President and Chief Executive Officer John K. Mara
January 31, 2022
Q: Now that you’ve got your staff assembled, what do you think of the group?
A: Well, we don’t have staff assembled yet. We’ve got the head coach and the general manager. They’ve got to assemble the rest of the staff, but they’re off to a good start. Their communication is very natural, and they like each other. They know each other’s philosophies. They have a similar vision going forward, so I think we’re off to a good start with both of these guys.
Q: We know about the ability of (Head Coach Brian) Daboll as an offensive coordinator, but what do you think of him as a man, a leader, a communicator?
A: Well, I think you saw a little bit of that in that press conference there. He’s very genuine, down to earth. He believes in having relationships with people and he’s a people person and I think he’s going to fit very well in the building. I think he’s very inspirational, too. I think he’ll get the guys to perform to the best of their abilities.
Q: This is obviously the second straight time you’ve hired a (Patriots Head Coach) Bill Belichick disciple. They haven’t a lot of success as NFL head coaches. What makes you think that Brian will be different?
A: Well, I think his background, his ability to work with (General Manager) Joe (Schoen). I think what he did with (Bills Quarterback) Josh Allen and that entire Buffalo offense. I think his presence, which I think you saw as he was up on that stage. I think all those things combine to give him the best chance at having success. Obviously, you never know until they get in and they start playing games and stuff, but we like what we’ve seen so far.
Q: You brought up the Josh Allen piece right there, his ability to work with him. How much was that sort of the differentiator with him or did that kind of play into your thinking?
A: It was a factor, for sure. That’s his job here. We have a quarterback that we have a lot of confidence in, who has had some issues here, mostly due to the way we’ve handled him. A big part of Brian’s job is going to be to try to get the most out of (Quarterback) Daniel (Jones) and put us in a position where we can make a fair evaluation of him. We haven’t been able to do that so far because of the way we’ve handled him.
Q: Do you believe you’ve given the fans reason to hope and reason to believe that there’s good things ahead?
A: I think so, but that only lasts until we start playing games, but the reaction obviously has been positive so far, but that only goes so far. I think we’re off to a good start, but that’ll go away quickly if we don’t get off to a good start during the season. I think we’ve got the right guys in place now and it’s up to us to make it work.
Q: Does it put you at ease knowing that they’ve had a past relationship the past four years and even going back to 2011?
A: It certainly was a factor, yes. You have to have a general manager and a head coach that can communicate with one another, that respect one another and that are going to collaborate on all of the important decisions of the day. I have a lot of confidence that that will be the case with these two.
Q: I know you thought that maybe (Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator) Patrick Graham would leave after last year and you valued him. The fact that he likely will be back, how important is that to you?
A: That’s very important. He’s very well-respected in this building. The players have a lot of respect for him, as do I. He’s a terrific defensive coordinator. Look, for his own sake, I hope he gets a head coaching job. As Brian said, selfishly, we’d be very happy if he stayed.
Q: How much pressure is it for you guys to get this right, both general manager and head coach, and turn this situation around?
A: I feel a lot of pressure to do that. I always feel pressure going into every season and given our recent history, probably more so than ever do I feel that right now. I think we have the right guys in place. Now, we just have to give them the resources to let them do their jobs.
Q: Why do you think the Bills’ rebuild was so successful so quickly and what are you hoping that Joe and Brian can do?
A: I think they have the right combination of a head coach and a general manager, and they made the right selection at quarterback. I think we have the right combination of head coach and general manager. I also think we have the right quarterback, and hopefully they’ll be able to get the most out of him.
Q: In your approach to hiring Daboll, what stood out about him that maybe was different than your last few hires or really convinced you that he could be the person to change things?
A: I think you saw a little bit of that during the press conference. He’s very down to earth, natural, gets along with people, believes in building relationships. I think he had a great vision for where he wants to take us and I think the fact that he and Joe, first off, are comfortable together, have similar philosophies. I think that’s probably what sold us.
