The New York Giants have lost 10 or more games five years in a row and in seven of their last eight. That’s a legacy of losing that defies logic in a league that practically bends over backward to assist struggling teams.
Having headstrong figures running the show, combined with antiquated thinking and just plain bad luck, has put the team in a spiral that few see them escaping anytime soon.
How could a team be in salary cap hell plus have a roster devoid of talent at the same time? It seems almost impossible to accomplish in pro sports these days.
But the Giants managed to do it. Now comes the hard part of digging out. They hired Buffalo Bills assistant general manager Joe Schoen to replace Dave Gettleman as the general manager. He then hired Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll to be the Giants’ fifth head coach since the dismissal of Tom Coughlin in 2016.
Bleacher Report’s Brett Sobieski calls the Giants’ changes in the front office and coaching staff as featuring “competent leadership.”
The New York Giants’ current brain trust of general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll already seem far more capable than the previous regime.
Under previous general manager Dave Gettleman, the Giants drafted a running back with the second overall pick and Daniel Jones with the sixth overall pick. Those two moves alone have set back the franchise since Saquon Barkley has been injured and Jones hasn’t developed.
Schoen had little cap room to work with coming in the door. In fact, he had to shed nearly $40 million in salaries in order to free up enough room to sign a few veterans to low-level deals and get the incoming draft class under contract.
The Giants hit a home run in the first round of the draft when they scored a one-two punch of Oregon edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux and Alabama offensive tackle Evan Neal.
The salary cap going forward should be flexible enough to allow Schoen to continue to fill in the blanks where needed, and Daboll has already carved a niche with his players.
