Joe Schoen sounds like a general manager targeting not just alignment with his head coach, but a progressive approach to building a roster, winning in the NFL
With Joe Schoen locked in as New York Giants’ general manager, his first task is a monumental one; hire the head coach who will create the kind of alignment he witnessed during his time with the Buffalo Bills and that owner John Mara covets.
All signs point to the Giants forging ahead with Daniel Jones at quarterback, at least in 2022, but who Schoen tasks with developing the fourth-year signal-caller and beginning to change a culture that has lacked direction and continuity for the better part of the past five years will be paramount.
During his introductory press conference Wednesday, Schoen revealed the qualities he covets in his first head coaching hire as general manager.
"“All of our candidates bring a different skill-set to the table,” Schoen told reporters. “I’m not concerned that they’ve been a head coach before, or if they haven’t. I’m concerned with getting the best head coach for the New York Giants.“It’s going to be imperative that it is someone who is in lockstep with me, who I can be in constant communication with, and we’re going to be aligned in our vision as we build a football team.”"
Will Joe Schoen finally modernize the New York Giants’ evaluation process?
Former New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman was frequently mocked for his mocking of analytics.
Gettleman frequently dismissed the use of the data when it came to team-building, favoring the “eye test,” for evaluating talent.
It sure sounds as though Schoen, and the coaching staff he assembles, plan to be far more progressive.
"“I believe in it,” Schoen explained. “Anything that can give us a competitive advantage, or help us win games, we’re going to continue to push the envelope and find out what those tools are. To me, if it’s going to help us in the draft process, when it comes to evaluation, or the free agency process, contract values, who do these players compare to, if it’s going to help us with our practice schedule to keep guys healthy and on the field, if guys are running too much or working too hard, we have to be mindful of the information.“It’s a piece of the puzzle, it’s not going to drive the entire process, but it’s another tool that we need to use to give ourselves a competitive advantage, and put us in the best positions we can for the New York Giants.”"
The New York Giants have already conducted a pair of interviews with Brian Daboll, interviewed Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, and will interview defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores, and Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier for a second time this week.
There is a real chance the New York Giants’ coaching search could be over by the weekend.
However, don’t expect the change or the winning culture to take footing overnight in East Rutherford.
But, only six franchises have won more games than the Buffalo Bills since Schoen’s arrival as general manager Brandon Beane’s No. 2. Schoen knows what it takes to turn an organization around, especially a legacy franchise like the Giants that have fallen to the depths of the NFL following five consecutive double-digit loss seasons.
"“It’s going to take every person in the organization pulling in the right direction,” Schoen says. “There are a lot of people in that building. They have the right people in the right seats. Everyone knew what the end-goal was. On a daily basis, everybody bought into the process, and over time, we build a really good culture because everyone bought into the process.“Getting the right people in the right seats with the right common goal in mind, that’s what we had in Buffalo.”"