Q: Where do you view your program right now? You have a four-win season, tough cap situation. Do you have to tear it down or can you turn it around quick?
A: We’re in last place. There’s no place to go but up.
Q: We’ve asked you a lot about Daniel Jones as he relates to Brian and to Joe. We haven’t asked about his health yet. Are you convinced he will be healthy enough to play next year and in camp and all the rest of it?
A: Yeah, so our medical people are very confident that the neck injury will be a non-factor.
Q: Can Brian Daboll succeed here if Daniel does not? In other words, if he tries to work with him and it doesn’t pan out, is there still patience and intent on building something long-term past Daniel with Brian?
A: I would say yes. Daniel will get a chance next year and we’ll hopefully be able to get a fair evaluation of him and if it doesn’t work out, we’ll go to plan B. But we have a lot of confidence that it will work out.
Q: In retrospect, you went through all the interviews. Last time we talked to you was before (Former Dolphins Head Coach) Brian Flores. How much did the friction with Brian and (Dolphins General Manager) Chris Grier play into why you didn’t hire him?
A: Well, listen, we had five terrific candidates and any one of whom I probably would have been comfortable with at the end of the day. I think what Brian (Daboll) has been able to accomplish up in Buffalo and Brian’s track record with Joe and their level of comfort with one another, I think that’s what tipped the scales at the end of the day.
Q: We’ve heard a lot about culture the last two years. How close are those cultures to each other? How much overhaul has to be done with that?
A: Well, I think I’m going to let them make that determination. I think they both believe that there are a lot of good pieces in the building, on the team, but that we certainly have some shortcomings that we’re going to have to address. Fortunately, we have some draft capital that will help us do that, but I’m not looking at this as an overnight turnaround. This is going to be a process and however long it takes is going to be up to them.
Q: As you walk out of here today, do you walk out of here with your chest pumped out? Do you feel good about the future of this franchise?
A: I’m not walking around anywhere with my chest pumped out after the last few seasons we’ve had, but I do feel good about the future of the franchise, yes.
Q: You mentioned Brian’s offensive background with Josh (Allen). Why only one offensive coordinator among all the candidates? Everybody else was defensive minded.
A: I don’t think we were focused on offensive coordinator per se. We just wanted to get the best person for the job. I think Brian has a lot of qualities that you look for. He has a certain presence about him. He has the leadership skills, people like working with him, his players revere him. So, I think those are the factors. Obviously, the fact that our offense is so challenged right now, I think he brings a certain skillset that will help us.
Q: How varied were the opinions on Daniel? You seem pretty sold that ‘OK, we can get this right with Daniel Jones.’ Did you get dissenting opinions to that? Did you get people who were not so sure on it?
A: I think we did 10 general manager interviews and five head coach interviews, and every single interview was positive about Daniel. Now, they’re not willing to say that they think he’s going to be the next (Chiefs Quarterback) Patrick Mahomes or anything like that, but they were excited about the potential he has and the possibility of working with him. That, to me, was reassuring because that’s the way we feel as well.
Q: When you have a candidate who has never been a head coach, never had the opportunity to command an entire team or room, as an owner, how difficult is it to ascertain that he can do that job?
A: It’s the most difficult decision by far that you ever make in this business because you just don’t know. You have to try to get to know the individual as best you can, talk to the people they’ve worked with, try to get an understanding as to whether there’s a presence and the leadership skills and the knowledge of X’s and O’s and then you make your choice and then you live with it. You don’t know until they actually start getting in the building and start building the program.
Q: People around the league say Brian’s a really nice guy. Was there ever a concern that he’s too nice of a guy to have this kind of opportunity?
A: No, I don’t think that’s a concern. I think he can be tough when he needs to be tough. That’s what we found out about him and certainly Joe has had the experience with him in Buffalo and has seen his command of the room. I think that’s something we’re very comfortable with.
Q: It seems like you guys haven’t had a coach with quite his personality, someone who’s as relaxed or as colorful. In the interview process, was that a factor at all?
