Tag: Steve Tisch

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.

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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.

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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.

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Giants release statement condemning terrorist attacks on Israel

Giants co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch released a statement condemning Hamas for their “horrific” terrorist attacks against Israel.

New York Giants co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch released a statement on Sunday night condemning Palestinian militant group Hamas for carrying out terrorist attacks on Israel over the weekend.

“The New York Giants stand with the people of Israel and condemn the horrific, senseless terrorist attacks that have claimed innocent lives.

“Our thoughts are with all the people of Israel.”

On October 7, Hamas launched a large-scale invasion of Israel via land, sea and sky. They stormed civilian communities in addition to unleashing a missile barrage that overwhelmed Israel’s iron dome air defense.

In 48 hours, more than 800 Israelis were killed, more than 2,500 were wounded and more than 100, including women and children, were abducted. Following the counter-offensive, nearly 600 additional Palestinians were killed, 3,000 were injured and 120,000 more were displaced.

At least nine Americans were among those who have been killed.

Israel officially declared war on Hamas following the initial incursion. Firefights remain ongoing and the fate of the many hostages remains uncertain but grim.

Mara and Tisch have long been supporters of the Jewish community and often request the league take those fans into account when making the regular season schedule.

Giants co-owner Steve Tisch producing new movie about John Madden

New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch will produce an upcoming Amazon/MGM theatrical feature on the late John Madden.

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New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch and three other members of Escape Artists — Todd Black, Jonathan Shukat and Jason Blumenthal — are slated to produce a new Amazon/MGM theatrical feature on the late John Madden.

The film will be directed by five-time Oscar nominee David O. Russell and comedian Will Ferrell is currently in talks to play Madden, reports Deadline.

Madden is produced by Escape Artists’ Todd Black, Jonathan Shukat, Jason Blumenthal and Steve Tisch. Latter is the co-owner of the New York Giants, and the expectation is that the NFL will embrace the feature film on one of the sport’s most beloved figures.

The film will center on Madden’s post-coaching career and focus more on his broadcasting and, specifically, his creation of John Madden Football (later renamed Madden NFL), the extremely popular video game franchise.

Although he’d never played a video game in his life, Madden helped changed the videogame landscape when he became the figurehead for Madden NFL, a perennial top seller that this fall gets its 24th incarnation through Electronic Arts.

Tisch has most recently served as executive producer or producer for the television series Servant, as well as the films Cassandro and The Man from Toronto.

Some of the more popular films produced by Tisch include American History X, Forrest Gump, Risky Business and Seven Pounds.

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What we learned from Giants’ 31-24 win over Vikings

The New York Giants defeated the Minnesota Vikings, 31-24, in the Wild Card round and here’s some of what we learned from that game.

The New York Giants defeated the Minnesota Vikings, 31-24, at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday in the Super Wild Card round of the NFC Playoffs. It is their first postseason win since defeating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI eleven years ago.

The Giants now advance to the NFC Divisional Round this Saturday night against the hated Philadelphia Eagles.

We learned a lot about this Giants team over the past year. Here are a few more things we learned on Sunday.

 

Giants owners elated after playoff win: ‘We’re back!’

New York Giants co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch each had something to say following Sunday’s playoff win over the Minnesota Vikings.

It’s been a long, winding road of misery for the New York Giants since Tom Coughlin was forced to resign following the 2015 season.

Over that span, the organization has gone through three general managers and six head coaches. They’ve logged just one winning season (2016), had zero playoff wins, and five straight seasons of double-digit losses.

But that all changed on Sunday evening as the Giants upset the Minnesota Vikings, 31-24, to advance in the NFC Playoffs. GM No. 3 and head coach No. 6 appear to have finally turned things around.

That’s certainly how co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch felt after the game.

Tisch was slightly more subdued than Mara, acknowledging that there’s still plenty of work to do. But he was happy and impressed enough to break his long-standing silence.

“My family and I are proud of the players, coaches and staff and how everyone throughout the entire organization has worked together to make this a successful season,” Tisch said in a statement. “We are happy for the Giants fans who have endured some tough times with us in recent years. We appreciate their support, passion and enthusiasm.

“Joe and Dabs have laid the foundation for continued success. We all agree there is much work left to be done. Their shared vision and constant dialogue is always about what is best for the organization, as is their consistent approach day in and day out and the great communication with John [Mara] and me.

That’s not just a pat on the back for Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll, it’s a sigh of relief for Mara and Tisch. Contrary to popular belief, they’ve been suffering the past decade as well.

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Giants owners feel ‘great’ about team’s 5-1 start

New York Giants owners John Mara and Steve Tisch were tight-lipped at the league meetings, simply saying they feel great about the 5-1 start.

