Tag: John Mara

John Mara expected to address media at NFL annual league meeting

New York Giants CEO John Mara is expected to address the media this week.

The NFL will hold its annual meeting this week down in Orlando and New York Giants CEO John Mara is expected to formally field questions from the media for the first time in nearly a year.

Mara, once accused of being too “hands-on” and influential over the team’s direction, has basically stepped back since hiring Joe Schoen as general manager back in 2022.

NJ.com’s Darryl Slater recently wrote a piece about what subjects Mara might be probed about. They appear to range from his patience level with the current management team and coaching staff to the draft to his perception of how close the team is to contending after a 6-11 showing last season.

“The Giants last reached (and won) the Super Bowl after the 2011 season,” writes Slater. “In 12 seasons since, they have reached the playoffs twice — a one-and-done trip in 2016 and the 1-1 divisional round trip in 2022. Mara isn’t getting any younger (and probably isn’t getting any more patient). He turns 70 in December. Since that most recent Super Bowl title, the Giants have endured records of 9-7, 7-9, 6-10, 6-10, 11-5, 3-13, 5-11, 4-12, 6-10, 4-13, 9-7-1, and 6-11.

Their fans are fed up. Is Mara?”

That is a good point to ponder. Mara’s father, Wellington, viewed the fans as “customers” and even went through the fan mail personally, addressing and answering each letter and concern.

His son appears to be just as caring but the pro sports paradigm has changed vastly since those days. There is a formula for winning in the NFL now that allows the “meek” to “inherit the earth” so to speak. No team should have more than three consecutive losing seasons if they follow the formula.

The Giants veered away from that in the latter days of Jerry Reese’s stewardship and it continued through the archaic, old-school tenure of Dave Gettleman.

With Schoen still putting his stamp on the team, Mara has little choice but to sit back and see how things unfold. The Giants have a chance to draft a new quarterback and move on from Daniel Jones, of whom Mara was a chief proponent.

We’ll find out just how much faith he has in Schoen this week. Schoen’s performance in free agency has far onshore his record in the draft. He may have to outperform this year to gain Mara’s full support again.

[lawrence-related id=725469,725466,725440]

Louis Riddick roasts Giants for organizational failures, handling of Daniel Jones

Ex-NFL executive Louis Riddick lit into the New York Giants for their long-standing organizational failures and handling of QB Daniel Jones.

“We’ve done everything possible to screw this kid up since he’s been here. We keep changing coaches, keep changing offensive coordinators, keep changing offensive line coaches. I take a lot of responsibility for that.”

Those were the words of New York Giants co-owner John Mara in January of 2022. He was publicly acknowledging that the organization had failed quarterback Daniel Jones and not the other way around.

Mara had previously shared similar sentiments about two-time Super Bowl champion Eli Manning, admitting that the franchise lost its way and essentially wasted the final years of his historic career.

Nearly three years removed from his comments on Manning and more than one year removed from his comments on Jones, nothing has changed for Mara’s Giants.

The franchise is still mired in staff turnover, injury, and inconsistency. They have one of the NFL’s worst win-loss records over the past decade and every issue that plagued them then continues to plague them now.

Entering the 2024 offseason, the Giants may or may not be ready to pull the plug on Jones just six games after signing him to a four-year, $160 million deal. Their general manager and head coach are firmly on the hot seat, and the past several months have been highlighted by circus-like dysfunction.

Louis Riddick, who once vied for the general manager job, has seen enough from these Giants. And although he is no fan of Jones, Riddick believes, as Mara once did, that the organization has failed their former first-round pick.

“Isn’t that amazing, how stuff can turn on its head? And you wonder why the Giants haven’t been able to make some headway in the (NFC) East and be true contenders? Because when you have this kind of thing that is happening within one calendar year, there’s no way you can make headway. There’s just no way,” Riddick said on Get Up.

“I just think it’s unfortunate. Look, I’ve never been a big, big supporter of Daniel Jones. I’ve always had my issues. But when you have this kind of flip-flopping and (these) kind of 180 turns away from people and these kind of structural deficiencies, no wonder you can’t make up any ground. No wonder.”

