Tag: John Mara

Giants determined to surround Daniel Jones with quality playmakers

The New York Giants will stick with QB Daniel Jones in 2021 and potentially beyond, so the focus now shifts to finding him some playmakers.

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The New York Giants finished the 2020 regular season 6-10 and just missed taking home the NFC East crown, but a stagnant offense ultimately prevented them from finding more success.

Many have been quick to blame quarterback Daniel Jones, but the advanced analytics suggest he made some significant strides this past season. He also has the faith of his owner, John Mara, and general manager, Dave Gettleman.

“Our coaches, all of them, are very high on Daniel, and I feel the same way. I think he has what it takes to lead us to where we want to go,” Mara told reporters on Wednesday.

“You guys are going to call me doubling down, I’m very happy with what we’ve done with Daniel,” Gettleman added. “I’m not even going to blink.”

Although the Giants are committed to Jones long-term and believe in his ability as a franchise quarterback, the 2020 season made both realize that some offensive playmakers are necessary.

Losing Saquon Barkley was obviously a significant blow, but the Giants need help beyond their explosive running back.

“You can never have too many good players. Bottom line. That’s a stock answer that every GM is going to tell you. At the end of the day, we need to find playmakers. That’s all there is to it,” Gettleman said. “I’m not sugar coating it. If you talk about philosophically doing roster building, it’s the Q (quarterback), it’s the big men allow you to compete. On offense, it’s play makers. We have to be very conscious of it. We’re going to find the right guys to help Daniel get us over that hump.”

Specifically, the Giants need some game-changing wide receivers and some more consistency at the tight end position.

They seemed poised to stick with tight end Evan Engram, who will enter the final year of his rookie contract next season, and then will have multiple options in free agency and the NFL draft to pick up some outside talent.

Names like Corey Davis, Allen Robinson, Will Fuller, Kenny Golladay and Chris Godwin are bound to pop up come March, while DeVonta Smith, Ja’Marr Chase and Jaylen Waddle could be targets in April.

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John Mara, Dave Gettleman not satisfied with Giants’ recent mediocrity

Although they believe the arrow is pointing up, John Mara and Dave Gettleman are not satisfied with the New York Giants’ recent mediocrity.

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New York Giants co-owner John Mara and general manager Dave Gettleman are certainly optimistic about the team’s future, but they are far from satisfied with the product that’s been put on the field in recent years.

“It’s disappointing. It’s disappointing not just for me personally, but I’m disappointed for the organization. I’m disappointed for the players and the fans. Sure, it’s disappointing. Listen, last time I double checked, it’s about winning. I’m very disappointed,” Gettleman said honestly.

Despite his faith that the franchise is finally headed in the right direction, Gettleman understands that the clock is ticking. All the wiggle room is gone and it’s now or never to get things right.

“Obviously, [the wins] have to come soon. The idea is to win,” Gettleman said.

Mara, who asked the fans for more patience, didn’t exactly sound patient himself. Like Gettleman, he believes the arrow is point up but acknowledges they need victories and not arrows.

“Hopefully not too much longer because I can’t wait too much longer quite frankly. I’m tired of sitting up here at the end of the year trying to explain what went wrong and why I feel optimistic about the future. I want to do it after a winning season,” a clearly frustrated Mara said.

“There’s no defending the record. There’s no defending that at all. We haven’t won enough games.”

Neither Gettleman nor Mara tried to sweep their recent failures under the rug. They owned their part in the team’s futility over the past three years and, in particular, accepted blame for a terrible approach in 2018 that set the team back at least an additional season.

“We made some miscalculations in 2018, and I think we, to a certain extent, paid for that this year by not having some of those players available. No question about it,” Mara said.

“As I’ve already admitted, ‘18 was not a stellar year, personnel-wise. We’ve learned from our mistakes,” Gettleman added.

At the end of the day, those in charge with the Giants are not at all satisfied or content with the previous three years. And they know asking for more patience is a tall order, but they also genuinely believe they are the doorstep to prolonged success.

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John Mara, Dave Gettleman not satisfied with Giants’ recent mediocrity

Although they believe the arrow is pointing up, John Mara and Dave Gettleman are not satisfied with the New York Giants’ recent mediocrity.

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New York Giants co-owner John Mara and general manager Dave Gettleman are certainly optimistic about the team’s future, but they are far from satisfied with the product that’s been put on the field in recent years.

