Tag: John Mara

Giants’ Thomas McGaughey: It’s harder to build in New York

Giants special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey believes that building success in New York is simply more difficult than it is elsewhere.

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As the New York Giants’ 2021 season comes to a close this week, there’s been a ton of speculation what course of action ownership decides to take after another double-digit loss campaign.

Co-owner John Mara has been patient to a degree, but can’t possibly justify bringing beleaguered general manager Dave Gettleman back after an embarrassing four years which saw the team go from bad to worse. It’s hard to argue that the Giants are not the worst team in the NFL at the moment.

The decision to retain head coach Joe Judge, once thought to be a cinch to return in 2022, is not looking so promising after his 11-minute desperation rant following the 29-3 crushing at the hands of a marginal Bears team last week. That means his massive 21-man coaching staff is on notice as well.

Special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey spoke to the media pool on Thursday and explained they know they haven’t gotten it done, but it isn’t easy to rebuild here in New York.

“The best case is building on the things that we’ve done. I know sometimes it’s always easy to second guess and critique and say, ‘Oh, they don’t do this.’ You don’t see a lot of stuff that’s going on behind the scenes. There are some good things that are happening, and we’ve just got to keep building and stay to the process,” McGaughey said.

“A lot of times when you’re building on swamp ground, you’ve got to go 10 times deeper before you start going up. We’re all on swamp ground if you haven’t figured it out and it’s a little harder here. It’s not Cleveland. It’s not other places. It’s New York City and it’s harder to build here because you’ve got a lot of things that you’re working against. It’s hard. You come get your head beat in. You’re going to get your teeth kicked in. You’re going to get booed in the stadium. If you’re not strong mentally, you’re not going to be able to make it here. That’s the reason why they say, if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere. It is hard here and you’ve just got to stay the course, keep pounding, keep grinding and eventually you’ll get to where you want to be, right? Because you’ll have some success and it’ll happen here.

“When we’ve seen this city flip, we already know what it is. We’ve seen one week, ‘Eli (Manning) sucks.’ We’ve seen that, right? Now, his freaking name’s up in the rafters after two Super Bowls. We’ve seen it here. We know what it is. The guys that have been here, we understand it and we know exactly what it is. Again, you’ve just got to keep your head down, keep working, keep grinding and eventually get to where you want.”

That’s a detailed explanation of what we already know. What we really need to know is why this team has failed and continues to fail. No one has any answers to that question.

The team has not taken the correct course of action thus far. Mara hired Gettleman, who by many experts’ estimation was no longer a top talent evaluator and was run out of Carolina for a reason.

Gettleman then went against the grain and drafted players either way too early, way too late or not at all. His free agent signings have been hit or miss and the team’s penchant for bringing in players coning off serious injury hoping to catch lightning in a bottle is getting tiresome.

The real culprit, however, has been injuries. The Giants have been at the top of the league the past decade in this infamous category and the team has taken very little corrective action in this area. It is no longer a coincidence. It’s sheer incompetence at this point.

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Giants fall to Bears: Winners, losers and those in between

Here are the winners, losers and those in between from the New York Giants’ Week 17 loss to the Chicago Bears.

It’s difficult to find any silver linings in this lost New York Giants season, but we’ll try. The Giants’ offense just be the worst I’ve seen in my 56 years of following this franchise.

Here are some winners, losers and some in-betweens from the Week 17 loss to the Bears in Chicago.

Current, former Giants react to passing of Dan Reeves

Current and former members of the New York Giants react to the passing of Dan Reeves with condolences and many positive memories.

The NFL world received tragic news on Saturday with word that legendary head coach Dan Reeves had passed away at the age of 77.

Reeves was hired by the New York Giants prior to the 1993 season and led the team to an 11-5 record, which remains the best-ever record for a first-year head coach in franchise history. It also won him the AP Coach of the Year Award.

In 1994, Reeve’s Giants finished at 9-7. They continued to slide in 1995 and 1996, finishing with records of 5-11 and 6-10, respectively.

Here is how current and former Giants reacted to the news and paid tribute to Reeves.

Report: ‘No chance’ Giants fire Joe Judge, who John Mara ‘loves’

New York Giants coach Joe Judge is confident in his job security and that appears justified as reports say there’s “no chance” he’s fired.

