Given that Giants general manager Joe Schoen advertises himself as a culture and character guy, it is worth nothing that the quarterback he will watch Saturday night, CJ Stroud, just handed out $500 gift cards to his Ohio State teammates so they can wear new suits into their home game against Notre Dame.
In the Wild West era of Name, Image & Likeness, a star Division I player can cut a deal with a clothing company like Stroud’s with “Express” and make things happen just like that. On the other hand, young Mr. Stroud just did a pretty thoughtful thing for the rest of his locker room without any prodding from his head coach.
Schoen should jot that down in his notebook before arriving in Columbus, Ohio, just in case Stroud’s name gets tossed around in the Giants’ draft room in their scramble for a new quarterback next spring.
Up front, understand that Daniel Jones deserves his fair-and-square chance to persuade the rookie Schoen and his rookie coach, Brian Daboll, that he is worthy of being the Giants’ long-term franchise quarterback.
“I think Daniel’s in a good place. I’m happy where he is,” Schoen said Thursday, while acknowledging that “everybody’s got to go perform on Sundays,” and that nothing else really counts.
Jones might have the size, the arm and the athleticism to pull it off, even after Schoen declined to pick up his fifth-year option for $22 million-plus. If Jones proves he can stay healthy and throw more touchdowns and fewer interceptions than he’s thrown over his past 25 starts (21 TDs, 17 picks), maybe, just maybe, he can still be “the guy” during the next stage of the Giants ‘ never-ending rebuild.
But chances are, that’s not going to happen. Even if Jones plays at a higher level in 2022, there’s a lot of incentive for Schoen and Daboll to identify and acquire their own quarterback in 2023. A fresh hopeful at that position buys the GM and head coach some extra time for their vision — a chance to convert Year 2 back into Year 1 — and gives the Giants a shot at a prospect at the kind of first-tier upside Jones doesn’t own.
The kind of prospect Schoen’s Bills drafted in 2018, Josh Allen, with the seventh-overall pick, after Dave Gettleman’s Giants grabbed Saquon Barkley at No. 2.
As much as Schoen contributed to the evaluation of Wyoming’s Allen as Buffalo’s assistant GM, he doesn’t get to claim that one. Brandon Beane is the executive who made the trades and acquired the draft capital to move up after the Giants and others whiffed on Allen, and Beane is the executive who deserves the credit. That’s the way it works.
Before that fateful 2018 draft, one veteran NFL scout had actually sent word to a Gettleman lieutenant that the Giants and Browns would regret it if they kept Barkley and Baker Mayfield higher on their draft boards than Allen. Of course, had the Giants selected Allen four years ago, Gettleman would likely still be in power, and Schoen would be who-knows-where.
Those are the breaks of the game. Now all that matters is Schoen’s ability, or lack thereof, to find a QB1 who will be the next Eli Manning and win the franchise’s fifth Super Bowl title.
Not that any such search was a matter for public discussion Thursday when the GM sat before the news media ahead of the season opener in 10 days at Tennessee. Rather than go solo, Schoen was seated next to Daboll — who is available to reporters on a daily basis — in an apparent attempt to hammer home the message that theirs is a 24/7 partnership.
Schoen praised Daboll’s talent for leading and motivating an entire team, rather than just the offensive unit her ran in Buffalo. Daboll praised Schoen’s communication skills and called him “a really good listener.” As a really good listener, Schoen has heard the fans’ pain after a brutal decade of football, and has smartly tried to manage expectations by refusing to set any.
He needs to restructure some contracts and, ultimately, set up the Giants to have more flexibility next year. Schoen said he’s eager to find out how the Giants will respond to adversity and how they will handle success.
The smart money says they will have more practice this year responding to adversity.
Shoulder to shoulder, Schoen and Daboll seem to be preparing for tough seas ahead. Though harmony between the front office and head coach is never a bad thing, history shows it isn’t required. Giants GM George Young didn’t get along with Bill Parcells (or with defensive coordinator Bill Belichick), and yet they won two Super Bowls together. In New England, Belichick enjoyed no bro-mance with Robert Kraft, and together they maintained the greatest NFL dynasty of all.
Like most of his peers, Joe Schoen talks about the importance of culture, and the kind of people you need to build the right one. You know who builds a culture in the NFL? A great quarterback.
Maybe the Giants’ rookie GM will find one Saturday night on his trip to Ohio State.
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