Giants Country

New York Giants Mail Bag: The "Boiling Point" Edition

Let's check in with the readers to see what's on their minds.

Patricia Traina

New York Giants Mail Bag: The "Boiling Point" Edition
New York Giants Mail Bag: The "Boiling Point" Edition /

If you'd like to submit a question for the mailbag, please send it to nygiantsmaven@gmail.com or post it in our new forum, (free registration required) under Reader Mailbag Questions. We reserve the right to edit letters for clarity and conciseness.

Not necessarily. If I were part of team ownership, I think I'd tell a new general manager candidate to give it a go with Joe for one year and see how things work out. If the needle doesn't move, then I give that person complete autonomy to make a change.  

I don't know Satoshi. We'd have to take a poll and even then, I don't think I'd get close to "most Giants fans" to vote on it. 

But he, I'll throw the poll out there all the same. You can vote in our message board area (free registration is required).

Hi Lesley. The coaching staff apparently didn't feel Fromm was ready to go in last week. Do you remember a few years ago when they put Kyle Lauletta in the game before e was ready because everyone was screaming for him? Remember how that worked out? The last thing I think these coaches want to do is compromise a young player's confidence. 

Thanks for the question, Jeff. I suspect the combination of this being cold and flu season, plus with the colder weather in certain cities forcing more and more people indoors, and the fact that protocols were relaxed this year for vaccinated people (who can still catch COVID) all contributed to the outbreak. 

Now the question is, what will be done to stop the continued spread in its track in the NFL? I wouldn't be shocked if the rest of the year things go back to how they were last year with the virtual access, and wouldn't that be a shame.  

From Kem W. - The last draft appears to have more potential than previous Gettleman drafts. Have they changed scouts or specifics of what they are looking for in players?

Hi Kem. Yes, I believe both Dave Gettleman and john Mara mentioned that they were looking into past draft practices and were changing up what they were doing. I think one of the biggest changes is they've moved away from drafting athletes and are drafting football players, something the previous regime and Gettleman to a degree struggled to do.

From Bruce F. - Joe can talk about how well the team practices and the harmony in the locker room, and the foundation that doesn't exist. But the truth of the matter is for all of its high-priced "talent," this team--his team--is dreadful.

I would almost have to say that the NFL has left Mara stuck in a bygone era. He and Tisch are the owners; it's time for them to face reality. The 80s and 90s are gone. Adherence to the old cronies' way of doing things has hogtied this franchise. How I long for Kevin Gilbride's offense and receivers who could separate and catch the ball. Barkley, Toney, Galloway, not much bang for the buck! Dave should take them with him when he walks out the door. Yeah, time to clean the barn!

Bruce, I'm not trying to defend Joe here, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But you're right, at the end of the day, if the results aren't there--and this year this team has gone backward in my opinion, then I'm not so sure the angry fan base is going to want to hear about the baby steps of progress being made.

And I think where Joe continues to fall short is that he doesn't acknowledge the past since he wasn't here, yet the very same people he's playing for (the fans) DO remember the past. I get it that it's a tough balancing act because you don't want to criticize previous teams, but at the same time, since when is it a sin to say that the team needs to do better instead of talking about the progress that no one outside the building can see?

From Dan D. - Does Mara accept its role in the franchise’s futility? What drastic actions do you think Mara intends to take to correct this flawed organization? Are they considering restructuring their front office and changing the fundamental way they evaluate talent? Are they willing to go outside the Mara and Giants families to solicit the help of someone to turn this around?

Dan, I would like to think there is a feeling of "we win as a team, and we lose as a team" and that the sentiment applies to the front office as well. You're asking me to speculate here as to what John Mara and Steve Tish will do. 

Quite honestly, I'm not even sure if the two men have sat down and discussed the future. John has said in the past that he doesn't like to make a snap decision, so I think we just need to cool our jets for the time being, as hard as that might be, and let this dismal season come to an end to see where things go.

I do think there will be a change at general manager--there has to be given some of the missteps that happened long before the rash of injuries shit this team. My concern is that they stay in house with what they know, which I think would be a mistake.

From Stephen G - I've heard Joe Judge has a very large coaching staff. Can you detail the staff? How many, how are they deployed, is this an unusually large staff? Your thoughts? Too many cooks in the kitchen?

Hi Stephen. Judge has about 25 assistants reporting to him, and I don't think that includes staff members. You have your position coaches and then your bigger picture coaches. 

I don't know what every guy does right down to the nitty gritty detail. For instance, is Pat Flaherty strictly offensive line or does he work with defensive line as well?  So I can't really say for sure if he has too many cooks in the kitchen. (See what each guy's role is here.)

From Charlie H. - Do you think Giants might do something a little different with the GM role. Keep Kevin Abrams as President of Football Operations, everything except scouting and player personnel responsibility. He’s great at managing the cap. Bring in a person with strong player personnel insight as President of Player Personnel. Maybe have that person be co-President with Joe Judge?

What's up, Charlie? I'm not really sure what Joe Judge has proven just yet to warrant a promotion to co-President with anyone. Lastly, if they're going to move on from Gettleman, which again I think is the case, get someone in from the outside as it's pretty clear to me that George Young tree has all but dried up. 

From Andrew G - Would a potential deal of Jones, Bradberry, and a 1st be enough to land Wilson if we can get the cap under control? Speaking of which, who do you see has potential cap cuts or trades during the off-season, and how would you replace those newly created holes. I don't see how we can field a competitive team next year, given all our issues. Talk me off the ledge, please.

What's good, Andrew? I think you answered your first question with your second to last statement. Forget Wilson; fix the offensive line first. This isn't complicated. You also answered your statement about "getting the cap under control"--this team is so deep in the red for next year that right now they're going to have to cut guys just to clear money. Seriously, I hate to disappoint you, but whoever comes in next year as general manager has a lot of work to do.

I'll work on a salary cap strategy in the coming weeks, similar to what I did last year. I have some ideas on how to fix this; I just need to start crunching numbers into a spreadsheet. 

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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