Tag: John Mara

Report: Giants owners could be ‘at odds’ over Pat Shurmur’s fate

New York Giants co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch could reportedly be at odds over the team’s future and Pat Shurmur’s fate.

The New York Giants’ 50-50 ownershipsplit  between the Mara and Tisch families has worked swimmingly for 30 years. The Giants have been one of the model franchises in the NFL over that period, maintaining a level of excellence and class both on and off the field.

But the last seven seasons have not gone as planned. The club has faltered in every phase possible. They failed to maintain the solid base that general manager Jerry Reese inherited from his predecessor, Ernie Accorsi, and have quite simply just lost their way. The results are evident by their lack of success on the playing field.

2019 will mark the Giants’ sixth losing season in seven years, which in team history can only be compared to the 1970s and early 80s, a period known as “The Wilderness Years.”

That near-decade of futility caused the NFL to actually step in a mediate between the team’s two owners (Wellington Mara an his cousin, Tim) and find a solution to help the Giants find their way out of the woods.

George Young was brought in to end the madness and he turned the Giants into champions. His model has been in place for forty years already and that model has not aged well. It’s the for the Giants to upgrade and it will take both John Mara and Steve Tisch to agree on that that new model should be.

George Willis of the New York Post wrote that Tisch will likely push for a blowup while Mara will urge patience. They are only two years into the Dave Gettleman-Pat Shurmur era and could be on the verge of turning the corner:

The Tisch and Mara families could find themselves at odds over whether to fire head coach Pat Shurmur and general manager Dave Gettleman. Two sources familiar with the Giants’ thinking told The Post Tisch has seen enough and wants a fresh start with a new GM and head coach, while John Mara wants to wait until the outcome of Sunday’s season finale against the Eagles at MetLife Stadium before making a decision.

The Giants’ ownership and front office personnel likely will meet on Monday to decide the fate of Shurmur and Gettleman, who would match last year’s 5-11 record by beating the Eagles. A win would be the Giants third straight to end the season, helping Shurmur’s case to stay.

“It will be interesting to see if Steve gets his way,” a source told The Post. “He wants a change. He feels for the fans.”

Gettleman has displayed an erratic style since taking over the team two years ago. He’s changed a lot of the faces but not the results. Shumur has consistently been out-coached but to his credit, has not lost the locker room.

Should the Giants give them both another year, and there is no progress, it will be a wasted year. If they blow things up and the losing continues, that could be worse.

Giant fans are in favor of a blowup and many hope Tisch wins out here. The NFL has changed since the Giants last won the Super Bowl eight years ago.

They were once the standard and they have failed to keep up. It’s time for a serious reboot.

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Report: Giants’ Steve Tisch just venting, will defer to John Mara

A report suggests that New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch has just been “venting” his frustrations and will defer to John Mara in the end.

New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch is the only executive within the organization who has been willing to speak publicly about the state of the team this year, and he has not exactly sounded like a man content with the direction.

“It’s a multi-step process,” Tisch told SNY in early December. “After the season, John Mara and I are going to sit down and have a number of conversations. We’re going to look at every situation, every opportunity, every option and we’re really going to approach it from 35,000 feet and see really what needs improvement, what we need to do, where we think there are other options.

“The direction we take the team hopefully in 2020 will result in a much better season next year.”

Previously, Tisch had alluded to some “very difficult conversations” that must be hard, sparkling a multitude of reports that he may push for more control of the team and demand the removal of general manager Dave Gettleman, head coach Pat Shurmur and others.

While some of those reports persist, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY has heard from the other side of the isle and reports that Tisch is just “venting” out of frustration and will ultimately defer to fellow co-owner John Mara.

That’s what some around the NFL seem to believe. In fact, multiple NFL sources have told SNY that they believe Steve Tisch, the co-owner of the Giants, is “very frustrated” with the current direction of his organization and will push for sweeping changes when he meets with co-owner John Mara after the season finale on Sunday. However, others believe Tisch has just been “venting” privately in the wake of a third straight miserable season and will defer to Mara in the end.

Although Mara is the face of team ownership, he and Tisch share a 50-50 split and are in constant communication about all organizational decisions. However, Tisch has often (see: almost always) deferred to Mara’s expertise in the end.

Is that how things will play out again? That remains to be seen, but it’s clear Tisch is beyond frustrated with the recent futility and will at the very least suggest complete cleaning house. Again. But cooler heads may ultimately prevail and perhaps a little patience will be rediscovered in the process.

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Report: Giants co-owner Steve Tisch wants ‘major overhaul’

New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch reportedly wants a “major overhaul” this offseason.

The New York Giants are not even two years removed from hiring general manager Dave Gettleman and head coach Pat Shurmur to replace Jerry Reese and Ben McAdoo, who were terminated mid-way through the 2017 season, but already co-owner Steve Tisch wants a reset.

