Giants Country

Should One More Win Really Justify Return of Giants GM/Head Coach Duo?

One NFL insider believes that is the hope of Giants team ownership.

Patricia Traina

Giants Co-owner Steve Tisch, Giants General Manager Joe Schoen, Giants Head Coach Brian Daboll, and Giants Co-owner John Mara pose for a photograph in East Rutherford, NJ. Monday, January 31, 2022
Giants Co-owner Steve Tisch, Giants General Manager Joe Schoen, Giants Head Coach Brian Daboll, and Giants Co-owner John Mara pose for a photograph in East Rutherford, NJ. Monday, January 31, 2022 / Kevin R. Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK
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The New York Giants are on a nine-game losing streak that ties the franchise’s single-season record set in 2019. They are in grave danger of not winning another game this season, making any thought of team ownership retaining general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll for another season difficult to justify.  

But what if, against all odds, the Giants won at least one of their remaining three games, games which include visits to the Falcons and Eagles sandwiched around the home finale against the Colts? Would that be enough to justify keeping the status quo with general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll?

According to SI.com’s Albert Breer, that would be the hope. But does it really matter given how the team has deteriorated this season, and not only because of injuries (which every team has to deal with, by the way).

At this point, it’s not only hard to envision a Giants team ranked at or near the bottom in just about every major offensive statistic (including scoring), but most Giants fans would rather the team continue to lose at this point to ensure that the franchise locks up the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft, where it should be able to get a new franchise quarterback.

Giants co-owner John Mara has spoken about the need for patience with the franchise’s decision-makers who, despite being in Year 3 on the job, are actually in Year 2 of the rebuild after the team surprised everyone with its 9-7-1 record in 2022.

That said, one would have hoped that the Giants would show progress in terms of their won-loss record, something that hasn’t happened despite the circumstances of 2023 and this season being eerily similar.

For example, the Giants went through three quarterbacks last season thanks to injuries and played 11 games without then-starter Daniel Jones and with a historically bad offensive line. Yet those obstacles didn't stop the Giants from winning six games.

This year, they haven’t been able to repeat that. They played ten games with a healthy Jones, going 2-8. Since parting ways with him, they have yet to win a game, having matched a franchise record for most consecutive losses in a single season (nine games). The biggest change on offense was Daboll's decision to take on the playcalling.

But as the empty seats at Giants home games become more prominent, with each new airplane flying overhead urging change, and with the coaching staff’s only answer to fix what ails the team to be to keep on chopping wood, the thought of running it back with the same regime seems to make less and less sense every week given where the franchise is.

Do they, for instance, want to run it back with Schoen and Daboll and allow them to pick the next franchise quarterback? Is there a risk of the losing continuing, and the franchise repeating the mistakes of 2019 when they allowed then-GM Dave Gettleman and head coach Pat Shurmur to pick the team’s next franchise quarterback (Jones)?

Ownership must consider these issues over the next several weeks as the franchise approaches a critical point.

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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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