The Giants buried the news in the sixth paragraph of the announcement that they fired head coach Brian Daboll, which means even this team’s press releases collapse in the second half.
Joe Schoen will return as general manager. The architect of a roster with a 3-19 record over the past 22 games gets a reprieve because, in the words of co-owner John Mara, Schoen “has assembled a good young nucleus of talent.”
And now we have our proof: There is no mistake too big for the Giants to repeat.
Think back to December 2019. The Giants had to get rid of Pat Shurmur, who compiled a 9-23 record in two seasons, but Mara and co-owner Steve Tisch gave a hall pass to the man who built the roster. Dave Gettleman got to stick around, Mara said, because they wanted to “give him a chance to finish what he has started.”
Oh, he finished it, all right.
The reality is, the Giants didn’t have the appetite to go through a full front-office overhaul in 2019, and six years later, they don’t want to do it now. Schoen stays because it is easier for the Giants to keep the GM than it is to admit that they’re wrong — again — and hit the reset button.
The Giants are 2-8 with seven games left. They are announcing this decision now because they know it is possible, even likely, that they will finish with a similar record to last season’s 3-14 embarrassment that would lead to intensifying calls for Schoen to follow Daboll out the door.
Mara said he had “just about run out of patience” when he retained Schoen and Daboll last winter despite his inability to provide any tangible reason to believe things would change. Here we go again.
The problem is not only that Schoen’s track record in four years as GM is less than stellar — and that’s putting it mildly. Keeping him could be a deal breaker for the best coaching candidates, too, because what rising star wants to stake his career on a boss who could have one foot out the door?
Look at what happened to Joe Judge. He left the Patriots to replace Shurmur in 2020, and from the start, the pairing with Gettleman was a disaster. Judge did plenty to earn his pink slip after two seasons, but given the misalignment with the man building his roster, he was doomed before he walked into the building.
The situation is different this time in one way that is positive for the Giants, at least. This vacancy should be more attractive to job candidates knowing that they have the franchise quarterback that every head coach needs to have a chance at winning in this league.
Is Jaxson Dart enough to make a prospective coach overlook a defense that has allowed 129 points over the past four weeks? Or an offense whose two elite playmakers — Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo — are both recovering from season-ending injuries? Or an overall roster that lacks quality depth at most positions despite what feels like a never-ending rebuild?
Is Dart enough for a good coach to overlook the GM’s subpar draft record, or the success that jettisoned players have had for other franchises, or the less-than-inspiring appearance on “Hard Knocks” last summer?
“These are difficult decisions, and John and I do not take them lightly,” Tisch said in the Giants’ statement, “but we feel like this is the right thing to do at this time and will allow us to move forward.”
Firing Daboll wasn’t a difficult call at all. The fourth-quarter collapses in Chicago, Denver and Dallas, along with his criminal disregard for Dart’s long-term future, made it impossible for the Giants to continue with him in charge. But the Giants are sadly mistaken if they can pretend he didn’t have an equal partner in this team’s failings.
Schoen is on the clock now. He doesn’t get to hire a second head coach because of his brilliant track record. He gets that opportunity because, on the long list of things the Giants don’t do well, learning from their mistakes is right at the top.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.