Joe Sean believes in the old adage when it comes to he-said, she-said scenarios.
While the Giants’ general manager acknowledged the coaching turmoil that engulfed the team after the season ended in January, sources have reason to tell their side of the story if things go wrong. He said that it is necessary to discount all angles.
“But we competed all the way. The Rams made the playoffs, we were in that game all the way, beat the Eagles, and took the Eagles all the way.” Schoen said this during a fan Q&A during the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine.. “Sometimes there is a gap between external perception and internal reality, and some of those articles come from purposeful sources. Perhaps the truth lies somewhere in between.
“We like the staff we have (head coach Brian Daboll), we like a lot of good coaches, we like good teammates that we get along with…We’re working towards 2024.”
Schoen is right that perception doesn’t always reflect reality, but the perception of his team and coaching staff at this point is not very flattering.
In 2023, one season after their surprising playoff berth and wild-card victory, the Giants struggled and their highly regarded coaching staff suddenly seemed dysfunctional.
Daboll and Wink Martindale had a falling out, and the defensive coordinator left the team, ultimately transferring to the University of Michigan.
Their attitudes never clashed on match day, but Daboll was fierce compared to Martindale’s calmness. Martindale also had no problem testing Daboll’s patience.
Daboll then fired defensive assistants Kevin and Drew Wilkins, who were Martindale’s second-in-commands, resulting in Martindale yelling “fuck you” at Daboll as he stormed out of the room after the season, the Post reported. Ta.
This exchange led to many stories chronicling the differences between the two and what happened during their once-promising partnership.
The Giants also retained offensive coordinator Mike Kafka despite rumors about his status within the organization, but let go of special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey.
Martindale will be replaced by former Titans defensive coordinator Shane Bowen, and former Jets assistant Michael Ghobrial will be the new special teams coach.
These moves put the spotlight on Daboll, now in his crucial third year, and needed him to show that he was more than just a good player who led the team in his rookie season.
Daboll and Shane have an important offseason ahead of them, but the big question is whether to draft a quarterback to replace the injured and inconsistent Daniel Jones.
Oddsmakers are already projecting the Giants to be one of the NFL’s worst teams in 2024.
