When Albert Breer released his list of names to watch for future general manager positions, it was really no surprise that nobody on the New York Giants made the list.
Call it a byproduct of being part of an organization that's gone 13-38 over the past three years, but not a single member of Joe Schoen's staff making the list is a major indictment of the general manager and his inability to elevate any portion of the franchise, including the front office.
Unsurprisingly, ownership decided to keep the 46-year-old around for another year because he's done a good job of building a young core group of players. And that creates a downstream problem that's becoming impossible to ignore. You see, it's not only the on-field lack of success that's crippling Big Blue. It's also the off-field problems.
The fact that not a single member of Schoen's staff made the list implies that he's hiring the wrong people or that he can't develop the right people. Had he been making the correct staffing decisions, this team would be in a much better place. Yet, here we are -- coming off another miserable season with the same tired message as the year before: We're tired of losing. It'll get better next year.
Albert Breer’s GM candidate list says what Giants won’t about Joe Schoen
The Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders both had a member of their staff make the list. Shocker that both teams were just fighting for a spot in the Super Bowl last postseason. There's a clear trend between capable front offices and on-field success.
Alec Halaby actually would have been an ideal replacement for Schoen. He's been playing assistant GM to Howie Roseman down I-95 in Philly, helping build one of the most successfully run teams of the past decade.
Not that the Giants would have any idea what that feels like anymore.
Assistant general manager Brandon Brown was viewed as a fast-rising exec just last year, so maybe there's a little juice left with him. Or maybe he's been flying too close to Schoen's directionless vision that he's getting omitted via association.
Either way, it’s a terrible look for a team that desperately needs quality leadership at the top to set a tone that funnels down through the rest of the organization. Until the Giants start to actually cultivate real leadership both on and off the field, they’re just rearranging deck chairs on a sinking ship.