Mired in a third consecutive losing season and the second under Shurmur, Tisch has reached his breaking point and will push for a “major overhaul” this offseason, reports Jordan Raanan of ESPN.

For the New York Giants, the question is whether coach Pat Shurmur and/or general manager Dave Gettleman will be among those losing their jobs the day after the regular season concludes. The tea leaves suggest Shurmur is unlikely to survive barring a huge finish, Gettleman is in trouble and co-owner Steve Tisch is in favor of a major overhaul.

Tisch and John Mara have declined multiple opportunities over the past month to offer votes of confidence for Shurmur and Gettleman. That’s not a great sign. It leaves open the possibility of significant changes to the organization for the second time in three years.

Although Tisch and Mara have largely avoided the media this season, the former did suggest that a difficult conversation would be had on Black Monday.

“It’s been a very frustrating season. At the end of the season John Mara and I are gonna get together and discuss the future. As partners we have to be very honest with each other about where we see this team going into the 2020 season,” Tisch told Bruce Beck in early December.

The questions become: How many times are the Giants going to blow things up and rebuild if they don’t work after a year and a half? How much longer can the cycle of change continue and is the lack of patience really the right answer?

There is an understandable level of frustration with the current Giants product, but as we alluded to in our recent article, “7 reasons Giants should keep Pat Shurmur,” constant winds of change very rarely, if ever yield any long-lasting or consistent results.

The Giants have had two general managers, four head coaches, three offensive coordinators, three defensive coordinators, two different systems and a complete roster turnover since 2015 and the results have all remained largely the same. Doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results is literally the definition of insanity.

Something very clearly needs to be done, but is another “major overhaul” really guaranteed to bring about different results? It certainly hasn’t so far, and how many more times can the Giants do this before they finally rediscover some patience and allow a three-year plan to play itself out?

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Did Giants ownership force an Eli Manning farewell tour on Pat Shurmur?

Conspiracy theorists are out in force suggesting Eli Manning is back under center because New York Giants ownership wanted him to be, but…

Entering the 2019 regular season, a popular but unsubstantiated conspiracy theory was that Giants co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch forced veteran quarterback Eli Manning on both general manager Dave Gettleman and head coach Pat Shurmur.

If that were true, Shurmur was quick to pull the plug — much faster than the owners would have liked had they mandated Manning starting — and went to rookie Daniel Jones in Week 3.

Now entering the final stretch of the season and a Monday Night Football game against the Philadelphia Eagles, people are once again donning their tinfoil hats and suggesting ownership is again cramming Manning down the throat of Gettleman and Shurmur.

The injury Odell Beckham Jr. suffered late last season was initially called a quad injury, later a hematoma and then a hamstring issue. There’s never been any actual clarity on what injury OBJ actually suffered through, and the player and team could not agree on the severity of it.

Ultimately, Beckham was unable to play through whatever the injury was and missed the final stretch of the season.

Earlier this year, running back Saquon Barkley suffered a high ankle sprain and missed several games, returning well ahead of schedule and taking quite some time before he even looked remotely close to the same player.

Meanwhile, the ankle sprain Jones suffered at Duke in 2018 came during the Independence Bowl, and just as he did a week ago against the Green Bay Packers, he played through it. He didn’t have to test it the following week, so there’s no certainty he could have or would have played.

Jones also missed several weeks due to a broken clavicle, so the notion that he “played through it” is an argument that is just hemorrhaging water. And his broken wrist? Yeah, Jones played through a summer basketball camp with it before even realizing it was broken, so it’s not like he was taking shots from 300-pound defensive linemen or anything. Or, you know, trying to throw a football with it.

There’s also the other elephant in the room… Forget the obvious nature of the injury and all the limping (and struggling) Jones did after suffering the ankle sprain in Week 13, he’s currently refined to a walking boot after testing revealed an injury that almost consistently keeps players out for 3-to-6 weeks if not longer.

Not to mention, if Shurmur is coaching for his job and hitched his wagon to Daniel Jones, why would he even humor ownership and put Manning back in at this point? Unless he got a guarantee that doing so would save his job, it would make absolutely no sense whatsoever for Shurmur to flip flop with only a month of a lost season remaining.

Allow me to throw out my own conspiracy theory: Daniel Jones has a high ankle sprain, can’t play and as his backup, Eli Manning, will now step in and start just as QB2 is designed to do for all 32 NFL teams.

I know, I know… It sounds crazy, but maybe — just maybe — that’s all this is.

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Giants’ Pat Shurmur knows he’s coaching for his job

New York Giants head coach Pat Shurmur is well aware that he’s coaching for his job, just as he has been since Day 1.

New York Giants head coach Pat Shurmur is firmly on the hot seat with a record of 2-10, having also failed to win any games in the months of October and November for the first time in franchise history.

