Vincent Moody asks: The Giants flame out this season and end with a top draft pick. They fire Dabs. Draft Shedeur and hire Deion Sanders as coach?
Ed says: No. Vincent, I would be surprised if John Mara signed off on drafting Shedeur Sanders because of the Prime Time presence I think could loom over whatever team drafts him.
Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll have shown a willingness to deal with big personalities like Kayvon Thibodeaux and Malik Nabers. If they like Sanders enough and think they can deal with the distractions his father would inevitably bring — if Deion would even sign off on his son being drafted by the Giants — they might try to convince Mara it would be worth the risk. I am not sure he would go for it.
Adding Deion as head coach? No. That’s a Cowboys or a Raiders kind of thing to do. Not a Giants kind of thing to do.
Larry Jamieson asks: I’ve been in the “Let DJ play it out” to see what he could do with a good team around him. While there is still a way to go, the roster is vastly improved from where it was, especially on the O line, yet, here we are.
One of the big reasons for keeping Jones in there was that management and coaches didn’t want to seem like they were raising the white flag and giving up on the season.
Everyone, at least publicly, has been very supportive of Jones, but I’m wondering how you think the rest of the team would react to a QB change?
Ed says: Larry, I think we are about to find out how the rest of the team will react.
Players respect Jones. They know how hard he works. They know how much he cares. They know he puts his body on the line and doesn’t shy away from hits most quarterbacks wouldn’t take. They know how well he represents the franchise.
They also want to win. They know they aren’t doing it. They know they aren’t scoring nearly enough points or taking advantage of nearly enough opportunities. They know they all share some of the blame, but they also know that quarterback play is a major part of the issue. You can tell by how they grope for answers and don’t come up with any good ones when asked how to fix it. None of them are going to say outright that they need a different/better quarterback.
GM Joe Schoen did a smart thing this week when he framed a possible Jones benching as a “football decision” and not a financial one, though we know finances will have something to do with it. He spoke about how important it is for the young players to win some games and not get accustomed to or accept losing.
When they make the move they can and will sell it as what they believe will give the team the best chance to win some games the rest of the way. Players will feel bad for Jones, but they will accept that.
Paul Miller asks: I’m writing this right after the OT loss in Germany. Other than the losses to Minnesota and Philly every other loss was winnable. I’m convinced that they have a lot of really good pieces in place, just not at QB. I hope that John Mara does not jettison Schoen or Daboll. Schoen was part of the Bills staff when they took Josh Allen so let him pick his guy. Do you think Mara will be patient?
Ed says: Paul, I don’t know. I think Mara wants to be patient. I think he knows he needs to patient with a head coach/GM combo at some point if the Giants are ever going to do better than accidentally being good once every five or six years. I think he should be patient with Schoen and Daboll.
I just don’t know if he will be able to be. A lot depends on what it looks and feels like over the final seven games.
David Kanterasks: This is the perfect and possibly only point (remember last year) in the season to dream big. I think Schoen is right but I’m a sucker for optimism. Why can’t we be next season’s Commanders? We draft Shedeur, a corner, and some OL. DJ is gone. The salary cap next year is mostly dedicated to productive players at this point. I think we’ve had some decent drafts, we’ve got a D that’s pretty good and we shore up the secondary in free agency. We sign a top OL piece, resign Slayton. Dreaming is really the only reason at this point in the season most of us are tuning in.
Ed says: David, the NFL is a year-to-year league. It is designed to make you dream, and as a Giants fan you should do just that. If the Giants land a C.J. Stroud or a Jayden Daniels everything looks different. Of course, just taking a quarterback doesn’t mean that result is guaranteed. See Bryce Young. See Anthony Richardson. See the last six years with Daniel Jones. You have to take the swing at some point, but there are more misses than hits.
Bill Goggin asks: Is it me, or did Schoen strongly hint that he wanted to hire Russell Wilson, but Wilson wasn’t interested?
Ed says: Bill, I don’t think you are crazy to think Schoen was interested in Wilson. My understanding of that situation, though, is that Wilson knew the Giants were looking for a backup for Jones and not someone who thought they were coming in to compete for the Day 1 starting job. Wilson was never going to accept that. He went to the Pittsburgh Steelers, of course, where Wilson would have been the Week 1 starter had he not been injured.
For those who missed it, here is what Schoen said when asked about Wilson:
“You go through the process, you do what you do. If it’s a good fit, then sometimes they come. If they’re not, you can’t make them … that’s how free agency works. And players decide where they want to go and what they want to do. But some of that stuff is out of your control.”
Todd Kuehn asks: Schoen and Daboll came in together. Is there a scenario where Daboll is let go and Schoen stays or are they a package deal? I agree with many of your assessments about Daboll and game management, especially this year. The field goal kicker problem against Washington comes to mind. Some play calling seems worse than what Kafka did. If both get let go, what are the chances Brandon Brown gets a chance to run the organization?
