Last week, the New York Giants premiered the first edition of “Offseason Hard Knocks,” following Joe
Schoen and company as they geared up for an eventful offseason. I was initially disappointed with the
first episode of this series and rewatched it an additional two times to see if I needed to include
something.
The scenes and dialogue felt staged and very forced at times. The executive meetings and
football talk felt like they were appeasing the camera and dumbing it down for the audience rather than a”fly on the wall” perspective of the Giant’s front office. The personnel analysis and scouting reports felt more akin to water cooler conversations amongst fans rather than an in-depth football strategy amongst professionals. The second episode, on the other hand…. was phenomenal. Let’s break down a few takeaways I had from these two episodes.
This series may cannibalize our Front Office
A few of the top guys in the Giants organization have stood out, and it’s only a short time before another
owner sees what the audience sees and hires them. For example, Brandon Brown, the Giant’s assistant
general manager, will likely get a GM job shortly. He emphasized a return-driven mindset focusing on
allocating dollars to high-impact position groups and is a good evaluator and communicator. He’s
already had interviews.
This guy has a good head on his shoulders and displayed a sound philosophy on managing a salary cap and properly allocating dollars by position.
Chris Rossetti, Director of Pro Scouting, is another front office member who stood out. Rosetti explained
how the free agency board is built out, which was fascinating.
He was higher on Saquon and seemed more in favor of attempting to keep him than Joe Schoen.
He mentioned that Saquon was the only real “difference maker” with explosive traits in the free agent running back class and that he seemed more confident in finding a deal in the $12M plus range than the rest of the front office.
He even mentioned the additional value teams with higher-performing offense lines, Philly and Detroit named explicitly, may put on Saquon since they have the offensive line to maximize his effectiveness in the run game.
In hindsight, this episode made both of these guys look great, and I am sure they will receive more attention for general manager hires soon.
Schoen was always going to let Saquon walk
Throughout the episode, Schoen remained adamant about letting Saquon test free agency and didn’t see
tag and trade as a realistic option. The relationship with Saquon had deteriorated at this point, and it’s
clear that their offer this offseason was significantly lower than the 3-year $11-12M APV contract rumored
to have been offered last year.
They mentioned offers in the $7M APV range, which they didn’t put on the table to avoid seeming “disrespectful.” Schoen had to constantly quell concerns from other front office members and the owner, John Mara, who seemed disappointed with letting Saquon walk.
His viral quote, “We’re not paying Daniel $40M to hand off the ball to a $12M back.” This statement does
have value, but it falls on deaf ears when the Eagles are paying a $52M quarterback to hand the ball off
to a $12.5M back and throw it to two $28M+ wide receivers.
It’s not surprising.
Look at Schoen’s time in Buffalo. Until last year, Josh Allen was the entire running and passing game, with few noteworthy backs toting the rock until James Cook took a 2nd step the previous year. But Schoen’s gotta realize DJ isn’t Josh Allen and the threat of a back like Saquon only help support DJ, who has always been excused for poor performance due to his lack of supporting cast.
We’re ALL IN
As Jerry Jones would say on the radio, this team is ALL IN. But for the Giants and Daniel Jones, it’s used
in a very different sense of the phrase. Schoen is doubling down, showing an 8, with all his chips in the
middle. Now it’s time to find out if we walk away or keep playing.
Schoen mentioned multiple times that this is Daniel’s year. He even stated it directly: “This is the year for Daniel. The plan all along was [to] give him a couple of years. Is he our guy for the next ten years? Or do we need to pivot and find somebody else?”
Schoen also mentioned his injury concerns, with three major injuries in 2 years. It’s a make-a-break for DJs, and everyone knows it.
Schoen is a magician, making the Giant’s pash rush REAPPEAR
As many know, the Giants traded for Brian Burns, giving the G-Men a big-name defensive line with big-
time potential. The combination of Dexter Lawrence, Brian Burns, and Kayvon Thibodeaux should have
Giants fans were excited, and the trade that made it happen all started with Dan Morgan, GM of the Panthers,
floating the idea of Burns being on the trade block for two first-rounders. Schoen, interested, but not at
that price tag, set the first hint of trying to make the deal happen as they also evaluated other FA
prospects, including Sexy Dexy’s best college buddy Christian Wilkins.
Schoen is getting Burns for a 2nd and a 5th, when he even thought it would cost a minimum of two seconds, is the kind of all-access insight that makes this show so exciting to watch. Getting what seems like such a great deal and negotiating it down from 2 first-rounders is a Schoen masterclass, and now the Giants finally have a defensive line to stand tall with the best of them.
Something is off with Shane Bowen
The scene where Daboll comes into Schoen’s office listing basic stats about his previous defensive units
was downright weird and felt forced. It was all very surface-level type information. I would assume both
Schoen and Daboll had already looked at those stats well before the “I am gonna offer him the job
conversation” and, without context, added no value to the episode nor the hiring decision besides fan
speak.
It didn’t seem like Bowen was their first choice; I assumed it was Dennard Wilson, who took Bowen’s former gig with the Titans, and after not getting their initial choice, they settled for Bowen.
They glossed over the entire DC hire and the drama with Wink and Daboll, so with the kind of access we got in other meetings, the defensive coordinator hire must have been messier than we thought. We were let into the draft interviews, so where are the DC interviews?
At the very least, show the interview clips of the guy they hired. I loved seeing Bowen’s face lit up at the combine when Daboll mentioned Tyler Nubin. He must be ecstatic to have him on board, and I am excited to see what’s in store for Nubin and this young secondary.
Malik Naber’s is different
After watching the three interviews with Malike Nabers, Marvin Harrison Jr., and Rome Odunze, it’s clear
that he has an edge and competitiveness that the others don’t.
This is not a knock on Odunze or MHJ because they are both phenomenal talents, but the interview confirmed what many people saw on the field. Naber’s is a DAWG. He’s got that I want to win, we’re not friends, no bullshit, I will run through your mentality.
As Brandon Brown put it, #1 wide receivers aren’t generally choir boys, and Naber fits that description. Daboll seemed exceptionally high on Nabers after watching his film and evaluating his competitiveness, shown in the interview. Even Daniel Jones was asked by Schoen for approval and passed with flying colors. Let’s bank on DJ throwing as fast as Malik Nabers can run.
No doubt this guy will be fun to watch.
Daboll is a star
In the second episode, Daboll came off as likable, sharp, and funny. Daboll will be running that 40-yard
dash shortly to settle the debate about him clearing 7 seconds. He was a tough interviewer and put the
QBs to the test.
I won’t make assumptions about which QBs they wanted because we didn’t take a QB first, and the clips needed to be longer to gauge their entire evaluation of the player.
One clip of Jayden Daniels stuttering his answer and one clip of Drake Maye hitting it off with Daboll wasn’t enough to make it a fact, even if the pre-draft rumors agree.
The second episode showcased Daboll’s command of the Giants organization and his knowledge as an offensive genius, which I was glad to see in this last episode. Many Giants fans, I am sure, are happy having this guy on our sideline for the foreseeable future.
I can’t wait to see what’s in store for next week’s episode.
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