Shurmur’s status with the team was further called into question when Giants co-owner Steve Tisch said he and team CEO, John Mara, will have a heart-to-heart talk after the season as it pertains to both Shurmur’s job and the job of general manager Dave Gettleman.

That was no skin of Shurmur’s back, however.

While meeting with reporters on Wednesday, Shurmur acknowledged that he’s enlightened to the fact that he’s coaching for his job, just as he has been since the day he was hired.

“I really have no reaction to that. I was made aware that he spoke [Monday]. I’m sure he’s disappointed with the results this season, just like I am and we are. I’m trying to get this team ready to play and win a game against Philly,” Shurmur said of Tisch’s comments.

“I feel like I’m coaching for my job every day. That’s the way we function. As players, you’re playing for your job, and you’re coaching for your job every day. We understand this is a results business, and the ultimate result is winning games. Along the way, doing the things necessary to win a game and then consistently win. That’s just the reality of it.”

Shurmur has never once shied away from the team’s failures or made excuses for the lack of wins, so whether you are a fan of his or not, there’s something to respect about that.

Ironically, Shurmur’s fate may now be tied directly to quarterback Eli Manning, whom he gave up on after just two weeks of the season.

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WFAN’s Mike Francesa: Giants’ problems run deep

WFAN’s Mike Francesa unloaded on the New York Giants again on Tuesday, saying their problems run as deep as the owners.

With his time mercifully winding down at WFAN, Mike Francesa used Tuesday’s show to once again take aim at the New York Giants, co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch, and just about anyone and everything else from within the organization.

Still stinging from the offseason rebuke and essentially being kicked out of Club Big Blue, Francesa lit into the Giants after Tisch briefly met with the media at The March of Dimes Luncheon, where he told NBC’s Bruce Beck that he and Mara need to get on the same page.

“They need to get on the same page,” Francesa said, avoiding his usual on-air nap. “And decide how they are going to restructure this Giant organization. That doesn’t just deal with general manager. That deals with general manager, coach, every facet of how you do your organization. Every single part has to be examined.

“You wonder now if they are even on the same page. That could be part of the problem because I believe there are a lot of parts to this problem. We get on Gettleman and Shurmur, rightfully so, but the Giants problems run deeper than that right now. They run right through the structure of this organization. . . This organization has to decide how it’s going to be as far as how it runs itself as a football entity and that’s where the owners come in.”

The Giants have had communication issues from top to bottom, and it doesn’t appear that anyone is on the same page. However, the organization has ironically and universally agreed on one thing this year: no Mike Francesa.

Go figure.

But Francesa does bring up one solid point that we at Giants Wire touched on yesterday — it’s beginning to sound like Mara and Tisch have a suddenly rocky relationship and that, maybe, they are trending in different directions regarding the team’s future.

“The Giants have fallen off the track in every way possible, which is why they are where they are right now,” Francesa said. “At the bottom of the league and staring down the No. 1 pick, having the worst record in the NFL since the start of the 2017 season.

“We haven’t heard a word from John Mara … but this today jumped out at me because this shows the problems run even deeper than you might think they do. Those problems at the top with Mara and Tisch have to be settled before anything else can be settled because they have to agree on where they’re taking the franchise.”

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Giants owner finally speaks, asks fans for patience

A New York Giants owner has finally broken his silence, providing fans with no answers, but requesting patience from them.

The New York Giants are currently mired in an eight-game losing streak — the second-longest such streak in franchise history — and all has remained silent in East Rutherford.

Besides the usual barrage of questioning for head coach Pat Shurmur and whatever players the team makes available throughout the week, no one has stepped up to face the music.

After canceling weekly interviews with WFAN, the Giants have enacted life as it would be seen in the film, “A Quiet Place.” There were no bye week press conferences, general manager Dave Gettleman has not been heard from in months and co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch have remained out of sight.

That changed on Tuesday as Tisch briefly stepped out from the shadows in order to attend the March of Dimes Luncheon.

NBC 4’s Bruce Beck was able to corner Tisch and fire off some questions regarding the current state of the franchise, what — if any — changes were coming this offseason and if there was any specific message for fans.

There was.

Tisch offered absolutely no vote of confidence for Gettleman or Shurmur heading into the offseason, and arguably sounded a bit more assertive than usual.

Who wouldn’t love to be a fly on the wall when Tisch and Mara sit down to discuss what needs to be done and what’s next? You have to imagine that will be an emotionally-charged conversation.

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3 takeaways from Giants’ Week 13 loss to Packers

Here are three takeaways from the New York Giants’ Week 13 loss to the Green Bay Packers, which dropped them to 2-10.

The New York Giants’ latest loss, a 31-13 slopfest against a recently struggling Green Bay Packers team, has all but put the lid on Big Blue’s designs of becoming a competitive team this season.

