While attending a screening of “The Duke: Wellington Mara’s Giant Life” last week, Giants owner John Mara knew he would be asked about the status of his GM and head coach. So, before a reporter asked him, he announced they would be on staff for the remainder of this season and next. Really?
After watching yet another Giants’ inept loss, this time on Monday night to the Pittsburgh Steelers, a Giants fan can only ask, Why?
What have Schoen and Daboll done to deserve their positions? Not much–one winning season and a playoff win. That’s hard to celebrate, especially when the recent record has been, in a word, underwhelming, if not awful. Besides, the appropriate retention criterion should be whether either is right for the job, and neither has shown he is.
Let’s examine Schoen’s performance in the primary domain of his job: the NFL Draft. He has had three drafts to work with, and outside of Malik Nabers (a pick in his third draft class), Schoen’s draft picks stink.
In Schoen’s first draft class, Evan Neal and Kayvon Thibodeaux underperformed, as have Wan’Dale Robinson and Daniel Bellinger, and the same pattern has held in his second draft class. Cornerback Deonte Banks gets torched by wide receivers and is also a weak tackler. You could see that weakness last night when he failed to tackle Steelers running back Najee Harris, who ran for 13 yards rather than going down earlier. Banks was benched right after that play. Then there’s Jalin Hyatt, who does not get much action, and John Michael Schmitz, a non-factor on the Giant’s offensive line.
It’s even harder to give Schoen credit for Nabers. While Nabers comes from LSU, a WR football factory, ala Odell Beckham Jr., the Giants could have (should have) drafted an outstanding quarterback option. J.J. McCarthy, Bo Nix, or Michael Penix Jr. were available. Drafting Nabers seems right up there with then-Giants general manager Dave Gettleman picking Saquon Barkley when the team needed an offensive lineman or a quarterback.
So, if Schoen can’t get it right with most of his picks, why should we think he is the guy to get it right in drafting a quarterback if he gets that chance? Answer: he shouldn’t.
Then there’s Daboll, who arrived from Buffalo with great acclaim. His performance? 17-24-1. Players are not developing under him. The team is often ill-prepared. The team expects to lose. Major in-game adjustments are rarely made, and Daboll often seems confused on the sidelines. His postgame comments to the media are underwhelming. He doesn’t seem to know why the Giants play awful.
Is Daboll’s type of leadership the kind that the Giants want? Answer: No.
If a team is going to keep its general manager and head coach, there has to be an upward trend, which is not the case with the Giants. Indeed, the program is trending in the opposite direction, losing 18 of the last 25 games (72% loss rate).
Mara probably doesn’t want to go through a double-search, but will he have a choice if the Giants end up in 2024 at 2-15, 3-14, 4-13, or 5-12? If the team finishes strong, then Mara can make a case. But what are the odds?
Remember how Jerry Glanville dubbed the “NFL” as Not For Long? How and why would you retain people if they can’t and don’t perform? Schoen and Daboll need to win and win now. That’s the only way they should qualify for job-retention status.
