The Giants.com crew reacts to the first week of a major offseason for the organization:
John Schmeelk: When the Giants decided to change their head coach but stay the course with Dave Gettleman as their General Manager, their rationale was simple. Ownership decided that Dave Gettleman deserved more than two years to see the impact of the changes he has made to the front office and his vision for the roster.
"I think we've had some hits and some misses," team president John Mara said regarding Gettleman. "He implemented so many changes within our organization, we just felt like at this stage to pull the plug on all of that would not be the wise thing to do."
When a general manager initiates changes in an organization and on a roster, it takes time for those changes to yield positive results. Draft picks take years to develop. The impact of the changes in the scouting staff, and other behind the scenes decision making processes don't seem evident until the players that are acquired develop, which takes time.
"There definitely have been some misses, no question about it," John Mara said. "I think that can happen to anybody. There were reasons for some of those personnel decisions. He does know that the batting average has got to increase going forward though."
In other words, with Gettleman entering his third offseason with the Giants, the expectation is the results of his past decisions and changes behind the scenes will begin showing up on the football field.
"We're all on notice," Gettleman said. "We truly are."
While many people will look towards the 2020 free agent and draft classes, it will be far more important for the 2018 and 2019 draft classes to improve and form the foundation of the franchise. Counting on 20- or 21-year-olds and free agents to turn a program around is not realistic. It is players like Dalvin Tomlinson, Evan Engram, Saquon Barkley, Will Hernandez, Lorenzo Carter, B.J. Hill, Sam Beal, Daniel Jones, Dexter Lawrence, Darius Slayton, DeAndre Baker, Julian Love, Ryan Connelly, Nick Gates, Kaden Smith and Oshane Ximines who are going to have to take the next step to serve as the winning core of the franchise.
Successfully running a team as general manager is properly playing the long game. Football teams have too many moving parts for a complete roster transformation to take place in a year, or even two. But in season three of the process, it is reasonable to expect to see significant progress on the field in terms of quality of play and win/loss record. That's where the Giants and Gettleman are heading into 2020.
Dan Salomone: Every player who makes it to the NFL is talented to a certain extent. The good teams not only identify it, but they also develop it. That's what the Giants need to do with their young core, which is led by Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley and now includes names like Darius Slayton, Dexter Lawrence, DeAndre Baker, Julian Love and the list goes on. Ten rookies, including eight draft choices, started at least one game for the Giants in 2019.
"We have a lot of young players who have shown some promise," John Mara said, "but it remains to be seen whether they're going to develop into quality NFL players or not."
That will be the task of the next head coach and his staff. Having the answer at quarterback is a good start, though. Jones led all rookies in touchdown passes and came close to breaking the league record. Slayton, meanwhile, tied for the league lead in touchdown catches among the 2019 class. Barkley also became the first player in Giants history to start his career with back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons. All those tweet-worthy stats mean nothing if the players don't go to the next level.
"Hopefully the next coach will help them do that," Mara said. "None of them will be rookies anymore and again we have a very good cap situation and we're picking fourth in the draft. We should be better next year."
Lance Medow: The Giants wasted no time kicking off the first week of their coaching search as they interviewed four candidates with various backgrounds. Two come from the defensive side of the ball in Kris Richard and Don "Wink" Martindale, while the other two have offensive backgrounds in Mike McCarthy and Eric Bieniemy. All four of these candidates have a wealth of experience coaching in the NFL and two played in the league (Richard, Bieniemy).
Richard was a defensive back with four different NFL teams (Seahawks, Dolphins, Niners, Raiders) over six seasons (2002-2007) and helped shape the Legion of Boom in Seattle as he began his NFL coaching career under Pete Carroll in 2010 and rose to the position of defensive coordinator in 2015. Each of the last two seasons, he served as the Cowboys defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator so he has some familiarity with the NFC East and perhaps his most appealing trait is that between Seattle and Dallas, he has helped groom many young secondary players, something the new Giants coach will be tasked with accomplishing given the makeup of the current roster. The Seahawks and Cowboys have boasted some of the best defenses in the league during his tenure.