In front of a large throng of Packer fans, the Giants once again displayed for the whole word that thy are officially one of the NFL’s worst and most poorly run franchises.

Here are three takeaways (click away now if you’re looking for a silver lining).

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Numbers don’t lie

At 2-10, the Giants are officially the doormat of the NFC. There is no further to fall. They are it. John Mara and Dave Gettleman can be proud of the mess they’ve made of this franchise. Sure, you can blame Jerry Reese, but Gettleman has had two full offseasons and the team has gotten worse. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent.

How do you get to 2-10? Easily. The other team scores more than you every week, that’s how. They are averaging 19.2 points per game but have scored only 13 and 14 points respectively in the past two games. That’s not going to get it done when you’re allowing 28.2 points each week.

Who is to blame? Just about everyone. The team is not coached very well, has two many inexperienced players and the veterans who are here are under-performing.

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What we learned from Giants’ 19-14 loss to Bears

The New York Giants lost to the Chicago Bears, 19-14, in Week 12 and here’s some of what we learned from that loss.

The New York Giants went on the road to face the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on Sunday, and what transpired was a disaster. The defense largely did its job, save for Corey Ballentine, but the offense couldn’t put enough points on the board, in part due to two missed field goals by Aldrick Rosas.

That said, here is what we learned from the Giants’ loss to the Bears in Week 12.

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Aldrick Rosas is a mess

Rosas ranks 32nd among 38 active field goal kickers in percentage made at 67%. He missed two field goals against the Bears. Had he made those, the Giants would have won. One miss was due to a poor snap, but he’s now missed either a field goal or a PAT in the last five games straight.

Not only that, but Rosas had a kickoff go out of bounds and had some words with Pat Shurmur on the sideline. An All-Pro kicker one year ago, Rosas’ decline is surprising and frustrating. He’s in his third year in the league, all with the Giants, and this is by far his worst season yet.

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Giants’ brass content on leaving fans confused and in the dark

The New York Giants are mired in another embarrassing season and seem to have no qualms about leaving fans in the dark.

Usually during the bye week, we hear from either the owner or the general manager of the New York Giants. This week, we have heard nothing from CEO John Mara or his football czar, Dave Gettleman.

Some say it’s no big deal but others — present company included — believe there is a depression of sorts seeping into the team’s mentality. They are in the middle of their sixth losing season in seven years and there is no light at the end of the tunnel.

They are a poorly coached team devoid of talent at key positions and have been playing this season with more rookies and inexperienced players than the handbook on “how to run a franchise” recommends.

The least the fans deserve is to have management come out and speak to them. They are already being asked to sit through this miserable season, so it would go a long way for Mara or Gettleman to come out of hiding and reassure the faithful that they are going down the right path.

Gettleman has never held a presser at the bye. Not here or in Carolina. It’s not the way he does things. But the Giants always did. Gettleman’s predecessors, Jerry Reese, Ernie Accorsi and George Young always took time out to give a ‘state of the team” update.

From George Willis of the New York Post:

We should have heard from Dave Gettleman this week. We should have heard from the leader of this storied NFL franchise about what he thinks about a 2-8 record and a six-game losing streak. We should hear from Gettleman what has gone wrong and what, if anything, he thinks is going right.

Instead we have heard nothing. Nothing from Gettleman. Nothing from co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch. Nothing from any decision makers other than Shurmur, the embattled head coach, who is left on his own to fend off the critics.

At 2-8 and the direction of the franchise in question, Gettleman needs to break tradition and answer some questions. The team he is “rebuilding” is an abject failure and his hand-picked head coach is floundering.

Gettleman has been right about a few things. He can hang his hat on his draft classes and signings such as wide receiver Golden Tate. He can crow about cutting ties with Odell Beckham Jr. and Landon Collins, two stars who have basically vanished from the NFL landscape.

We would like to know management’s thoughts on the coaching staff, Daniel Jones’ progress, Saquon Barkley’s injury, the mindset behind the Leonard Williams’ trade, DeAndre Baker’s struggles and much more.

But we’re not getting that. Instead, we get a angry John Mara blowing by reporters in the hallway too miffed to stop to make a statement. We get Gettleman avoiding the media because Mike Francesa called the Giants a “clown show” back in the spring. Shurmur is left to diplomatically dance around the key questions with either guarded speech or complete refusal to divulge any information.

This is not the Giant way. But then again, neither are back-to-back-to-back double-digit loss seasons. No one likes to admit their plan is failing, that they made mistakes and might have to start over.

That is the mindset in the media and throughout the fan base. The fear is that Gettleman messed this thing up and his three-year plan could now be a six-year one.

This is New York, though. Nothing happens in a vacuum here. If they want to keep the fans in the dark, they’re going to find themselves in the same situation as the Los Angeles Chargers — playing their home games in front of a crowd dominated by the visiting team’s fans.

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