The past decade, the New York Giants have mainly been a non-factor in the NFL hierarchy. After winning their second Super Bowl in five years in February of 2012, they pretty much faded into obscurity.

From 2012 until last season, co-owner John Mara appeared and spoke publicly about the team’s performance, mostly about how disappointed he was and generally apologizing to the fans on a weekly basis.

After the Giants came back to beat the Baltimore Ravens, 24-20, on Sunday to improve to 5-1, Mara made himself scarce, answering questions with short, concise responses. Perhaps he’s learned not to wear his heart on his sleeve anymore and just keep his sentiments to himself.

“We have lost so many games like that in the last five years, maybe it’s our time,” Mara told the AP after Sunday’s game.

Darryl Slater of NJ.com was one of the reporters who tried to catch up with Mara at the NFL league meeting on Tuesday but Mara remained cagey about the team’s successful start.

“So far, so good, OK?” he said. “So far, so good. I’m not going to … “

And then he trailed off and paraphrased a Bill Belichick cliche.

“We’re on to Jacksonville,” Mara said.

The team’s other co-owner, Steve Tisch, also stayed relatively quiet.

Mara was then asked his thoughts about quarterback Daniel Jones’ performance.

“He’s doing very well,” Mara said simply.

This spring, Mara told reporters that the Giants, while declining Jones’ fifth-year option, still had faith in DJ and had done him a great disservice his first three seasons by swapping out coaches and not providing him with a proper infrastructure.

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Giants say Brian Flores accusations are ‘disturbing and simply false’

The New York Giants have released a second statement on Brian Flores’ lawsuit and say the accusations are “disturbing and simply false.”

On Tuesday, it was revealed that former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores had filed a lawsuit against the NFL and its teams — three teams were specifically named.

Among them was the New York Giants, who Flores accused of racist hiring practices, claiming they forced him through a “sham” interview. The purpose, the filing stated, was to portray serious interest in a minority candidate simply to satisfy the league’s Rooney Rule.

The Giants promptly issued a short statement denying the allegations.

“We are pleased and confident with the process that resulted in the hiring of Brian Daboll. We interviewed an impressive and diverse group of candidates. The fact of the matter is, Brian Flores was in the conversation to be our head coach until the eleventh hour. Ultimately, we hired the individual we felt was most qualified to be our next head coach,” the statement read.

On Thursday evening, the Giants released a secondary statement. This time, they called Flores’ allegations “disturbing and simply false.”

Brian Flores has raised serious issues in the filing of his complaint. The specific claims against the Giants and Mr. Flores’ allegations about the legitimacy of his candidacy for our head coach position are disturbing and simply false.

After we interviewed six exceptional and diverse candidates, the decision on who we would hire as head coach was made on the evening of January 28, one day after Mr. Flores spent an entire day in our offices going through his second interview for the position, meeting with ownership and other staff members, and receiving a tour of our facility. (See the itinerary below). There is additional concrete and objective evidence to substantiate we did not make our decision until the evening of the 28th.

The allegation that the Giants’ decision had been made prior to Friday evening, January 28, is false. And to base that allegation on a text exchange with Bill Belichick in which he ultimately states that he “thinks” Brian Daboll would get the job is irresponsible. The text exchange occurred the day before Coach Daboll’s in-person interview even took place. Giants’ ownership would never hire a head coach based only on a 20-minute zoom interview, which is all that Mr. Daboll had at that point.

The Giants expanded on the Bill Belichick text messages, stating that the New England Patriots head coach does not speak for the organization and does not have a current affiliation with the team.

Further, the Giants shared their timeline on the hiring process, including Flores’ contact and involvement in establishing interviews.

In addition, Mr. Belichick does not speak for and has no affiliation with the Giants. Mr. Belichick’s text exchange provides no insight into what actually transpired during our head coaching search.

It has been well documented how much research and due diligence we did on Mr. Flores as it related to his candidacy. John Mara called Mr. Flores two days after he was dismissed in Miami. Mr. Mara expressed to Mr. Flores in that January 12 call that once we had our new general manager in place, we would begin the process of hiring our head coach and we wanted to meet with Mr. Flores because we considered him a serious candidate for the position. Mr. Mara and Mr. Flores then had their first formal conversation in a 25-30 minute zoom call on January 18 (at Mr. Flores’ request) to further discuss his candidacy.

In between those initial conversations and Mr. Flores’ in-person interview on January 27, there were several other communications between Mr. Flores and members of our organization. This included a dinner with our newly hired general manager, Joe Schoen, the night before Mr. Flores’s in-person interview. The consensus from within the Giants organization after this dinner remained that Mr. Flores was an outstanding candidate, and we looked forward to sitting down with him in person the next day.