“It’s disappointing. It’s disappointing not just for me personally, but I’m disappointed for the organization. I’m disappointed for the players and the fans. Sure, it’s disappointing. Listen, last time I double checked, it’s about winning. I’m very disappointed,” Gettleman said honestly.

Despite his faith that the franchise is finally headed in the right direction, Gettleman understands that the clock is ticking. All the wiggle room is gone and it’s now or never to get things right.

“Obviously, [the wins] have to come soon. The idea is to win,” Gettleman said.

Mara, who asked the fans for more patience, didn’t exactly sound patient himself. Like Gettleman, he believes the arrow is point up but acknowledges they need victories and not arrows.

“Hopefully not too much longer because I can’t wait too much longer quite frankly. I’m tired of sitting up here at the end of the year trying to explain what went wrong and why I feel optimistic about the future. I want to do it after a winning season,” a clearly frustrated Mara said.

“There’s no defending the record. There’s no defending that at all. We haven’t won enough games.”

Neither Gettleman nor Mara tried to sweep their recent failures under the rug. They owned their part in the team’s futility over the past three years and, in particular, accepted blame for a terrible approach in 2018 that set the team back at least an additional season.

“We made some miscalculations in 2018, and I think we, to a certain extent, paid for that this year by not having some of those players available. No question about it,” Mara said.

“As I’ve already admitted, ‘18 was not a stellar year, personnel-wise. We’ve learned from our mistakes,” Gettleman added.

At the end of the day, those in charge with the Giants are not at all satisfied or content with the previous three years. And they know asking for more patience is a tall order, but they also genuinely believe they are the doorstep to prolonged success.

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Giants’ Dave Gettleman holds year-end press conference: 10 takeaways

New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman held his year-end press conference on Wednesday and here are 10 takeaways.

New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman took the podium on Wednesday morning for his year-end press conference, which came on the heels of co-owner John Mara formally announcing the GM’s return.

Mara indicated that no real consideration had been given to replacing Gettleman, which could be felt when the GM stepped up to the plate. He sounded like a man who was still very much in control.

Here are a few takeaways from Gettleman’s final presser of the season.

Giants’ John Mara holds year-end press conference: 6 takeaways

New York Giants co-owner John Mara held his year-end press conference on Wednesday and here are six quick takeaways.

New York Giants CEO John Mara held his year-end media session with the Giants’ beat writers on Wednesday morning. The Giants finished the season 6-10 in second place in the NFC East.

The 6-10 finish was the Giants’ best in the three-year tenure of general manager Dave Gettleman but was the team’s fourth consecutive double-digit loss season, the most in the franchise’s 96-year history.

Giants expected to retain GM Dave Gettleman

The New York Giants have reportedly decided to keep Dave Gettleman in place as their general manager.

The New York Giants have decided to keep Dave Gettleman in place as their general manager for a fourth season, reports The New York Post.

The Post reports substantiated several other reports that have suggested the same.

After another losing season, which dropped the Giants’ record to an abysmal 15-33 during Gettleman’s tenure, there were rumors that Giants brass was thinking of letting him go or re-assigning him to an advisory role within the organization.

However, ownership believes the team showed enough progress in Gettleman’s third-year and are headed in the right direction.

While Gettleman received well-deserved heat for hiring previous failed head coach in Pat Shurmur, he also played a large role in the hiring of head coach Joe Judge, who showed promise as a leader in his rookie year.

Personnel wise, the Giants’ roster still has a lot of holes to fill, but the signings of James Bradberry, Blake Martinez, Logan Ryan and Graham Gano were home run additions.

Gettleman’s investment in Leonard Williams also paid dividends as Williams had a career season with 11.5 sacks, 57 tackles, 14 tackles for a loss, and 30 quarterback hits.

Despite constant displeasure from their fan base regarding Gettleman’s time as GM, Giants ownership felt they had seen enough in 2020 to keep the current regime in place.

Although the team went 6-10, they were in contention for the NFC East until the final evening of the regular season due to poor competition within the division.

And while ownership said they wanted to be playing meaningful games in December, being a product of a poor divisional race likely did not play a factor in bringing Gettleman back. This decision came from the improvement of the team as the season progressed and the culture that the coaching staff built on the field and in the locker room.

Judge also publicly thumped for Gettleman, telling reporters recently that he’s thoroughly enjoyed working with the GM.

“I’ve enjoyed working with Dave the entire year,” said Judge. “We’ve done a lot of good things together. I really enjoyed the process of free agency and the draft. Obviously, we went through training camp, and there was a lot of logistical work we had to do in this particular spring and summer in terms of getting the setups ready for when the team came back.

