John Mara and Steve Tisch did not mention when they think new general manager Joe Shawn will start winning.
On Friday, the Giants’ co-owners released neatly crafted press statements expressing their excitement about Sean’s “progressive and inclusive vision.”
But they did not say what their expectations are regarding the timetable for this turnaround.
Will they give Schoen (pronounced “Shane”) a long way to go to steadily rebuild this franchise? Do they expect him to be in contention for division titles and playoff spots in two or three years? Or do they want a postseason-worthy product in 2022?
They hired Sean, 42, because they no doubt believe he can be their long-term leader.
The Schoen and Giants owners also have clear head coach candidates in mind. Among them are Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daball, Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, and former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores.
A source close to Flores said they “can neither confirm nor deny” the report that Mara personally called Flores a couple of days ago to tell him he was a serious candidate for the position. The Giants have already requested an interview with Quinn, and Daball and Frazier are lined up this weekend.
However, what is the time frame for Mara and Tish for changes from an outsider to bear fruit in their organization? We already know what the timeframes are for head coaches here: two years, even if that’s not the timeframe that was discussed when they were hired.
It was Ben McAdoo, Pat Shurmur and Joe Judge, all two years ago. Three coaches in a row. Tom Coughlin, too, nearly ended up on the streets three years into his post-2006 tenure.
It’s odd that the Giants have a reputation for being consistent players, even though their recent track record has been moving the goalpost towards their stated goals.
General managers are different. The Giants hire Sean in search of long-term stability at the location. Sean is only the fifth full-time Giants CEO since 1979.
During this time it was Hall of Famer George Young (two Super Bowls), Ernie Accorsi (Eli Manning, Super Bowl hit), Jerry Reese (two Super Bowls), and Dave Gettleman (19–46). Now Sean.
And if Gettleman was worthy of four years, then Sean deserves ten years.
However, Sean is an outsider, the first to come here since Young. Bill Parcells once hired him for the Dolphins, but that’s about as close as his Giants connections can be.
And while it’s funny to say he could be the next Young – and pull the Giants out of these modern-day Middle Ages in East Rutherford – what happens if the outsider’s efforts don’t start to bear fruit relatively quickly?
The only person on Friday who referred to the expectation of a win in a Giants press release was Sean himself.
“Our goal is to build a squad that is competitive, deep and most importantly, win football games,” Sean said in a statement.
It sounded like Sean was looking to win a decent amount of games in 2022.
That may be because he sees more talent in this roster than two years ago, even if Mara dramatized this situation last week as the low point of his time on the team.
At the same time, the Giants have played and lost one game in the playoffs over the last decade. Over the past five years, they have won no more than six games. And Sean comes here with his eyes open.
Buffalo general manager Brandon Bean said on Friday that Sean Giants’ new salary cap issues mirror those that Bean and Sean inherited with the Bills in 2017.
“The only thing I can say that I only realized in my brief conversations with him after his first interview with the Giants was the salary cap situation,” Bean said in a conference call with Buffalo and New York media. “Our salary cap wasn’t in a very healthy position when we got here, and it looks like that applies to the Giants as well.”
Bean expressed his hope that Sean would also be successful in dealing with these Giant issues. It’s just another major roadblock in Sean’s path to resurrect the franchise.
Meanwhile, some league sources warn that Shawn has been the clear favorite of the Giants CEO all along because he was the least threat to the organization’s status quo.
He comes from a traditional scouting background. And while Tisch said Sean will be “overseeing our football operations,” Mara said that “Sean’s collaborative approach to building the squad and coaching staff is exactly what we were looking for.”
It seems to describe a GM that is willing to solicit and listen to everyone else with titles in the building rather than dictating to them how this lost franchise should change.
Tisch’s optimistic Friday announcement included a promise: “We will do everything we can to support Joe’s vision and his strategic plan for success.”
If this is true – and if the expectations of the owners are realistic and unshakable – this has a chance.