Like Richard, Martindale has also held several different positions during his NFL coaching career, including linebackers coach and defensive coordinator, in his stops with Oakland, Denver and Baltimore, where he worked with players like Ray Lewis, C.J. Mosley and Za'Darius Smith. Both Richard (2013 – Seattle) and Martindale (2012 – Baltimore) have also been a part of Super Bowl winning staffs, so they've seen first-hand what it takes to not just win one season but accomplish that feat consistently.
What stands out about Bieniemy is his track record with young running backs and quarterbacks given the presence of Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones. Bieniemy, the Chiefs' offensive coordinator, worked with Adrian Peterson in Minnesota and Jamaal Charles in Kansas City, as well as several other young backs who filled in over the years in KC. Most important, he oversaw the Chiefs' offense while Patrick Mahomes carved up the league in 2018, throwing for over 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns en route to winning MVP. Interestingly, each of Andy Reid's last two offensive coordinators, Doug Pederson (Eagles) and Matt Nagy (Bears), have gone on to become head coaches.
Of all the candidates, Mike McCarthy is the only one who has previously served as a head coach. He has a proven track record in Green Bay of running a winning franchise with six NFC North titles, nine playoff appearances and a Super Bowl title in 12-plus seasons. The key element of McCarthy's background is his experience working with various quarterbacks over his career. McCarthy worked his way up through the ranks as a QBs coach in Kansas City and Green Bay and has crossed paths with many young signal callers, including Elvis Grbac (Chiefs), Aaron Brooks (Saints), Alex Smith (Niners) and Aaron Rodgers (Packers). Why is that notable? Well, the next coach of the Giants will have to continue to shape the career of Daniel Jones.
A unique perspective from the 2019 season
New York Giants RB Saquon Barkley during week 2 game against the Buffalo Bills in East Rutherford, NJ
New York Giants WR Darius Slayton (86) during a week 15 game against the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ
New York Giants RB Saquon Barkley (26) during a week 15 game against the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ
New York Giants WR Sterling Shepard (87) during a week 13 game against the Green Bay Packers at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ
New York Giants WR Sterling Shepard (87) and WR Cody Latimer (12) during a week 13 game against the Green Bay Packers at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ
New York Giants WR Golden Tate (15) during a week 7 game against the Arizona Cardinals at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ
New York Giants QB Daniel Jones (8) during a week 7 game against the Arizona Cardinals at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ
New York Giants linebacker Markus Golden (44) returns a fumble for a touchdown in a week 6 regular season game against the New England Patriots on Thursday October 10th, 2019 in Foxborough, Massachusetts
OL Will Hernandez (71), Kevin Zeitler (70), Mike Remmers (74), Spencer Pulley (77), Nick Gates (65)
RB Saquon Barkley (26)
QB Daniel Jones (8) & QB Eli Manning (10)
LB Tuzar Skipper (54), & Markus Golden (44)
WR Darius Slayton (86)
RB Saquon Barkley (26)
New York Giants QB Daniel Jones (8) and RB Saquon Barkley (26) during a week 7 game against the Arizona Cardinals at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ
TE Evan Engram (88) at New York Giants vs Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ
New York Giants LB Markus Golden (44) during a week 5 game against the Minnesota Vikings at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ
New York Giants WR Sterling Shepard (87) during a regular season week 4 game against the Washington Redskins at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ
New York Giants RB Wayne Gallman (22) and WR Bennie Fowler (18) during a regular season week 4 game against the Washington Redskins at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ
New York Giants RB Wayne Gallman (22) during a regular season week 4 game against the Washington Redskins at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ
New York Giants QB Daniel Jones (8) during a regular season week 4 game against the Washington Redskins at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ
New York Giants WR Sterling Shepard (87) during a regular season week 4 game against the Washington Redskins at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ
New York Giants DB Julian Love (24) during a regular season week 4 game against the Washington Redskins at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ
DL Leonard Williams (99) & OLB Lorenzo Carter (59)
New York Giants WR Golden Tate (15) during a week 5 game against the Minnesota Vikings at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ
WR Golden Tate (15) & WR Darius Slayton (86)
WR Golden Tate (15) & QB Daniel Jones (8)
S Jabrill Peppers (21)
WR Golden Tate (15)
S Antoine Bethea (41)
New York Giants QB Daniel Jones (8) during a regular season week 3 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James in Tampa, FL.