“I think everyone is doing a good job right now in terms of understanding where we want to go and pushing in the right direction. There’s been some great coordination and communication with Dave [Gettleman] and everyone in personnel in terms of the kinds of players that fit into our systems.”

Co-owner John Mara and Gettleman will speak to the media on either Tuesday or Wednesday to discuss the decision. Gettleman will turn 70-years-old in February.

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Report: ‘No indication’ Giants will fire GM Dave Gettleman

New York Giants GM Dave Gettleman appears safe with multiple reports suggesting no changes are imminent in the near future.

Black Monday, staying true to its name, is generally a dark day in the NFL. Here in 2021, it’s been no different with multiple head coaches being handed a pink slip and major changes getting underway for several franchises.

Surprising to some however, things have been remarkably quiet in East Rutherford. And by all accounts, it’s going to remain that way.

Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports that there is “no indication” the New York Giants intend to make a change at general manager, meaning Dave Gettleman is safe for at least one more season.

Garafolo’s report was substantiated by Ralph Vacchiano of SNY, who also reports that Gettleman is expected to remain in place.

Though nothing has been publicly made official, and likely won’t be until Mara has his season-ending press conference in the coming days, all indications are the Giants will be bringing Gettleman back for at least one more season as the team’s general manager. There has been no indication that a change is coming, according to multiple team sources, and several people who know Gettleman believe the 69-year-old is not planning to retire on his own.

The Giants also intend to make Gettleman, who was actively scouting for the team during the college football season and who signed several players to reserve/futures deals on Monday, available to the media later this week.

More often than not, general managers headed out the door aren’t spared on Black Monday and then made available to reporters later in the week. They also aren’t usually afforded the opportunity to hand out contracts and scout for the NFL Draft.

Barring something completely unforeseen, it would appear as if co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch have decided to stick with Gettleman for at least one more year, giving him the opportunity to “finish what he started.”

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Giants look to regroup after deflating loss to Cardinals

The New York Giants will look to rebound and potentially save their season over a brutal three-game stretch.

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The New York Giants are finally playing meaningful games in December, something CEO John Mara has longed for since the team last appeared in the playoffs after the 2016 season.

But after a surging start to the month, they’re suddenly back facing irrelevancy as the ides of December descend upon them. Their loss to the Arizona Cardinals last Sunday exposed them for possible frauds in a game where they were outclassed from top to bottom and back to front. They fell out of first place in the NFC East with three games remaining.

Those three games will be against Cleveland this Sunday night followed by a trip to Baltimore before wrapping up the season at home against Dallas.

At 5-8, they can still win the division but will have to outdistance the Washington Football Team, who are a surprising 6-7 and one game ahead of the Giants in the East. The Giants will have to play a heckuva lot better than they did last week if they have any designs on the postseason.

The Giants have the tiebreaker over the WFT since they defeated them twice, so ideally, they only have to tie them for the division to win it. That is, if Philadelphia (4-8-1) and Dallas (4-9) don’t get hot and rip off a few wins to muck things up.

This week, they play the 9-4 Browns, who just lost a shootout to the Ravens, 47-42, at home in the last minute on Monday night. They’ve scored over 40 to weeks in a row and come to Jersey to face a Giants team that is second to last in the NFL in scoring, averaging only 18.3 points per game.

The trip to Baltimore has loss all over it. The Ravens have quarterback Lamar Jackson back after a bout with COVID-19. After losing three straight, Jackson has led the Ravens to two consecutive victories, scoring 34 and 47 points in those wins.

Dallas is healthy again and looking very competitive. The Cowboys defeated the Cincinnati Bengals last week but have the struggling San Francisco 49ers this week followed by Philadelphia in Week 16. They could come into MetLife in Week 17 very much alive in the division.

The Giants’ offense has to pick things up if they plan on keeping pace. Their defense has been playing lights out, with the exception of last week, but to be fair they were leaned on too heavily.

The offense relies heavily on quarterback Daniel Jones’ ability to extend plays and make yardage with his legs. Last week, Jones’ hamstring kept him in the pocket where he was completely ineffective. The Giants gained just 159 total yards in the game, their lowest output in seven years.

Head coach Joe Judge is still very much dedicated to Jones, who hobbled off the field in the fourth quarter and replaced by backup Colt McCoy.

