John Mara and Dave Gettleman spoke for almost an hour on Wednesday, and both portrayed a feeling of positivity and confidence about where the Giants are going as an organization.
The Giants’ season ended with a 6-10 record, without a playoff spot for the eighth time in nine seasons. Mara, the longtime co-owner, preached the patience of the fan base. He feels that the giants are close.
“I think if our fans continue to be patient with us,” said Mara, “they will see a winning team soon.”
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Gettleman was seen by many as a spotlight after a 15-33 record in three years, but Mara said on Wednesday that sacking Gettleman was not even considered. The Giants showed enough in 2020 that Mara believes the organization has the right structure in place – that is, with Gettleman as GM and Joe Judge as head coach.
The two press conferences, conducted via Zoom, included some reflections on the failures of past seasons and a look at what needs to be done for the Giants finally Overcome the obstacle and reach the playoffs.
Here are the top five conclusions from Wednesday’s press conferences:
Withdrawal # 1: the failures of 2018
Both Mara and Gettleman, more than ever in the past, admitted the mistakes the organization made in 2018 due to its inability to win more than six games this year.
This was Gettleman’s first year as general manager, where most of his big changes were not worth it. He gave left striker Nate Solder the richest free agent contract in NFL history, and Solder was one of the worst performing tackles in the NFL in 2019. He chose to leave the 2020 season and may not return next year either.
Other veteran additions (Patrick Omameh, Jonathan Stewart, Alec Ogletree) have failed. This recruiting class – led by running back Saquon Barkley and point guard Will Hernandez – is still a big question mark.
“Listen, we made some miscalculations in 2018 with some of our personnel decisions,” said Mara. “But I think that in the past two years, especially last year, we’ve seen a significant improvement.”
He added later that the Giants “to some extent, paid for it this year because they did not have some of these players available. No doubt. I thought that in 2019 things would have improved a little. “
At the free agency, things didn’t improve much in 2019. The Giants signed a significant contract with wide receiver Golden Tate, and he will likely be cut after just two uninspiring seasons. Gettleman also negotiated Odell Beckham a year after signing him with a major contract, although the main pieces of that deal – Jabrill Peppers, Dexter Lawrence – started paying dividends in 2020.
The big 2019 piece that remains up for debate is in the quarterback: Gettleman was criticized for choosing Jones in sixth overall that year, and whether that was the right decision remains up for debate. The Giants’ organization, right up to the top, remained firm in its belief that Jones is the guy.
Gettleman also, of course, deserves credit for the Giants’ excellent 2020 offseason, which saw them add major contributors like James Bradberry, Blake Martinez, Logan Ryan, Graham Gano and what appears to be a solid draft class.
If 2020 portends how the operation will work in the future, there are more reasons for optimism than leaving 2018, certainly.
“I’ll tell you something, we are always learning,” said Gettleman. “Every final decision we make, I review it in my head over and over again, good or bad. I review this repeatedly. You certainly don’t want to repeat mistakes and, for that, you need to be honest with yourself. So, as I already admitted, (2018) was not a stellar year in terms of personnel. We learn from our mistakes, our processes are better. I think that this past year has shown the fruits of this, both in the free agency and in the draft, and I really believe strongly that we will continue with that ”.
Retreat # 2: Time to find weapons in the attack
If Gettleman is going to be criticized for anything in 2020, though, it looks like he would agree on where to start – offense. Specifically, the weapons at Jones’ disposal in the attack.
The Giants took 31st place in scoring and yards this season; only the Jets were worse. Losing Saquon Barkley to a torn ACL in Week 2 certainly hurt, but it shouldn’t have wiped out an attack by returning his first three wide receivers and two first tight ends to such a degree. Wide receivers like Tate, Darius Slayton and Sterling Shepard did not perform well, and tight end Evan Engram led all players in their drop position.
Gettleman and Mara recognized that getting more firepower in the attack will be a top priority this season.
“You can never have too many good players, bottom line. This is a standard response, ”said Gettleman. “At the end of the day, we need to find game developers, that’s all there is to do. I am not sweetening this. If you talk about making philosophical squad, it’s the (quarterback), it’s the big (attackers) allowing you to compete and in the attack are the game creators …
“We are very aware of this and we are going to find the right guys to help Daniel overcome this obstacle.”
If there was ever an off season to look for weapons, at least, this should be an opportunity for Gettleman to rectify that error. This is considered one of the deepest wide receiver free agent classes in years, a list that could include Allen Robinson, Kenny Golladay, Chris Godwin, Juju Smith-Schuster, Corey Davis, Will Fuller, Curtis Samuel, TY Hilton, Marvin Jones and Nelson Agholor.
The Giants will choose 11th place in the draft, which may be the right place to receive a receiver like Jaylen Waddle from Alabama, too.
Takeaway No. 3: Saquon Barkley and its future
One of the biggest questions that the Giants will have to answer in the future concerns their most talented player: Saquon Barkley’s running back. He is coming out of an injury that cost him almost two games, a year after injuries limited him for much of the year as well.
And yet, he is considered the face of the Giants franchise.
The question: should they hire you for a lucrative contract extension?
There is a lot of history of long-term running back contracts that didn’t work out (for example, Todd Gurley, Le’Veon Bell), but the Giants chose him for second overall in 2018, much to the chagrin of many experts. They are committed to the pot, but how much is that pot worth?
Barkley is eligible to sign an extension as soon as this off-season, although the Giants have him under control for at least two more seasons after this one.
“It was brutal to see him fall in week 2,” said Mara. “He is a very important part of this team, not only for what he does on the pitch, but for the leadership and all the intangibles he brings to us outside the field. That was really a punch in the stomach. Listen, I’m still happy to have you. I think knowing him, he will come back stronger than ever and be a big part of that team next year.
“In terms of what the schedule is, it is difficult to predict that now. I know that our medical personnel are very pleased with the progress he has made. I certainly hope that he will be a giant for a long time. “
Takeaway No. 4: Leonard Williams negotiations
Gettleman smiled when asked about Leonard Williams and his future with the Giants, and it’s easy to see why. Gettleman suffered a lot from the 2019 deadline deal that brought Williams from the Jets and that finally paid big dividends in 2020.
Williams had a career record of 11.5 sacks and looked like one of the best NFL strikers. He could run more than $ 20 million a year this off-season.
Will this be with the Giants?
Gettleman said nothing, although he praised Williams and the work that Giants coaches – specifically defensive line coach Sean Spencer and defensive coordinator Patrick Graham – did to help unlock his potential.
“The bottom line is that we are where we are,” said Gettleman. “Leonard deserves a lot of credit for the way he prepared this year … Leonard did a great job. He did a great job working up to his buttock …
“It thrived in our atmosphere. I am ecstatic. It’s like saying to players all the time, ‘I just want you to succeed and I want you to make me cry when it comes to negotiations’. “
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