New York Giants QB Daniel Jones during a regular season week 3 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James in Tampa, FL.
New York Giants QB Daniel Jones (8) during a regular season week 3 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James in Tampa, FL.
New York Giants QB Daniel Jones (8) during a regular season week 3 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James in Tampa, FL.
New York Giants QB Daniel Jones (8) & C Jon Halapio (75) during a regular season week 3 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James in Tampa, FL.
New York Giants LB Markus Golden (44) during a regular season week 3 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James in Tampa, FL.
New York Giants WR Sterling Shepard (87) during a regular season week 3 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James in Tampa, FL.
New York Giants TE Evan Engram (88) during a regular season week 3 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James in Tampa, FL.
New York Giants S Jabrill Peppers (21) during a regular season week 3 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James in Tampa, FL.
New York Giants OLB Lorenzo Carter during a regular season week 3 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James in Tampa, FL.
New York Giants QB Daniel Jones (8) & QB Eli Manning (10) during a regular season week 3 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James in Tampa, FL.
New York Giants OLB Oshane Ximines (53) during a regular season week 3 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James in Tampa, FL.
New York Giants RB Saquon Barkley (26) during a regular season week 3 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James in Tampa, FL.
New York Giants RB Saquon Barkley during week 2 game against the Buffalo Bills in East Rutherford, NJ
New York Giants DL Dexter Lawrence (97) during a regular season week 3 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James in Tampa, FL.
New York Giants RB Saquon Barkley during week 2 game against the Buffalo Bills in East Rutherford, NJ
New York Giants QB Eli Manning during week 2 game against the Buffalo Bills in East Rutherford, NJ
New York Giants RB Saquon Barkley during week 2 game against the Buffalo Bills in East Rutherford, NJ
New York Giants TE Evan Engram (88) & OL Will Hernandez during week 1 game against the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, TX
New York Giants TE Evan Engram (88) during week 1 game against the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, TX
New York Giants TE Evan Engram during week 2 game against the Buffalo Bills in East Rutherford, NJ
New York Giants QB Eli Manning during week 1 game against the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, TX
New York Giants OLB Lorenzo Carter (59) during week 1 game against the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, TX
New York Giants linebacker Oshane Ximines (53) takes part in a week 4 regular season game against the Minnesota Vikings at MetLife Stadium on Sunday October 6th, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
New York Giants RB Saquon Barkley during week 1 game against the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, TX
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) waves to the fans one final time after a week 17 regular season game against the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium on Sunday December 29th, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) scores the winning touchdown during a week 3 regular season game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday September 22, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley (26) celebrates a touchdown run in a week 7 regular season game against the Arizona Cardinals at MetLife Stadium on Sunday October 20th, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
New York Giants safety Michael Thomas (31) blocks a punt in a week 7 regular season game against the Arizona Cardinals at MetLife Stadium on Sunday October 20th, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) takes part in a week 3 regular season game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday September 22, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
New York Giants linebacker Alec Ogletree (47) talks to his team mates before a week 3 regular season game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday September 22, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley (26) before a week 16 regular season game against the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field on Sunday December 22nd, 2019 in Landover, Maryland
New York Giants defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson (94) before a week 16 regular season game against the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field on Sunday December 22nd, 2019 in Landover, Maryland
New York Giants linebacker Alec Ogletree (47) and Markus Golden (44) pose for a photo during a week 15 regular season game against the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium on Sunday December 15, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) talks to his team mates following a week 15 regular season game against the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium on Sunday December 15, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
New York Giants wide receiver Golden Tate (15) celebrates a Sterling Shepard (87) touchdown duringna week 16 regular season game against the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field on Sunday December 22nd, 2019 in Landover, Maryland