“If Daniel is healthy to play and he looked the way he did in practice last week, I’d have no hesitation of playing Daniel at all,” Judge told reporters on Monday. “We made a calculation. We have a lot of confidence in Colt (McCoy). This has nothing to do with Colt. But there’s also a commitment we’ve made to Daniel as our quarterback and how we’re running this offense.

“We have confidence in all of our players. But if he’s healthy enough to go out there and protect himself, and we don’t feel he’s putting himself in greater danger to be injured worse, and he’s going to give the team a competitive advantage of going out there, then we’re going to play him. We have no hesitation.

“Just because we’re going to play Daniel doesn’t mean at any time that we’re not going to have a plan to put Colt in for a certain package or situation in the game, or we’re not going to have a plan for any other player on the roster to at some point be used in a certain situation or circumstance to give us an advantage.

“Look, all options are always on the table in terms of what we’re going to do by game plan. But to answer your question directly and simply, yeah, if Daniel is healthy enough to go out there, and we think he’s not in greater danger to be damaged or hurt, then we’ll play him.”

The season hinges on Jones being able to produce. If he can’t, these meaningful games will just three more meaningless December and January games in what is becoming a long list of them for Mara’s franchise.

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Even during World War II, Wellington Mara worried about the Giants

Even during his time in World War II, which featured an encounter with a kamikaze, Wellington Mara remained concerned about the Giants.

New York Giants fans know how much the late Wellington Mara loved his team. His father, Tim, founded the club in 1925 when Wellington was just nine years old. His first job with the Giants was a ball boy. Eventually, he would become the team’s iconic owner and a major force in the pantheon of the NFL power structure.

Mara’s Giants career was interrupted during World War II when he served as a naval officer aboard the USS Randolph in the South Pacific. Recently, one of Mara’s daughters discovered a trove of letters that Mara wrote during his time in the U.S. Navy from 1941-45.

Mara’s children, including his oldest, John, the Giants’ current CEO, had no prior knowledge of the letters outlining their father’s experience which included bouts of homesickness, loneliness and even a kamikaze attack on the ship. Mara never spoke of these things during his 89 years on this earth and the revelations of his ordeal are just now hitting home with his family.

“He talked a little about friends he had made, and some of the places he had been, but he never talked about any of the battles,” John Mara said, via NFL.com. “Reading this one letter, and the kamikaze plane hit their ship — it’s mind-boggling for me, because he never mentioned that. Just the constant fear of being in danger; think about that. Having to live like that every day. I would have loved to have had conversations with him about some of these things. I wish I had. That’s a big regret of mine, thinking I should have asked about it.”

“Ships get hit sometimes and people get hurt but the percentage is pretty small,” Wellington wrote in a letter from March 1945 to his parents, shortly after his ship was victimized by a deadly kamikaze plane. “Being on a carrier with this gang is something like playing quarterback for the Bears used to be. If anyone or anything ever does get through to take a shot at you, he is beaten, bruised and bloody.”

Many of Mara’s letters to his brother Jack contained concerns about the Giants and the NFL, which like many things in the world at that time, was struggling to survive.

As we know, it did — and he did — and the rest is history. When Mara learned the war was won and he was coming home, he equated the feeling to that of one he experienced with the Giants.

“The nearest thing I felt to this was when I heard the team came from behind to tie Philadelphia last year and when [halfback Bill] Paschal made that last minute run against Washington two years ago,” Mara wrote. “Home alive in ’45…Hoping this finds all OK and the team shaping up.”

Ex-Giants kicker Aldrick Rosas gets probation for hit-and-run

Former New York Giants kicker Aldrick Rosas has received three years probation for a June hit-and-run.

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Former New York Giants kicker Aldrick Rosas has received three years probation stemming for a June hit-and-run under a pre-trial agreement that was reached on Wednesday in Butte County Superior Court in California.

The New York Post reports that Rosas “pled no contest to reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident and driving without a valid license.”

Rosas, 25, was ordered to pay fines and court fees, obey all laws and avoid alcohol if driving. He faced a maximum of 270 days in jail on those charges, but the judge imposed a “stayed” sentence of 30 days, according to [attorney Michael] Erpino. So, Rosas avoided jail time unless he violates probation.

The Giants released Rosas, a former Pro Bowler, in July just ahead of the start to training camp.

“We knew he had an issue with a previous DUI before, but he seemed to be doing well. He had a Pro Bowl year a couple years ago and is just a good person. It was very disappointing to see that happen,” Giants co-owner John Mara said in August.

General manager Dave Gettleman shared similar sentiments.

Although Rosas’ legal issues are now wrapped up, he could still face discipline from the league.

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