.

“I said before the season started that I wanted to feel good about the direction we were headed when we played our last game of the season. Unfortunately, I cannot make that statement, which is why we have made this decision.

“We will hire a general manager and that person will lead the effort to hire a new head coach.”

Now, the Giants are set for a total rebuild with Judge’s firing, and the retirement of general manager Dave Gettleman. The rebuild can’t come soon enough, and the Giants had better start rethinking the processes by which they hire their most important employees.

This formerly great franchise hasn’t made the playoffs since the 2016 season, they’ve finished fourth in the four-team NFC East in three of the subsequent five seasons, and they’ve burned through four coaches in the last six years: Ben McAdoo, Steve Spagnuolo as the interim head coach after McAdoo was fired during the 2017 season, then two years of Pat Shurmur (who went 9-23), and then Judge (who went 10-23).

“It is an understatement to say John and I are disappointed by the lack of success we have had on the field,” Tisch said in that same statement. “We are united in our commitment to find a general manager who will provide the direction necessary for us to achieve the on-field performance and results we all expect.”

Before they hire anybody, the Giants had best realize that their current hiring processes are disastrous, and take a different turn. Otherwise, more of the same can be guaranteed.

Giants fire head coach Joe Judge

The New York Giants have fired head coach Joe Judge after just two seasons.

The New York Giants will be making wholesale changes this offseason.

Earlier this week, general manager Dave Gettleman announced his retirement. On Tuesday, the team informed head coach Joe Judge that he would not be retained.

“Steve (Tisch) and I both believe it is in the best interest of our franchise to move in another direction,” said team president John Mara. “We met with Joe yesterday afternoon to discuss the state of the team. I met again with Joe this afternoon, and it was during that conversation I informed Joe of our decision. We appreciate Joe’s efforts on behalf of the organization.

“I said before the season started that I wanted to feel good about the direction we were headed when we played our last game of the season. Unfortunately, I cannot make that statement, which is why we have made this decision.

“We will hire a general manager and that person will lead the effort to hire a new head coach.”

In two seasons with the Giants, Judge compiled a 10-23 record. His 4-13 finish in 2021 was among the worst in franchise history — the 13 losses the most ever by a Giants head coach.

Judge appeared to have some staying power as recently as a month ago, but the team’s final four games and his post-Chicago press conference meltdown ultimately sealed his fate.

The Giants will begin their head coaching search immediately after a new general manager is hired.

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