New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen has to be feeling good right now. The job's not close to being done, but the fourth-year executive has been raked over the coals for the better part of two years for his decision-making — and rightfully so.
Saying he’s had a track record of good decisions would be generous. But through all the $160 million contract extensions and Saquon Barkley exits, there are some good moves in there as well. None might be bigger — right now at least — than the 46-year-old's bold move to trade and extend outside linebacker Brian Burns.
Related: Brian Burns reveals what made Giants' upset win vs. Eagles so ‘special'
Coming off one of the most inexcusable losses of the Brian Daboll-Schoen era against the New Orleans Saints, the 27-year-old held a defense-only players' meeting to re-establish order. Burns' heartfelt speech must have resonated with the group, because the ensuing 34-17 shellacking of the Philadelphia Eagles in primetime proved they had more in them if they just worked together.
Brian Burns steps up as Giants’ new defensive tone-setter
Player-only meetings are typically viewed as a last-ditch effort, a panic move, for the organization. It's usually a death sentence for the coaching staff. They're mainly reserved for free-falling teams with a clear lack of direction, effort, or discipline.
However, when the results follow, they're seen in a much more positive light. Fortunately, this one swung in favor of Big Blue.
Look no further than second-year safety Tyler Nubin's recollection of the conversation and what it meant to him via Dan Duggan of The Athletic:
"It wasn’t calling guys out. It was just being real, like, ‘Hey, we need this from you. We need this from this guy because we believe in you.’ It wasn’t, ‘You’re not doing this.’ It was positive, but it was a man-to-man conversation. It’s a grown-man league, so you’ve got to be grown at some point and hear the truth. It was good. It was what we needed."Tyler Nubin
This is exactly what the G-Men need: Someone not on the coaching staff to hold them accountable, and not to settle for complacency. They have the talent, especially on defense, to be a serious spoiler in 2025. And at 2-4, there's no time to waste.
It makes sense for the two-time Pro Bowler to be the catalyst for change — he's enjoying the best season of his career, and he's tired of wasting away on losing teams. Through six-plus seasons, Burns' teams are 28-77. That is so much losing.
It's no wonder he hit a breaking point. The former Florida State standout has been on a tear this season. He's amassed 30 tackles, seven sacks, nine tackles for loss, and 11 quarterback hits. And that's with just over a third of the season's worth of results. He's on pace for career-highs in all of those categories.
Duggan reported that it was mostly Burns who spoke for the 30 minutes, but Dexter Lawrence and Bobby Okereke were also up there to echo his message. One win later, and the message was received in full.
The Giants take their talents across the country with a Week 7 matchup with the Denver Broncos on Sunday. It's a tall task, but if Burns’ voice continues to carry like this, it might be the start of something real for this defense.