National Football League

New York Giants signal big changes with fresh GM approach

Published Jan. 12, 2022 11:00 a.m. ET

By Peter Schrager
FOX Sports NFL Analyst

Welcome to the Super Wild Card Weekend edition of the Schrager Cheat Sheet.

Each week, I take a look at several things you need to know heading into the NFL weekend. This week, we look at big changes coming to the New York Giants, wonder if the Cowboys can do anything to stop 49ers unicorn Deebo Samuel, ponder the NFL's most appealing coaching vacancy and more.

1. Giant-ish changes

As much as everyone is going to be focused on the Giants' coaching hire, I am intrigued by the other position that is currently vacant.

The fact that the franchise is conducting such a wide-ranging general manager search signals a wave of new and fresh thinking for Big Blue. The Giants are rooted in tradition. It's a family business for the Maras, and the ownership goes back generations, all the way to when Tim Mara founded the team in 1925.

Historically, the Giants have hired from within or gone with long-established names when it comes to the GM position. Hall of Famer George Young took over in 1979 and built two world champion squads. Then Ernie Accorsi, a longtime NFL executive, carried the torch for nearly a decade.

Accorsi's replacement, Jerry Reese, was a young apprentice who held the position for 10 years before being replaced by Dave Gettleman, who, before his stint as Carolina's GM, was a longtime Giants scout. When the Giants hired Gettleman in 2017, they interviewed four candidates. Only one of them, ESPN's Louis Riddick, lacked Giants roots.

This time around, though, the Giants are casting a wide net, and that alone is a sign of great change in New York.

The names and résumés are unique. Adrian Wilson and Ran Carthon are former players with experience both on the field and in the executive's office. Adam Peters has spent significant time in two winning organizations — Denver and San Francisco — and is ready for the big stage. The two Tennessee names — Ryan Cowden and Monti Ossenfort — have built one of the deepest rosters in the NFL under GM Jon Robinson. Ryan Poles and Joe Schoen come from winning organizations in Kansas City and Buffalo, respectively.

This is all very new for the Giants and, if anything, a welcome change. Whomever they end up hiring will have gone through the process. And in that process, all of these prospective Giants GMs will offer their outside perspectives on what's wrong with the current state of affairs with Big Blue.

That might not be pleasant to hear, but after a year in which ownership was booed before honoring Eli Manning, and the team was the laughingstock of the league — it ranked dead last on the NFL Network's final Power Rankings show — all outside perspectives from winning cultures should be welcomed.

The GM will be a fresh face. The head coach will be, too. Hopefully, the results will be different as well.

2. The Denver gig

With six head-coaching jobs currently open, I can't help but think that Denver's is awfully appealing.

GM George Paton is in just his second year and has a pretty good "sell" to coaches looking to insert themselves into the Mile High family. Denver has five of the top 100 picks in the upcoming NFL Draft, $50 million in salary-cap space and one of the best young rosters in the NFL.

The only thing missing? The same thing that has been missing since Peyton Manning last played a football game for Denver in 2015-16: a quarterback.

Denver has seen the quarterback position go from Trevor Siemian to Paxton Lynch to Joe Flacco to Drew Lock to Teddy Bridgewater, with Brett Rypien, Mark Sanchez and countless others in between. The Broncos had the ninth overall pick in 2021 — a quarterback-loaded draft — and opted to pass on both Justin Fields and Mac Jones to select Patrick Surtain, a cornerback.

The way I see it, though, Denver looks a bit like Tampa Bay pre-Brady. The Broncos have a loaded, young roster; they just need the QB.

I found it of particular interest that they're interviewing both Nathaniel Hackett and Luke Getsy for the job. Hackett is the Packers' OC. Getsy is the Packers' QB coach. Hiring one of them couldn't hurt if there's a larger play to be made.

3. Deebo the unicorn

If the 49ers are going to beat the Cowboys on Sunday in Dallas, it will probably be because the Cowboys — like so many other teams before them — couldn't stop Deebo Samuel.

How could you prepare for him? He's a unicorn. Truly, I'm not sure the league has ever seen a wide receiver used in as many ways as "19 Problems." Sunday's performance in the 49ers' OT win over the Rams was the full Samuel experience on display.

From the San Francisco PR staff's postgame notes:

— Samuel hauled in four receptions for 95 yards on Sunday. He added eight rushes for 45 yards and a touchdown and threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Jauan Jennings. His eight rushing touchdowns are the most in a single season by a wide receiver in NFL history.

— His 24-yard touchdown pass was the first by a 49ers non-quarterback since wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders threw a 35-yard touchdown pass on Dec. 8, 2019, at New Orleans.

— Samuel is the first non-quarterback in franchise history to have at least one passing TD and at least one rushing TD in a game.

Samuel finished the regular season with 14 total touchdowns (six receiving and eight rushing), the most by a member of the 49ers since Terrell Owens had 14 in 2002 (13 receiving and one rushing).

I remember working on the NFL Network's draft coverage a few years back, and Charles Davis had the funny comment of the combine when he said that every team is in "Finding Deebo" mode. The problem? There are no other players like him. I don't see another wide receiver with the vision, the patience and the YAC ability he possesses. You can't just create that. It's innate.

And in Kyle Shanahan's system? It's the perfect match of player, coach and offensive scheme.

4. Mad Maxx is All-Madden

I might be speaking out of turn, having never met the man, but I have to think the late John Madden would have loved the way Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby plays football. High-energy, relentless and full of emotion, No. 98 seems to be a throwback to the Raiders' glory days.

Gosh, wasn't Crosby amazing on Sunday night? As Chargers wide receivers and offensive linemen huffed and puffed for air in the fourth quarter and overtime, it seemed like Crosby was only getting better and better as the seconds ticked off the clock.

Crosby is a game-wrecker. But he's also a great dude off the field. Weeks after being announced as a Pro Bowl player for the first time, the spark of the Raiders' defense is also taking home two cherished team awards. On Monday, Crosby was given the Commitment to Excellence Award, as well as the Craig Long Award. The Commitment to Excellence Award is voted on by teammates, and the Craig Long Award is voted on by select local media. The last player to win both was FOX NFL Kickoff analyst Charles Woodson back in 2005.

Crosby will be on full display Saturday against the Bengals, and as much as everyone wants to discuss the game-breakers on Cincinnati's offense, I can see 98 blowing those plans up just as well.

5. Some love for 271 and 272

I'm not sure who needs to hear it, but the last two regular-season games were also the best two broadcasts of the NFL season.

I watched both on a plane and was thoroughly entertained by FOX's broadcast of the 49ers-Rams classic and the wild Chargers-Raiders finale on NBC. Buck and Aikman were at their very best, and then Al and Cris were absolute nails when it came to those final sequences in Vegas.

The players left it all on the field in Week 18 — and so did those two particular broadcasts.

Peter Schrager is an NFL writer for FOX Sports and a host of "Good Morning Football" on NFL Network.