New York Giants linebacker Oshane Ximines (53) takes part in a week 15 regular season game against the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium on Sunday December 15, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) during a week 13 regular season game against the Green Bay Packers at MetLife Stadium on Sunday December 1st, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley (26) takes part in a week 15 regular season game against the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium on Sunday December 15, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) signals touchdown during a week 15 regular season game against the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium on Sunday December 15, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley (26) celebrates a touchdown during a week 15 regular season game against the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium on Sunday December 15, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) takes part in a week 15 regular season game against the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium on Sunday December 15, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
New York Giants linebacker David Mayo (55) recovers a fumble during a week 14 regular season Monday Night Football game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on Monday December 9th, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley (26) takes part in a week 15 regular season game against the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium on Sunday December 15, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
New York Giants wide receiver Golden Tate (15) celebrates a touchdown catch in a week 10 regular season game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on Sunday November 10th, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) and New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) takes part in a week 9 regular season game against the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium on Monday November 4th, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
New York Giants tight end Kaden Smith (82) during a week 13 regular season game against the Green Bay Packers at MetLife Stadium on Sunday December 1st, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley (26) stands in the tunnel before a week 10 regular season game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on Sunday November 10th, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) takes part in a week 10 regular season game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on Sunday November 10th, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
New York Giants wide receiver Cody Latimer (12) takes part in a week 9 regular season game against the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium on Monday November 4th, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
New York Giants wide receiver Golden Tate (15) before a week 6 regular season game against the New England Patriots on Thursday October 10th, 2019 in Foxborough, Massachusetts
New York Giants linebacker Markus Golden (44) takes part in a week 9 regular season game against the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium on Monday November 4th, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
New York Giants OL Eric Smith (79) during a regular season week 17 game against the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ
New York Giants safety Jabrill Peppers (21) celebrates in the locker room following a week 4 regular season game against the Washington Redskins at MetLife Stadium on Sunday September 29th, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) takes part a week 6 regular season game against the New England Patriots on Thursday October 10th, 2019 in Foxborough, Massachusetts
New York Giants cornerback DeAndre Baker (27) takes part in a week 4 regular season game against the Washington Redskins at MetLife Stadium on Sunday September 29th, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
New York Giants S Jabrill Peppers (21) during a week 9 game against the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ
New York Giants safety Jabrill Peppers (21) returns an interception for a touchdown in a week 4 regular season game against the Washington Redskins at MetLife Stadium on Sunday September 29th, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
New York Giants RB Saquon Barkley (26) during a week 9 game against the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ
Fireworks during a week 9 game against the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ
New York Giants LB Lorenzo Carter (59) during a week 9 game against the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ
New York Giants QB Eli Manning (10) during a week 9 game against the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ
New York Giants QB Eli Manning (10) during a week 15 game against the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ
New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton (86) makes a touchdown catch in a week 4 regular season game against the Minnesota Vikings at MetLife Stadium on Sunday October 6th, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
New York Giants WR Cody Latimer (12) and WR Sterling Shepard (87) during a week 15 game against the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ
New York Giants QB Eli Manning (10) and DL Dalvin Tomlinson (94) during a week 15 game against the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ
New York Giants DL Leonard Williams (99) during a week 9 game against the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ
New York Giants WR Sterling Shepard (87) during a week 15 game against the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ
New York Giants DL Leonard Williams (99) during a week 15 game against the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ
New York Giants LB Lorenzo Carter (59) during a week 15 game against the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ
New York Giants linebacker Markus Golden (44) takes part in a week 7 regular season game against the Arizona Cardinals at MetLife Stadium on Sunday October 20th, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) walks to the locker room one final time after a week 17 regular season game against the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium on Sunday December 29th, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
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