Our hiring process and, most certainly, our consideration of Mr. Flores was serious and genuine. We are disappointed to learn that Mr. Flores was under the mistaken impression the job had already been awarded.

Finally, the Giants doubled-down on their decision to hire Brian Daboll as their next head coach, using Flores’ own words to justify the decision.

In his CBS interview yesterday, Mr. Flores was asked if “clubs have the right to hire the person they think is the best qualified for the job or the person they feel is right for them?” Mr. Flores responded “They do. That’s very reasonable to me . . .”. That is exactly what we did.

We hired Brian Daboll as our head coach at the conclusion of an open and thorough interview process. No decision was made, and no job offer was extended, until the evening of January 28, a full day after Mr. Flores’ in-person interview and day-long visit to the Giants.

The full itinerary for the Flores interview in East Rutherford was also made public:

Brian Flores Interview Itinerary – Head Football Coach

January 27, 2022

8:45am – arrival at Quest (Joe Schoen)

9:00am – meet w/ John Mara, Chris Mara, Steve Tisch, & Joe Schoen

12:00pm – Lunch / Facility Tour – Tim McDonnell

1:00pm – Pat Hanlon/Jen Escalante/Dion Dargin

1:45pm – Ronnie Barnes/Jessie Armstead

2:30pm – Allison Stangeby/Pete Guelli

3:30pm – Joe Schoen

More to come…

Emotional Tiki Barber comes to defense of Giants, owners: They aren’t racist

Tiki Barber came to an emphatic defense of the New York Giants on Wednesday and shared an emotional story about Wellington Mara.

Since his controversial retirement at the conclusion of the 2006 season, Tiki Barber has had a rocky relationship with New York Giants fans. He has not, however, had as rocky a relationship with the team or its owners.

On Tuesday, former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores filed a lawsuit against the NFL and its teams, including the Giants, alleging racism in their hiring practices. He accused New York of running him through a “sham” process to make it appear as if a minority candidate was being seriously considered.

The Giants released a statement emphatically denying the allegations, noting that Flores was considered a finalist for the job.

“We are pleased and confident with the process that resulted in the hiring of Brian Daboll. We interviewed an impressive and diverse group of candidates. The fact of the matter is, Brian Flores was in the conversation to be our head coach until the eleventh hour. Ultimately, we hired the individual we felt was most qualified to be our next head coach,” the statement read.

During Wednesday’s edition of First Take, host Stephen A. Smith took harsh aim at the Giants.

“Let me say this to the New York Giants. As an organization, when it comes to black coaches, I don’t believe a damn word you have to say,” Smith said. “There’s no one more incriminating than the New York Giants when it comes to black coaches. We are in the year 2022. All of these years, damn near a century for crying out loud, there is one single franchise that has not had a black coach. That is the New York Giants.”

There are six teams that have never hired a Black general manager or head coach on a full-time basis. Although the Giants did have a Black GM — Jerry Reese — they have never had a full-time Black head coach in their history.

Despite that, Barber took exception to Smith’s comments and came to defense of the Giants during the Tiki & Tierney on Wednesday.

“I just don’t think that the Maras, who I’ve known for 25 years, are racist,” Barber said, via Big Blue View.

“I’m not willing to scream and yell that the Giants, an organization that I revere, that I had a great relationship with, to say that they’re racist simply because they haven’t had a black head coach or a black quarterback.”

Barber then became emotion as he recounted a never-before-told story about visiting Wellington Mara’s bedside before the late owner passed away.

“I went to his bedside and I just tell him thank you for making me a Giant,” Barber recalls. “The fact that the Maras, and I always said this with the Tisches as well, they embraced me like I was family. I know them intimately, so when I say I don’t believe they’re racist it’s because I know they’re not … I know they’re not a racist organization.”

Although Barber firmly believes the Giants are not a racist organization, he admits the NFL has a problem with hiring minority coaches.

“[The Giants] hired a general manager [Joe Schoen] who had an idea of who he wanted to be the head coach, and Brian Flores is lighting a match to the Giants’ organization and to the league, which needs to be explored. I’m not saying this doesn’t need to be explored,” Barber said.

“We’ve known this for two decades. The fact that there are Rooney Rules proves that we know this is an issue. The Rooney Rule is not perfect. It’s never going to be perfect because the pipeline for Black candidates is not wide enough, is not big enough. At the end of the day you try to do the best you can, and I think the league and the Giants, they’re trying to do the best they can.”

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