The Giants’ issues go far deeper than the player under center. They have persisted through multiple GMs, multiple head coaches, multiple coordinators, and a revolving door of personnel. Until they can diagnose the core cause for these failures, they will continue to waste the careers of their players.

[lawrence-related id=724703,724704,724698]

Giants are a GM-centric organization and ‘Joe Schoen is in charge’

New York Giants GM Joe Schoen reportedly has free reign and complete autonomy despite speculation about John Mara forcing his hand.

Did New York Giants co-owner John Mara force quarterback Daniel Jones on general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll?

That is a popular theory among fans who are dismayed with Jones and struggle to understand how he’s survived multiple GMs and coaches, but it may not be one steeped in reality.

Well, at least not entirely.

Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reports that despite Mara’s constant presence in the building, Schoen has been given near complete autonomy as the general manager. He makes the calls and is rarely, if ever, overruled.

“Joe Schoen is in charge,” one team source told Leonard. “It’s not like Rex Ryan and Mike Tannenbaum were with the Jets. No one questions who is in charge in the building. It’s a GM-centric organization. It’s not like Brian Daboll is Bill Belichick, where he’s drafting the players.”

Both Schoen and Daboll have endeared themselves to fans but after an underwhelming 2023 campaign and an ugly offseason of exodus, it’s fair to say they are on thin ice. Continued failure will almost certainly lead to change.

But the pair still have an opportunity to turn things around. And by all accounts, Schoen will have free reign to do exactly that — with Mara and Steve Tisch watching on closely.

“This is still John Mara’s team,” another team source said. “Never forget that. John Mara runs the Giants.”

To save his job, Schoen must fix the offensive line once and for all. He must also find a long-awaited solution to the team’s relentless injury issues.

Maybe a new quarterback is also in his future. Schoen appears to have whiffed after signing Jones to a four-year, $160 million deal that came one year after declining the quarterback’s fifth-year option.

Ultimately, the pressure is on and Schoen’s rope is slowly running out.

[lawrence-related id=724096,724092,724058]

Giants’ John Mara, Jets’ Woody Johnson regularly discuss installing grass field

Jets owner Woody Johnson says he and New York Giants co-owner John Mara regularly discuss installing a grass field at MetLife Stadium.

The world learned this week that the 2026 FIFA World Cup final will be played at MetLife Stadium and that grass will be installed to meet the requirements of a FIFA venue.

MetLife Stadium switched from UBU Speed S5-M to FieldTurf Core HD before the 2023 NFL season as a result of the rash of injuries incurred by players on the old surface over the 14 years since it opened in 2010.

Now they will have to switch to a natural surface, an idea that has been bandied about between the owners of the Giants and Jets for quite some time now.

Jets owner Woody Johnson told reporters covering the Super Bowl in Las Vegas this week that he and Giants owner John Mara discuss installing a grass field “at least once a week,” per NJ Advance Media.

Johnson added that grass could be a challenge, because the stadium hosts so many events — and because two NFL teams share the open-air venue until at least late December or early January, when the regular season ends. And everyone knows what New Jersey’s weather can be like then.

Grass is not optimal at MetLife, one of the most popular venues in North America because of both logistics and the expense.

As stated, the Northern New Jersey weather would literally put a damper on the effort, which is one of the reasons the teams opted for an artificial surface to begin with.

With two NFL teams playing on the surface — possibly on back-to-back days — and all of the other events that take place at the venue (soccer, college football, concerts, monster trucks, wrestling, etc.) it would be a severe challenge to care for a grass surface year-round.

A grass surface at MetLife full-time might end up being more unsafe than the current one they have in place.

[lawrence-related id=723895,723897,723889]

Follow the Giants Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts

Bill Belichick has warned coaches about Giants organization

Bill Belichick has a great affinity for the Giants but has reportedly warned people that their current power structure is troublesome.

Bill Belichick is a name that simply won’t go away when it comes to the New York Giants. At least not since he and the New England Patriots parted ways.

Fans have clamored for Belichick to return to the Giants, either as their head coach, a job currently held by Brian Daboll, or as their defensive coordinator.

Neither of those things is going to happen — not now and likely not in the future.