Despite compiling a 10-19 record over this first two seasons (so far), New York Giants head coach Joe Judge doesn’t appear to be going anywhere.

Judge expressed a confidence in his long-term job security on Monday, telling reporters that he’d never have accepted the position if the Giants weren’t willing to commit to him long-term.

“I’ve said this from the beginning, I’m not interested in coming and having some kind of quick flash, I’m not interested in shortcuts, I’m not interested in quick fixes. I want to do this the right way and when I took this job, I made it very, very clear that I was only going to do this if we were all committed to doing this the right way and that’s been something that’s been very clear from ownership on down,” Judge said.

“I’m very happy with the support the ownership gives. Both families are tremendous people to work for and I know that this team is very, very important to them. To be honest with you, it’s their family business and football’s my family business, too. I take a lot of pride in what we do and the product is important to me not only in just the wins and losses, which ultimately in this business is the most important part, but it’s also how you do it and how you prepare and how you conduct yourself throughout the course of the week, how your team represents you on and off the field and how the players reflect what you’re trying to represent within that community and the city you represent.”

As it turns out, Judge’s confidence appears validated.

Ralph Vacchiano of SNY reports that Giants ownership is extremely confident in Judge and have committed to him long-term. They believe he is their Bill Belichick or Bill Parcells.

Interestingly, they avoided comparing Judge to Tom Coughlin.

Judge is widely expected to be brought back for his third season with the Giants, despite an immensely disappointing season and a dismal 10-19 record as a head coach overall. Though nothing is final until Mara and Steve Tisch say it is, multiple team and league sources said the belief is Judge’s job is safe – and that’s even if, as expected, ownership nudges GM Dave Gettleman into retirement at the end of the year.

“A few weeks ago I would’ve told you no chance he gets fired,” said one NFL source. “Now? Even after (the Giants’ 37-21 loss to the Chargers on Sunday), I’d probably still say ‘No chance.’ (Mara) loves Judge. He thinks he’s found his (Bill) Belichick or (Bill) Parcells. And there’s just no way he gives up on another coach this soon.”

Since Coughlin left after the 2015 season, the Giants have fired two head coaches in Ben McAdoo and Pat Shurmur, and Mara doesn’t appear ready to unload a third.

This news will not be something fans will agree with, as most have been calling for Judge’s dismissal for the better part of the season.

Unless something drastic changes between now and the end of the season, it appears that Judge will get a third year as the Giants head coach and another chance to try and fix the team.

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Giants lose to Chargers, 37-21: Instant analysis

Analyzing the New York Giants’ 37-21 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium in Week 14.

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It was another tough test for the undermanned New York Giants on Sunday as they faced off against the Chargers in Los Angeles. A really tough test.

The Giants were without starting quarterback Daniel Jones (neck) again but were saved the indignity of starting the very green Jake Fromm when Mike Glennon cleared the concussion protocol on Friday.

It didn’t really matter. The Giants did not put up much of a fight. They can’t score on offense and now they can’t seem to stop the opposition from scoring.

That’s a bad combination in any sport.

The Chargers dominated the first half, holding the football for over 18 minutes and gaining 18 first downs to the Giants’ six. Los Angeles put up 289 yards of offense buoyed by the passing of second-year phenom Justin Herbert, who threw for 204 yards and two scores, the second one coming on a 59-yard strike to Jalen Guyton with 23 seconds remaining.

The Giants have now been outscored 59-0 in the final two minutes of halves this season.

The second half was unwatchable. Nothing the Giants did seemed to work from fake punts to gadget plays. Meanwhile the Chargers, who are in the playoff hunt, appeared as if they didn’t want to get anyone injured since the game was over early, just like this season has been for the Giants.

The final was 37-21, but the Chargers had taken their foot off the gas at 37-7, as stated, allowing the Giants two late touchdown drives.

At 4-9, they sealed another losing season — their fifth straight and eighth in the last nine years. One more loss and they will have their fifth consecutive double-digit loss season making this era of Giants football the worst stretch in franchise history.

Both owners, John Mara and Steve Tisch, watched from the press level. Neither could be pleased with this garbage performance by their team. One has to wonder what they’ll be doing to rectify the situation come the end of the season.