A: It certainly made him likeable right from the beginning. I don’t know that I’d say we’ve never had a coach with that type of personality, but he seems like somebody that will be very easy to work with in the building, that people will respond to and want to work with. That was certainly something we took notice of right away.
Q: Would you be surprised if Daniel Jones is not your Week 1 starter in 2022?
A: Yes.
Q: Why?
A: Because I would be very surprised.
Q: You mentioned last time we talked to you that the coach and the GM still had to do a full evaluation before you committed to him, but now it sounds like you’re fully committed to him. Why is that?
A: They’re going to make the final determination. You’re asking me, ‘Would I be surprised if he’s not the starter?’ Yes, I’ll be surprised if he’s not the starter.
Q: Was it disappointing or did it catch you off-guard when (Cowboys Defensive Coordinator) Dan Quinn pulled his name out? Would he have been a serious candidate at the end?
A: It was disappointing because he was a serious candidate, but at the end of the day, I’m very happy with Brian Daboll.
Q: Did you reach out to (Former Saints Head Coach) Sean (Payton) at all?
A: No.
Q: Why not?
A: He’s under contract with another team.
Q: For you personally, I know you wanted to get this turned around yesterday if you had your druthers, so how hard is it going to be for you to be patient because this is a process?
A: It’s going to be hard, but I’m going to have to force myself to do it. I’ve run out of patience over the last few years, but I also understand that this is a long-term project. This is not an overnight thing. I think last season verified that.
Q: You and Joe both used the word ‘resources.’ What does that mean in terms of what you’re going to do to help?
A: If they want to make changes in the building, get different equipment in here, do something, whatever they need to do. Whenever I get asked about anything like that, my response is, ‘is it going to help us win? Tell me it’s going to help us win and you have it.’ That’s what they’re talking about.
Q: Would staff fall into that?
A: Staff as well.
Q: In the last three weeks, you’ve hired a GM and a coach. Do you feel like you can finally rest now or how do you feel?
A: Well, not really. We still have to hire the rest of the staff and they’re busy working on that right now and then we’re going to have to make some very difficult decisions, or I should say they’re going to have to make some very difficult decisions on getting us under the cap and putting us in a position where we’re going to be in a healthy cap situation going forward. And then we have the draft coming up, so no, there’s no rest. I’m not going to rest until we start winning games.
Giants.com - ( New Window )
Yeah. Safe to say that.
Let me translate this idiocy. John Mara is desperate for Daniel Jones to succeed. It's killing him that DJ hasn't and Mara can't let go. And he knows Schoen and Daboll have committed to wasting another year to give Jones a "fair evaluation" - whatever the hell that means - in the hope that Mara realizes his dream and Jones is indeed Eli 2.0
The Chargers, and the rest of the planet, knew Herbert was a franchise QB after one game. One. Even Daboll and Schoen, in an honest moment, would say they say Allen's unique talents the day he walked into the practice field.
But after 37 starts, we still aren't sure about Jones. So, we need to roll Jones back out there one more year just to make sure that he's not a franchise QB.
Best of luck to Schoen and Daboll creating football Xanadu so we can finally get a fair evaluation of Daniel Jones.
get a young guy to develop and give Jones an opportunity with a real offense. if he plays well enough we have a guy for a few years. If he fails we move on from him with a lot of cap room and ability to make any QB move we want.
Roster overall first with new scheme.
get a young guy to develop and give Jones an opportunity with a real offense.
Has it ever occurred to you that Jones was a big part of the problem why we couldn't run a "real offense"?
Why is the default that Jones is this innocent victim in this?
He is going to keep staring at Jones (sorry, "Daniel") until he sees what he wants to see. If he struggles this year I guess he puts Daboll on notice.
A: Yes.
Q: Why?
A: Because I would be very surprised.
get a young guy to develop and give Jones an opportunity with a real offense. if he plays well enough we have a guy for a few years. If he fails we move on from him with a lot of cap room and ability to make any QB move we want.