During the latest Breaking Big Blue podcast, ESPN’s Jordan Raanan revealed that Belichick’s view of the Giants has shifted over the years.

“I’ve heard this multiple times over the past five, six, seven years. And it’s a dirty little secret, maybe, about Bill Belichick and the Giants,” Raanan said. “I don’t think he looks at the Giants the same way he used to look at the Giants when he was here.”

Raanan notes that Belichick was a Wellington Mara guy, not a John Mara and Steve Tisch guy. And while he still reflects positively on his time with the Giants, Belichick has become wary of the current ownership and front office structure.

Specifically, Raanan notes, is the presence of John Mara’s nephew, Tim McDonnell, the team’s director of player personnel.

“Over the years, Bill Belichick has given advice to people . . . that he didn’t really like the setup of the Giants organization. Like, he didn’t think the Giants (were) this great organization,” Raanan said. “Bill Belichick, like everybody else watching from the outside (and) watching the way it’s set up, doesn’t think — at least this is what I’ve heard — it’s this great organization in its current iteration.

“That doesn’t mean Bill Belichick doesn’t love the Giants and appreciate everything they’ve done for him and have great memories.”

Because of the current power structure, Raanan doesn’t believe Belichick would want to come to the Giants at this point in his career. Even if he became desperate and the Giants came calling, it’s likely Belichick would request a major dynamic shift within the building at 1925 Giants Drive.

“He’s directly told that to people — be careful about the organization and their setup and the way it’s run. That’s happened,” Raanan said. “So, yes, Bill Belichick loves the New York Football Giants, the organization, and the memories he has from the past. It doesn’t mean he’s bats— crazy in love with the Giants organization right now.”

And there’s no reason to believe the Giants organization covets Belichick, either. After all, it was his accidental text message to Brian Flores that currently has John Mara and Co. in court.

[lawrence-related id=723564,723579,723570]

Giants’ John Mara elated with Week 18 victory over Eagles

It was a disappointing season for the New York Giants but their Week 18 victory over the Eagles brought a smile to John Mara’s face.

One of New York Giants co-owner John Mara’s biggest fears is playing meaningless football in December and January — a situation he’s become very familiar with over the past decade.

The way the NFL is set up these days, with 18 weeks of play and additional playoff slots, that has become more uncommon. When December rolls around, most teams are still mathematically in the postseason race, as the Giants were this season.

The Giants closed the season out with a dominating 27-10 victory over the playoff-bound, but reeling, Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium on Sunday — their first victory over their hated rivals in their last six tries.

Mara is likely not pleased with the team’s 6-11 finish but appeared to be pleased with Sunday’s result.

“Any win is a good win, especially this win,” Mara said after the game, via Charlotte Carroll of The Athletic.

In their dual press conference on Monday morning, aka The Postmortem, general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll revealed that although Mara has not been as visual or vocal these days, they speak with ownership daily.

“We talk to (John Mara and Steve Tisch) every day,” Daboll said.

Mara has been quick on the trigger with his head coaches since parting ways with Tom Coughlin after the 2015 season. Ben McAdoo didn’t make it through his second season, spelled by defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.

The Giants followed that up with back-to-back unsuccessful two-year stints from Pat Shurmur and Joe Judge before dumping general manager Dave Gettleman in favor of Schoen last January, who then hired Daboll.

Daboll now becomes the first coach to last more than two seasons since the aforementioned Coughlin.

[lawrence-related id=722731,722718,722726]

Jay Fund patient will sing national anthem at Giants’ season finale

Mya Rodriguez, a Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Foundation patient, will sing the national anthem ahead of the New York Giants’ regular season finale.

The New York Giants will close out the 2023 regular season on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

As is tradition, the national anthem will be sung before kickoff and the Week 18 honor will belong to a Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Foundation patient.

Mya Rodriguez, who was diagnosed with stage 2A bulky Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in July of 2021 at the age of 17, was personally invited to perform by Giants co-owner John Mara. The surprise invite came during the 2023 Champions for Children Gala in mid-October.