Notes

  • Eli Penny’s three-yard touchdowns reception was the first one scored by a Giants’ running back or receiver in the first quarter of a game since Week 7 against Carolina.
  • The Giants got stiffed in the second quarter when they stuffed Herbert on a QB sneak on fourth and one at the five. The Chargers were called for a false start on the play, so they got an opportunity to kick a 27-yard field goal to extend their lead to 17-7.
  • Defensive lineman Leonard Williams left the game in the second quarter with an elbow injury.
  • Tight end Kyle Rudolph had a 60-yard catch and run in the first quarter. It was the longest reception of his 11-year NFL career.

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Michael Strahan urges Giants fans to remain patient: ‘We’ll be back’

During his jersey retirement on Sunday, Michael Strahan urged New York Giants fans to remain patient, promising the team will be back.

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At halftime of Sunday’s 13-7 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, the New York Giants retired the jersey of Hall of Fame defensive end Michael Strahan.

It was a long time coming.

As Strahan thanked his former teammates and the Giants organization, fans once again booed when the names John Mara and Steve Tisch were mentioned. Rather than ignore it as Eli Manning had done before him, Strahan took the opportunity to remind Giants fans just how good they’ve had it.

“I’ve got to say this: Every team has their ups and downs,” Strahan said to the crowd. “But the New York Giants have won Super Bowls. There are teams that never have. Appreciate what you got. We will be back! We will be up again! I guarantee you that!”

Leave it to Strahan to bring his leadership back to the table 14 years after he last stepped onto the field.

“To be here today does not mean my journey is over,” Strahan said. “It just means my journey in a uniform is complete. I want to thank you for taking a 15-year journey. I love you, New York Giants fans.”

Strahan also took the opportunity to poke a little fun at his former head coach, Tom Coughlin. Although he credited Coughlin with making him a better player and man, Strahan couldn’t help but to poke fun at Coughlin’s five-minute rule one final time.

“I want to thank all my teammates because I stand up here, but I stand on your shoulders,” Strahan said. “You guys made me better as a player, you made me better as a leader, you made me better as a man. Coach Coughlin, I can’t thank you enough. Completely changed my life. I almost came out here five minutes late just to [expletive] him off.”

In fitting fashion, Strahan ended his ceremony with one last, “we will stomp you out!” And the Giants defense did just that in his honor, limiting the Eagles to only seven points while forcing four turnovers.

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Are Giants looking to move on from GM Dave Gettleman?

Rumors are beginning to swirl that the New York Giants are quietly looking at possible general managers to replace Dave Gettleman.

New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman is firmly on the hot seat even if team co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch won’t say so publicly.

In fact, you can tell Gettleman’s status with the Giants is flimsy at best based on what Mara and Tisch don’t and won’t say.

Early last week, Mara hitched his wagon to head coach Joe Judge with unwavering conviction. When presented the opportunity to do the same with Gettleman, Mara apparently balked.

And that’s not all.

ESPN’s Jordan Raanan reports that there’s a strong belief around the league that the Giants are “quietly looking at general manager possibilities.”

Executives around the league are under the impression the Giants are quietly looking at general manager possibilities, according to multiple sources.

Another ominous sign: The Giants and owner John Mara declined an opportunity to provide a public vote of confidence for Gettleman this week after doing so for head coach Joe Judge with a New York Post reporter several days earlier.

More coming…

Remarkably, Giants found one last way to fail Eli Manning

The Giants failed Eli Manning toward the end of his career and although fans cheered him on Sunday, the team let him down one last time.

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It was supposed to be Eli Manning’s day on Sunday. The New York Giants were to induct him into the Ring of Honor and retire his No. 10 jersey in front of a packed house and a bus-load of his former teammates.

Only, MetLife Stadium wasn’t packed. The Giants were in a rush to sell tickets leading up to kickoff, but fell short.

That’s not an indictment of Manning but rather, the current state of the team.

No matter. The Giants could surely beat the lowly Atlanta Falcons, right? There would be no logical reason for the fans who did show up to be upset when Manning took the podium at halftime, right?

Well…that’s not how the cookie crumbled.