Roster overall first with new scheme.
Putting aside whether there is a QB worth taking in this draft, where is it written in the Intro to GM 101 textbook that the rest of the roster comes first?
Quote:
Q: Would you be surprised if Daniel Jones is not your Week 1 starter in 2022?
A: Yes.
Q: Why?
A: Because I would be very surprised.
Agreed. This has no reason being suggested.
At the most, all Mara had to do was defer to the earlier points made by Schoen regarding Jones at his intro.
There are bigger Jones’ fans on this board than Giant fans. I hope this is all lip service.
Encouraging from Schoen: if Mara did prefer “HC experience”, Schoen worked around it and got his guy anyway.
So we expect this call is completely up to the first time head coach on who his starter is? Or is the owner de-facto anointing the starting QB?
Agree. We have a really bad owner who doesn't think before he speaks. That interview is a mess, and emblematic of the underlying problems with this team.
Let Schoen cover the Head Coach intro by himself since he supposedly led that process and hired his guy...
We should get Eric's daughter to Photoshop the John and Chris clown heads on this picture...
I expect a QB in the Top 4 rounds....I expect DJ on the Roster...and I expect them to Roster 3 QB's.
Quote:
No matter how we feel about Daniel Jones, can we agree that the owner should not be doubting his talent ceiling in public?
We should get Eric's daughter to Photoshop the John and Chris clown heads on this picture...
I think it would be great if John Mara began womanizing and consuming drugs like John Kennedy. It would keep his mind off the team and allow the professionals to do their jobs.
Here is what Mara should have said if he really is neutral (which we know is a farce):
"Joe and Brian are very smart football people. So, I will leave it to them to evaluate Daniel going forward."
Short and to the point. And deferring to the football experts he just hired.
Instead...
I think Mara's public comments on Jones after the GM and HC hires will be unnecessary fodder for lots of questions for Schoen and Daboll from reporters etc. for many, many months going forward.
Mara "putting his thumb on the scale". Ugh.
Given a fair battle, both guys-Trubisky and Minshew beat Jones in an open TC competition.
^^^
This
He just loves hearing himself say words, no matter how counterproductive they are.
I have more concerns that Mara has recently implied he expects much better results next year. I wish he would just say something like
"The results are have been very poor for many reasons all which start with me. I have full confidence in the new GM/HC will make the necessary decisions to significantly improve the franchise standing. My only task to them was to build a champion. I understand that may require significant changes and some patience. I am ready for whatever course they take to accomplish what we all want."
Quote:
A: It was a factor, for sure. That’s his job here. We have a quarterback that we have a lot of confidence in, who has had some issues here, mostly due to the way we’ve handled him. A big part of Brian’s job is going to be to try to get the most out of (Quarterback) Daniel (Jones) and put us in a position where we can make a fair evaluation of him. We haven’t been able to do that so far because of the way we’ve handled him.
Let me translate this idiocy. John Mara is desperate for Daniel Jones to succeed. It's killing him that DJ hasn't and Mara can't let go. And he knows Schoen and Daboll have committed to wasting another year to give Jones a "fair evaluation" - whatever the hell that means - in the hope that Mara realizes his dream and Jones is indeed Eli 2.0
The Chargers, and the rest of the planet, knew Herbert was a franchise QB after one game. One. Even Daboll and Schoen, in an honest moment, would say they say Allen's unique talents the day he walked into the practice field.
But after 37 starts, we still aren't sure about Jones. So, we need to roll Jones back out there one more year just to make sure that he's not a franchise QB.
Best of luck to Schoen and Daboll creating football Xanadu so we can finally get a fair evaluation of Daniel Jones.
Do you ever get tired?
Literally nobody is saying that. Most of the posters clamoring that every pick be an Olinemen are the ones that believe Jones just looks bad because the line sucks.
It is not an either/or that the line is bad and Jones is bad. Both can be true statements.
