National Football League

Giants owners 'on board' with Joe Schoen, Brian Daboll and their long-term plan

Updated Nov. 27, 2023 3:07 p.m. ET

Joe Schoen has always known it would take more than a couple of years to completely fix the mess he inherited. And he was never fooled by the New York Giants' surprise run to the playoffs last season. He knew he would have to be patient.

He believes the Giants owners know they have to be patient, too.

And despite a series of quick hooks with coaches and general managers over the past six years, it appears that they actually will be. Giants co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch are "on board" with Schoen's "big picture" plan and the idea that it will take time for him and head coach Brian Daboll to build a contender, the general manager said on Monday. And multiple team sources told FOX Sports there is no indication that either Schoen or Daboll are in danger of being fired, despite the disappointment over their 4-8 record as their bye week begins.

Of course, there were plenty of people who thought each of the Giants' three previous coaches were safe heading into December of their second seasons too, and all three — Ben McAdoo, Pat Shurmur and Joe Judge — ended up fired. And both Mara and Tisch have been conspicuously silent this season, keeping whatever thoughts they have about their new braintrust to themselves.

But Schoen remains a believer that his bosses are believers in his vision and the fact that he and his hand-picked coach are on the right path.

"Yeah, absolutely. They're on board with it," Schoen said. "As much as it hurts to go through this, there are a lot of young players that are getting valuable experience. Another offseason, another draft, we will continue to build it. The communication is very helpful. The fact that John Mara is here on a daily basis, we can explain the ‘why' — why we're doing things, how we're going to do them. They're in the loop and they're on board."

Schoen's job was likely never going to be in danger because the Giants have a long history of being patient with general managers. Even Dave Gettleman, whose tenure was a 19-46 disaster, was given four years before he was pushed aside.

'That's all that matters is that W' - Giants QB Tommy Devito after win over Patriots

Daboll is in a more precarious situation, though, because of the Giants' recent, knee-jerk history with changing coaches. And it looked even more precarious in recent weeks as safety Xavier McKinney openly criticized the defensive coaches, players were caught arguing on the sidlelines, a report surfaced of a rift between Daboll and defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, and the losses continued to mount.

But Schoen made it clear that he hasn't lost faith in the coach he brought with him from the Buffalo Bills. In fact, even though Daboll was voted the NFL's Coach of the Year last season, Schoen might be more impressed with the job Daboll has had to do during this difficult year.

"Yeah, it's easy to lead when you're winning and you're out front," Schoen said. "Going through adversity you find out a lot about people. And it's been challenging for everybody in the building, including myself and Dabs. How you lead when things aren't going well, I think, is important. And I think Dabs has done a good job."

Schoen expressed confidence in the whole coaching staff too, though that doesn't mean there won't be changes there. There has been a lot of speculation around the NFL that all three of Daboll's coordinators could be in jeopardy after the season. The offense has obviously been a nightmare, even before starting quarterback Daniel Jones tore his ACL, leading some to believe offensive coordinator Mike Kafka will be fired and Daboll will go back to his roots and start calling plays himself. And the Giants' special teams have been shaky all season, making it seem like Thomas McGaughey's second term in New York — spanning six years and three head coaches — might finally come to an end.

And then there's defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, whom Daboll stood by in the wake of a FOX Sports report of tension between the two and the possibility that Martindale wouldn't even last the rest of the season. Daboll seemingly made a statement by giving Martindale a game ball — and having the team send out the video — after the Giants' 10-7 win over the New England Patriots on Sunday. And he insisted their relationship was good.

Of course, on Monday when he was asked twice if Martindale would remain the Giants defensive coordinator the rest of the season, Daboll declined to answer both times.

But even with a staff shakeup possible, and maybe likely, it's clear that Schoen is planning to have Daboll by his side next season as the two of them continue building the Giants and fixing all the issues that have caused their spiral — though a lot of those issues, Schoen said, had to do with injuries. They are down to their third-string quarterback (undrafted rookie Tommy DeVito). They've cycled through nine different starting combinations along the offensive line and 21 combinations overall, and spent three weeks without Saquon Barkley — "one of our most productive offensive players" Schoen said — too.

The good news, though, is they will have salary cap space to spend this offseason — a projected $47.6 million, according to OvertheCap.com. That will give them a chance to reinforce their offensive line, add more (and better) weapons around their quarterback, and maybe re-sign Barkley, too. They're also likely to have a top-10 pick in the first round of the NFL draft. And, thanks to their deadline decision to trade defensive tackle Leonard Williams to Seattle, they have two second-round picks, too.

"It takes time, takes a couple of offseasons, it takes a few drafts to build it the right way," Schoen said. "Trust me, it hurts when you lose and you're 4-8. It's not fun. But you don't want to lose sight of the big picture and the proper way to build a roster."

"We knew this wasn't going to happen overnight."

That's why the last thing this franchise needs is for the owners to get frustrated by the results, give in to their worst instincts, and bring in another coach so they have to start over again.

Besides, from what Schoen has seen through this miserable season, Daboll is doing just fine.

"We are starting an undrafted free agent (at quarterback) the last two games and we've won two games," Schoen said. "It's not easy to keep everybody together (or) to go up in front of that team when things aren't going well or there's injuries, or you trade a veteran player who is a leader in the locker room. That's not easy. It's not easy to do."

***

If (when?) Schoen and Daboll begin planning for Year 3, here are five things the Giants need to address to keep their rebuilding plan on track:

1. Fixing the offensive line: They have a foundational piece in left tackle Andrew Thomas, a rookie center in John Michael Schmitz, and a right tackle in Evan Neal whom Schoen said he believes in despite his struggles. But they will need reinforcements at guards and depth. They need some better health, too.

2. Getting weapons for their QB: With new tight end Darren Waller out with a hamstring injury, the Giants don't have a passing game weapon their quarterback can rely on. Rookie Jalin Hyatt has some promise, but a true No. 1 receiver has to be an offseason priority.

3. Beefing up the defensive line: Defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence is a monster and edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux has become a sack machine. But the trade of defensive tackle Leonard Williams to Seattle left a big void on an already thin line. They need better control of the defensive line of scrimmage.

4. Making Saquon Barkley happy: He is their best offensive player and the Giants want to bring him back. They need to find a way to give him the contract he wants, while not overspending and giving themselves an "out" in the deal in case his frequent injuries start taking even more of a toll.

5. Find quarterback insurance: Schoen said his "expectation" is that Daniel Jones will be his starting quarterback when he's healthy, but they have no idea when that will be. "There's no guarantee he's going to be back Week 1," Schoen said. Backup Tyrod Taylor is 34 and his contract is up, so the Giants need to sign or draft some insurance in case Jones isn't ready until next October. Tommy DeVito is a fun story, but he's not enough.

Ralph Vacchiano is the NFC East reporter for FOX Sports, covering the Washington Commanders, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants. He spent the previous six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.