Ed says: Todd, John Mara has said that he could separate the two. I’m not sure he could, or if that would be the best idea. I think it’s possible that Daboll goes and Schoen stays, but as of right now I believe both are staying. As for Brandon Brown, I think it’s possible that they would turn to Brown if they moved on from Schoen. Again, though, I don’t think that’s happening.
Seth Weissman asks: Assuming the Giants finish the season with the #2 draft pick, based on what you’ve seen from the QBs in college this season, do you think any are worthy of that #2 pick? If not, is there any player or position you would target in that spot if there isn’t a sufficient trade offer?
Seth: I haven’t studied the draft yet, to be honest. That said, I know that Shedeur Sanders, Cam Ward and Jalen Milroe are considered potential top five picks. Draft analyst Emory Hunt told me recently on the ‘Valentine’s Views’ podcast that any of the three would have a path to success with Brian Daboll as their head coach.
Other players? A two-way star like Travis Hunter, the top cornerback in the draft (Will Johnson) and the best defensive lineman (Mason Graham) all have appeal.
Tom Pietrzak asks: As a Giants fan, what should I be rooting for the remainder of this season: that the Giants lose out, thus improving their draft position? Or that they win a handful of their last 7 games and end the season on an encouraging note? In other words, what do you think gives the Giants the better chance to be successful in 2025: picking in the top 5 or 10 of next year’s draft, or beginning to develop a winning culture by winning games NOW? And to be clear, this is not a question about whether or not the Giants should tank; I know that’s not how NFL teams operate. Instead, it’s a question about how the rest of this season best sets them up to have success next year and beyond.
Ed says: Tom, you probably know that I never advocate tanking. I don’t, honestly, think NFL teams do that on purpose. If they’re bad, they lose. If they’re good enough to win, they win.
What should you root for? I say root for the team to win as many games as possible, and then you figure out the offseason and the draft when you get there.
I think GM Joe Schoen was on the money when he talked this about how young the Giants are, about how a high percentage of the players they have are going to be part of their future beyond this year, and how it is important for them not to learn to accept or expect losing.
Here is what Schoen said:
“We have 19 of 22 starters under contract for next year. I believe it’s 41 players on the 53 (man roster). So, there is a young nucleus of players here, and some veterans, that are going be together. We’re in a position where we have some continuity. As this team grows together, it’s important over these final seven weeks that… A lot of these guys are going to be together again next year. We’re finally in a position where there will be some continuity year over year. It’s important that we find ways to win games, specifically those ones I spoke about earlier when it’s close. That’s part of changing the culture and expecting to win. You don’t want it to be, ‘Here we go again.’ So, that’s a mindset that we’re still trying to develop. We do have a young team. We have the youngest defense in the league. We have Theo [Johnson], [Tyrone] Tracy, [Malik] Nabers, some young guys on offense that are playing major roles for us and contributing. It’s important for them to grow and learn how to win games as well.”
I understand and agree that the Giants need to get the right quarterback to get out of this seemingly-endless cycle they are in. First dibs in the draft doesn’t guarantee getting the right guy, though. The history of drafting quarterbacks over the past 20-25 years tells us there are more misses than hits. So, win games if you can. Build your roster. Take your quarterback swing if there is a guy you are in love with who is within reach. If you screw it up, don’t be afraid to move on and take another swing.
Peter Smyth asks: Is it fair to call this year 1 of a true rebuild? My logic is that 2022 was a lightning strike nobody expected, but was a mirage. 2023 was a reaction to that success and decisions (Jones contract, trading 3rd pick for Waller) and making moves that competitive teams do to get over the top. 2024 is the acknowledgement that we are rebuilding and we have to have several drafts like we just had and build the foundation for a young QB (forget Jones). As proof I offer that Schoen even used the word “build” in his recent press conference.
Ed says: Peter, I am not sure calling it Year 1 of a true rebuild is fair. I think Joe Schoen has always referred to trying to build something.
I do think the first year was really just scrambling to fill out a team given the cap mess and limited roster Schoen and Daboll inherited. I also think that in many ways, including the quarterback, the unanticipated success of 2022, changed the course of the build. I don’t think Schoen expected to be three seasons deep with Daniel Jones. He has also admitted that some of what he did last offseason was probably outside his original plan because of the 2022 success.
I think it is fair to say that the 2024 offseason is more of a reflection of the way Schoen intended to build his team.
Mark Cicio asks: Just today I read that PFF ranked the Giants O-line most improved team position from last year. Being as we lost Thomas yet still are holding it well as a unit, would you rank the reason as…
a. Bricillo as an excellent coach
b. Schoen bringing in competent players/depth this past off season.
c. JMS growing in his second season and leading a better line on the field
d. all of the above in different ways.
I get that there are better O-lines in the league, but we were all hoping to be at least mid-tier, as that would be a massive improvement from the past few years. Yes, we could use some better depth pieces (which team couldn’t). But I see a better unit which, maybe with a quality addition or two this offseason, as a great place for a new young QB.
Ed says: Mark, I would say all of the above. I think offensive line-wise the play this year has bought Joe Schoen some time to add young talent to the group, even though we can all question the backup swing tackle decision. I do think it is critical for the Giants to add youth to the line via the draft.
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