Three weeks ago New York Giants co-owner John Mara told reporters that he still had confidence in general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll.
“Obviously, we’re all very disappointed with where we are right now,” Mara said. “But I’m gonna say one thing: we are not making any changes this season. And I do not anticipate making any changes in the offseason, either.”
The Giants were 2-5 at the time and the season was somewhat salvageable. Fast forward three weeks and three more losses later and one has to wonder if Mara is rethinking his endorsement.
His 2-8 Giants are a sloppy, uninspired bunch that finds different ways to lose winnable games on a weekly basis now. They lost to Pittsburgh by eight points, Washington by five, and now by three to Carolina in overtime on Sunday.
Combine those games with a three-point loss in Washington in Week 2 where they screwed up their kicker situation and a five-point defeat at the hands of a dysfunctional Dallas team in Week 4 and this season has been a series of “what-ifs.”
They also lost to the high-flying Bengals by a respectable score of 17-7. The score was 10-7 until the final two minutes.
Had they been more disciplined and focused in some of those games, they might just be in the thick of things right now.
And that’s not just the players we’re talking about. The coaching staff and front office should be lumped in there as well. They have mismanaged the roster multiple times this season and have made dubious choices in handling injured players.
Throw in Daboll’s erratic in-game coaching decisions that have backfired and the Giants have no one to blame but themselves. He has outsmarted himself time and time again. The truth is, he has a winning percentage of just .398 as Giants head coach — the fifth worst among Giants head coaches in their history.
Mara has to be frustrated. The fans are, for sure. This NFL season is wide open and the Giants aren’t competing. The Carolina loss was the final blow of a long flurry of final blows this season.
Whose fault is it? WFAN host Sal Licata says look no further than Mara.
“To me, the main culprit is the owner,” Sal said. “If I were John Mara, I’d wake up today and fire myself! That’s how bad he’s been. Their problems go back years, whether it’s pushing Coughlin out, hiring McAdoofus, allowing Gettleman to draft a running back second overall, and then forcing Schoen and Daboll to extend Daniel Jones… Every step of the way, it’s been wrong decisions, and it starts at the top with Mara…the problem is, he’s not going anywhere.”
Of course, Mara didn’t force Schoen to decline Jones’ fifth-year option. If he were truly meddling, that would have never happened and Saquon Barkley would still be dressing in blue. That suggests Schoen and Daboll are acting freely.
Still, Mara is not without blame.
Firing Schoen and Daboll will just keep the revolving door going. They are new to their jobs and may not be very good at them for all we know.
Mara has to take into account his role in this mess. These are not pleasant times for the Giants and their fans. Will they ever be able to escape this losing cycle again?
