The New York Giants will introduce newly hired general manager Joe Schoen on Wednesday morning. But before he has a chance to stand at the podium and take heat from the beat, Schoen sat down with former Giants center Shaun O’Hara.
In the wide-ranging 10-minute interview, Schoen touched on a variety of topics. He talked about Bill Polian’s book, culture and his approach to roster building.
“Ultimately, I think building through the draft — I believe in that. Drafting, developing and signing your own. I think that’s very important if you want to sustain success,” Schoen said. “I believe in supplementing the roster with free agency and going outside the building, but don’t really like getting into signing the biggest fish out there and spending a lot of money.
“I won’t say we’ll never do that, but I prefer to draft, develop and sign our own. I just think the margin for error is much smaller because you know exactly what you’re paying for. You know how the guys work on a daily basis and you know how they fit your culture. So, that’s kind of how I foresee us doing it here with the Giants.”
Speaking of culture — a word frequently thrown around by former head coach Joe Judge — Schoen is big on that as well.
“I know ‘culture’ is thrown around a lot, but (I want) guys that fit our culture,” Schoen said. “Guys that are smart, tough and dependable. It’s going to start there. Guys that are talented and that have really good habits. I think you’re going to have your best chance for success with those type of players.”
Schoen is certainly saying all the right things and it’s a significant departure from Dave Gettleman’s approach in recent years. It’s a modernized approach — something very different for the stone age Giants.