The Giants trailed at halftime and the fans had reached their boiling point early. They booed the players as they headed into the locker room and they continued to boo — loudly — when co-owner John Mara took the podium at the start of Manning’s ceremony.

What did Mara say? The fans were booing so loudly it was hard to tell.

The frustration had boiled over and it took the spotlight away from Manning. A moment that was supposed to be about him became a statement about the current Giants product.

It wasn’t the fault of the fans. And it wasn’t meant as disrespect to Eli. It was just another in a long line of unfortunate happenstances that resulted in a dark cloud hanging over Manning’s head.

“I don’t think that’s fair to Mr. Mara. I think he’s done a great job. He’s a great owner. We just have to keep doing better as a team,” running back Saquon Barkley said of the fans booing Mara after the game.

How about how unfair it was to Manning?

“Obviously Eli did an amazing job here and has done some great things for this organization. It would definitely have meant a little bit more to go out there and get a win for him, but we didn’t do that,” Barkley added.

The Giants hadn’t won for Eli in a long time. In fact, Mara recently admitted that one of his biggest regrets was wasting Manning’s final years with the team.

“I wish we had gotten Eli a little more help towards the end of his career on the offensive line. I probably was a little too impatient with Ben McAdoo,” Mara told Steve Serby of the New York Post. “I think we could have made some better personnel decisions around that time. A number of them didn’t work out, and I think that really hurt us. I think not getting Eli a little more help on the offensive line and maybe at some skill positions probably is one of the bigger regrets.”

It figures they would let Manning down one final time. It’s why he retired in the first place.

“The losses hurt more. They affect your sleep. They affect your week. It affects family life with my wife and kids and it just got too much. I like watching the games and I root for the Giants and I feel for them after a loss. But you know what, I go to bed very easily on Sunday nights and wake up and feel good about the upcoming week, and it’s not something that lingers for three or four days like it used to,” Manning told reporters last week.

But Manning won’t gripe. He won’t say a word. That’s wasn’t his style when he played and that’s not his style now. He’ll smile and see the bright side of things because that’s just who he is.

In the end, that’s just Manning covering for a team that wronged him so much. Literally up until the moment they retired his jersey.

Manning gave the Giants everything and he deserved better. He still deserves better. But at least the fans cheered him — the only time they’ve cheered at all this season.

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Saquon Barkley on Giants fans booing John Mara: ‘It’s not fair’

New York Giants RB Saquon Barkley is another player who took issue with fans booing, claiming co-owner John Mara didn’t deserve it.

New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones didn’t appreciate fans booing tight end Evan Engram following his fumble, and expressed that after the game.

But Engram wasn’t the only one booed on Sunday.

During Eli Manning’s jersey retirement ceremony at halftime, Giants co-owner John Mara stepped up to the podium to honor the two-time Super Bowl MVP. Whatever he said could barely be heard as nearly 80,000 reigned boos down upon him.

And it didn’t cease. Not until Manning himself stepped up did the fans stop letting their feelings be known.

Giants running back Saquon Barkley didn’t appreciate that. He feels the anger is misdirected and that Mara didn’t deserve what he got.

“I don’t think that’s fair to Mr. Mara. I think he’s done a great job. He’s a great owner. We just have to keep doing better as a team,” Barkley told reporters after the game.

Mara took it in stride, however.

“I would boo, too. We’re 0-2 and down at half,” Mara said as the second half got underway.

These won’t be the last boos Mara hears. Fans have completely run out of patience with his ownership, the team and the players. They’re tired of wasting their time, energy and money on this franchise and they’re letting that be known.

It’s back to “The Wilderness Years” for this team and it’s only a matter of time before we seen planes flying over MetLife Stadium calling for the heads of those in charge.

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Giants fall to Falcons: Winners, losers and those in between

Here are the winners, losers and those in between from the New York Giants’ Week 3 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

The New York Giants fell to 0-3 on the season with a humiliating, 17-14, loss to the Atlanta Falcons as time expired. It was their second such loss in as many weeks.

Looking at the numbers, it’s almost unbelievable that the Giants found a way to lose the game but that’s what bad teams do. It’s also what the Giants do best these days.

Here’s a look at the winners and losers (and those in between) from the Week 3 loss.