John just can't help himself I guess.
By no means am I comparing them but Steve young was fucking awefull in Tampa. Just saying the people around you are just as important
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get a young guy to develop and give Jones an opportunity with a real offense.
Has it ever occurred to you that Jones was a big part of the problem why we couldn't run a "real offense"?
Why is the default that Jones is this innocent victim in this?
Did I say he was? I am saying we need too many things to bring in a guy now- tyo get the shit beat out of him and while trying to learn. Jones makes the most sense to try and get the rest of the roster set.
You and Go terps beat this to death but your biggest problem is that you ignore some of your own points to just keep hammering on the Jones bit. I don't think Jones is the guy and have said so now for a few months. BUT, I also know he isn't HORRIBLE and we have so many areas to correct that we have to focus on the rebuilding first.
So we expect this call is completely up to the first time head coach on who his starter is? Or is the owner de-facto anointing the starting QB?
Am I the only one who saw/heard this:
Q: You mentioned last time we talked to you that the coach and the GM still had to do a full evaluation before you committed to him, but now it sounds like you’re fully committed to him. Why is that?
A: They’re going to make the final determination. You’re asking me, ‘Would I be surprised if he’s not the starter?’ Yes, I’ll be surprised if he’s not the starter.
The "they're" refers to the GM and the coach. They will make the final determination. Mara is just saying he will be surprised if Jones isn't the starter. Given that Jones is the only QB on the roster under contract for next year, what seems to be available in free agency and what the consensus is about this year's draft class, are there many on this board who will be surprised if he is the starter? I didn't say "pleased" or "ecstatic" or even "relieved." Just "surprised."
Do we think that the fact that Mara said what he said means that Schoen and Daboll will be afraid to make a different decision if [name your free agent or rookie] lights up camp and the preseason while Jones struggles? If that's the case, then those guys shouldn't have gotten the job in the first place. Though many will say that that is exactly why they got their jobs, that Mara and Tisch have hired puppets. Again.
I guess another popular response is that Mara is just lying about who will make the final determination.
So by that way of thinking, what are we to do? I suppose we just need to wait until Mara and Tisch sell the team because why root for a team owned and run by liars who don't know anything about football but are determined to run their billion dollar asset as though they do. Of course, as I told the guys sitting behind me at the Denver game who wanted to start a "Sell the Team" chant, that will happen right after your second date with Penelope Cruz.
Hey Eric, wanna start a message board/website about Scrabble?
By no means am I comparing them but Steve young was fucking awefull in Tampa. Just saying the people around you are just as important
I think there are differing degrees of likelihood that posters hold that Jones will suddenly progress by a significant margin. I think there is a chance he could be good. I just think it is probably less than 5%. But I would be happy to be proven wrong.
I think what most posters are more concerned with is how long do you keep hoping someone is good and will suddenly show it instead of planning for the fact that what you see (inconsistency) is likely going to continue?
The team needs to be rebuilt. And nobody's starting job or even job on the roster for that matter should be assumed on Jan 31.
Actually, the leaders I have worked for have let me and others run with and decide issues delegated to us and been clear and straightforward when they wanted us to check back with them before pulling the trigger so they could weigh in and make the final call. We all knew the score and didn't have to guess based on body language or any other "signals."
Quote:
Turning it around? He’s gonna be here this year regardless for lack of options and/or money. What if they guys we hired are the real deal and he flourishes what’s the downside other than the crap spewed here would be wrong.
By no means am I comparing them but Steve young was fucking awefull in Tampa. Just saying the people around you are just as important
I think there are differing degrees of likelihood that posters hold that Jones will suddenly progress by a significant margin. I think there is a chance he could be good. I just think it is probably less than 5%. But I would be happy to be proven wrong.
I think what most posters are more concerned with is how long do you keep hoping someone is good and will suddenly show it instead of planning for the fact that what you see (inconsistency) is likely going to continue?