At the time of her diagnosis, Mya was nearing the end of her senior year at High Tech High School – Hudson County Schools of Technology. She discovered a lump on her neck and tests confirmed the rare form of blood cell cancer. Her dreams of attending the Tisch School of the Arts felt like they were slipping away as Mya feared her long-term goals would have to change.

Tom Coughlin and the Jay Fund Foundation stepped in and in 2022, Mya was named the recipient of the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Tisch Family Scholarship.

Mya graduated from Hudson County Schools of Technology – High Tech High School in June of 2021. Her plans of attending New York University’s Tisch School of Drama were put on hold last summer when she was diagnosed with cancer. Mya has already distinguished herself as an accomplished thespian, dancer, and singer. She participates in the Bergen Performing Arts Center and Choir, as well as multiple community theatre productions. During the pandemic, Mya created a video with her classmates to show support for the teachers in her high school.

Mya is now a sophomore at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts and on Sunday afternoon, she will share her singing talents with Giants Nation in front of more than 82,000.

[lawrence-related id=710894,692688,656413]

Joe Schoen: Giants ownership ‘absolutely’ has faith in regime’s vision

Joe Schoen says New York Giants ownership “absolutely” has faith in his vision and still supports both he and head coach Brian Daboll.

The New York Giants shocked the football world in 2022, compiling a record of 9-7-1, qualifying for the postseason for the first time since 2016, and winning their first playoff game since Super Bowl XLVI.

By all accounts and measures, general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll had dragged the franchise out of the dark ages and made them a competitive football team once again.

Then came 2023.

The Giants have struggled mightily this season, entering the bye week with a record of 4-8 and on pace for a top-5 pick in the 2024 NFL draft.

Despite the fall from grace, Schoen says the regime still has the full support of team co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch.

“Yeah, absolutely,” Schoen told reporters this week when asked if ownership still supports his vision. “We have constant communication with the Mara family, the Tisch family, and articulate the plan. They’re on board with it. As much as it hurts to go through this, there are a lot of young players that are getting valuable experience.

“Another offseason, another draft, we will continue to build it. The communication is very helpful. The fact that John Mara is here on a daily basis, we can explain the ‘why,’ why we’re doing things, how we’re going to do them. They’re in the loop and they’re on board.”

Assuming there are no major changes this offseason, that would be a change of pace for the Giants, who have fired their last three head coaches after just two seasons and have made two general manager changes since 2017.

[lawrence-related id=720301,720299,720321]

Giants vs. Commanders: 5 biggest storylines for Week 11

The New York Giants face the Washington Commanders in Week 11. Here are the five biggest storylines to follow for this contest.

The Washington Commanders (4-6) play host to their long-time rivals, the New York Giants (2-8), at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland this Sunday afternoon.

Here are five storylines we are following ahead of the Week 11 game.

Brian Daboll admits Giants ownership is ‘not happy’

New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll admits that team ownership isn’t happy with the current product and says there will be no tanking.

The New York Giants are 2-8 this season and the immediate future looks bleak. They are performing at historically bad levels, especially on offense, and are possibly headed for the No. 1 or No. 2 overall pick in next year’s NFL draft.

The losing — and the embarrassing manner in which the team has been losing — has given the building a funeral home vibe. The Giants are dead in the water and have no means to return to shore.

Head coach Brian Daboll is officially the face of the failure. He is not dodging blame and on Wednesday, discussed the overall mood within the organization.

“Kind of like everybody’s,” Daboll said when asked what ownership’s reaction to the team’s pathetic road losses in Las Vegas and Dallas the past two weeks. “Nobody’s happy.”

Daboll said he has spoken to team co-owner John Mara, general manager Joe Schoen, and the players about the team’s performance.

“I’d say there’s good communication in our building,” he said.

When asked if the team was ready to pack it in and even possibly “tank,” Daboll would have none of it.

“I’m focused on playing this week well and improving. Let’s live in the moment,” Daboll said. “We’re in a competitive business. Try to compete in everything you do.”

Daboll doesn’t have a tanking mindset and neither do the players. Even if they did, Mara and fellow co-owner Steve Tisch would have none of it. There are teams out there who will openly tank but the Giants are not one of them.

[lawrence-related id=719497,719465,719411]