I get that but there isn’t any realistic options either. Do I think he’ll have a miraculous turnaround? Probably not but there’s a few that just have to be right and who cares how bad we suck just to prove that point
The people doing the hiring feel Jones is still the right QB. And the people who want to be hired - GMs and HCs - say they are excited about Jones as the QB.
Can we possibly conclude that the GM and HC who sounded most effusive about Jones got the jobs?
I think we move on after this season. Thank God.
stop talking about building around daniel jones. i think most educated people assume they would draft heavy towards the offensive side of the ball, but he is telegraphing their draft plans (they have no cap room). i do not understand the competitive advantage they are gaining by going all in on daniel jones. why not keep your feelings about him a mystery until after the draft
mara is an attention whore and he needs to just fade into the background and shut the fuck up
Actually, the leaders I have worked for have let me and others run with and decide issues delegated to us and been clear and straightforward when they wanted us to check back with them before pulling the trigger so they could weigh in and make the final call. We all knew the score and didn't have to guess based on body language or any other "signals."
I think a lot of us were mad that he didn’t say anything during the season but I’d actually be happy if we just never heard from him. He inherited an NFL team but he thinks very highly of himself as a football guy. Just pay people who know what they’re doing and STFU. If the team is hoisting a Lombardi in 4 years we’ll all be grateful but nothing he does now is doing anything good
And I'm not convinced anything has REALLY changed or that suddenly things will all go in the right direction just because we hired Schoen and/or Daboll.
But wow. Even I feel like some of these responses actually show some signs of recognition from Mara. And I think a lot of you are just dissecting everything anyone says to death at this point.
Take a step back. Is this a clear endorsement of a player?
That's the owner of the team talking about a player and saying "he gets a year to prove himself". I don't think I've ever heard Mara say something like that about a player or coach. Compare that to what he said about him last year,
Yes, they invested a high pick in Jones, like him, and want him to work out. That shouldn't be a shocker. But that's a really lukewarm at best take on your starting QB and certainly not as definitive as he's been in the past. Also keep in mind that was in response to a question about whether Daboll can survive if Jones doesn't work out (to which he said "yes"). It's a pretty honest/open take on where Jones stands in the org. and I'm not sure why people are so upset about it. Yes, he's still on a bit of a scholarship and I get why that irks people...but he's also just been served notice that it runs out after this year if he doesn't make something happen (and I think you can see that sentiment as a common thread running through all of the comments about him from Mara, Schoen, and Daboll). The plan seems to be to see if the change in the regime helps him and, if not, to move on.
A: Yes.
Q: Why?
A: Because I would be very surprised.
At this stage of the game, considering all factors...so would I. Not sure how any Giants fan could see it differently or why folks in this thread are getting so worked up about this. And really, that has nothing to do with your assessment of Jones.
A) Jones is in the last year of his rookie deal. Given the state of the rest of the roster, I see no real reason to force something at QB this year just to have a stop gap for a tear down. Even if Jones is not THE guy, he can certainly be THAT guy (because, imo, the most important aspect of THAT guy is his salary both this year and next).
B) On that point, we are going to be working to shed salary this year and next to get healthy for 2024. With multiple teams likely in need of QBs this offseason, doesn't seem like FA QBs are going to come cheap at all - even the stop gaps. I don't expect them to spend a lot of money anywhere...but this would seem like a silly spot to spend on in particular given the names that will be available;
C) This year's crop of rookie QBs is, by basically ALL accounts, incredibly weak (further exacerbating the point in B. It would probably be fairly characterized as a surprise for any of the draftees to be any team's day 1 starter;
Taking all the above into account, it would be a surprising turn of events for Jones not to be the Week 1 starter. Put Mara behind a table with a sign that says "convince me I'm wrong".
In short, I'm the last guy to make excuses for Mara or give him the benefit of the doubt. I think the franchise has been a mess and he's as much to blame as anyone. But man...the lengths people are going to kill him at this point leaves even me scratching my head a bit.