Tag: dave gettleman

Did New York Giants misstep by passing on QBs in NFL draft?

This week on the Giants Wire Podcast, we recap the 2024 NFL draft and discuss the six selections made by New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen.

The Giants reportedly attempted to trade up for a quarterback but fell short. Did Schoen make enough of an effort? Was Malik Nabers over J.J. McCarthy the right pick at No. 6 overall?

How will the rest of the team’s draft class impact the 2024 regular season?

Additionally, former Giants general manager Dave Gettleman emerged from his hiding spot to throw some shade. What do we make of his “clown” comments? Did he have a point?

And then there’s Saquon Barkley… Upset that Giants fans boo the Philadelphia Eagles? It’s a strange issue to have.

Those topics (and more) are discussed in the latest episode of the Giants Wire Podcast, which is hosted by Ryan O’Leary (@RyanO_Leary on X) and joined by site editor Dan Benton (@TheGiantsWire).

The Giants Wire Podcast will air every week during the regular season and occasionally throughout the offseason. You can listen below

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Ex-New York Giants GM Dave Gettleman goes off on media ‘clowns’

Former New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman rarely emerges from his hiding spot since “retiring” in January 2022. However, he decided to bless the football world with his presence this past week.

Gettleman briefly sat down with Neil Stratton of Inside the League and detailed what he misses most about the game and how isolating retirement has become.

“You know, really and truly, I miss the people. It’s kind of fascinating,” he said. “People told me it would take me at least a year to get settled, and they were absolutely right on the money. It’s amazing how the emails, texts, and calls stop. It’s like you died.”

Although Gettleman misses those he worked with, he most certainly does not miss members of the media. Most notably, he says, he doesn’t miss those who spend the year scouting and compiling comprehensive reports and grades for draft prospects.

In Gettleman’s mind, they are mere clowns who pale in comparison to his genius.

“I finally broke down and got a subscription to The Athletic,” Gettleman said. “Partly because it was $1 a month. But it’s like anything else. You got this guy giving every team grades, but you’ve got to be kidding me. Who are you? What have you done? When have you put your nuts on the line?

“But sadly, you got owners listening to these clowns, and even GMs listening to these clowns.”

During Gettleman’s Giants tenure, he most certainly did not listen to members of the media. If anything, he went out of his way to do the exact opposite of what they suggested, ultimately at his own peril.

While Gettleman may have had success early in his career, the moment he was elevated to GM (first with the Carolina Panthers), it was all downhill from there. His time with the Giants was particularly ugly and his decisions continue to weigh down the organization years later.

At no point with Gettleman at the helm did the Giants sport a winning record. At the time of his firing — sorry, we mean “retirement” — he had compiled an overall record of 19–46 (.292).

Those in glass clown cars really shouldn’t throw stones.

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New York Giants are like a failed Blockbuster franchise

The New York Giants have the worst record of any NFC team over the past decade. That’s a fact that cannot be disputed.

The Giants’ fall from grace is frequent fodder for national talk radio and television host Colin Cowherd, who loves to take shots at the Big Blue front office and ownership.

“If you had an optimism meter in the NFL, the bottom of it has to be Carolina and the Giants if they lose Saquon Barkley,” Cowherd said this week on his daily show on FOX Sports, via Awful Announcing.

“Daniel Jones in games that Saquon doesn’t play is 8-14. When I look at the Giants, when I was back there years ago, I felt like it was this great successful accounting firm. They feel like Blockbuster Video. They have not pivoted. Not very good upstairs. In 12 seasons since winning the Super Bowl, they have one double-digit winning season. And that is in the weaker NFC.

“Outside of Carolina, what is a bigger mess in the NFL? You have an owner that wants a quarterback that the GM and the coach privately don’t want. With Saquon Barkley, it is a BB gun offense. Without him, it’s a cracked water pistol. It’s bad, it is bad.”

It has been reported that Giants owner John Mara was not directly involved in the Daniel Jones contract. But, Cowherd comparing the Giants to fallen video behemoth Blockbuster is a correct analogy, one that really can’t be argued with.

Although most of the Giants’ woes can be pinned on the tunnel vision of previous general manager Dave Gettleman, current GM Joe Schoen has quite a few misses of his own.

Schoen and his head coach, Brian Daboll, appear to have the full confidence of ownership but that will wane if the team does not begin winning with regularity starting this year.



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Louis Riddick wanted to hire this coach if he became Giants GM

There was quite a bit of news on the coaching front this week — not just in the NFL but in college football as well, with legendary coach, Alabama’s Nick Saban, announcing his retirement.

Prior to the Giants hiring Dave Gettleman as their general manager in December 2017, Louis Riddick was being considered for the position. The Giants, of course, went with Gettleman, which did not work out well for them.

As it turns out, Riddick had big plans for his head coach had he landed the Giants’ GM job. In fact, it appears Riddick reached out to Nick Saban proactively while still being in the running for the position.

This wasn’t the first time Saban’s name was connected to the Giants.

According to Bruce Arians back in 2018, Saban coveted the Giants head coaching job and there were also rumors that Saban nearly replaced Tom Coughlin when his tenure with the Giants ended.

It’s certainly an interesting ‘what if’ scenario, especially considering the way that the Gettleman era is remembered among fans.

It’s interesting to think about how Riddick would have fared as the Giants GM, especially if he was able to lure Saban away from Alabama.



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Analytics can’t measure Saquon Barkley’s value

When the New York Giants selected Penn State running back Saquon Barkley with the second overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft, then-general manager Dave Gettleman was heavily criticized.

How, in the modern NFL, could Gettleman place that sort of value on a running back? They were a dime a dozen in the eyes of many.

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As talented and dynamic as Barkley was, he was still just a running back.

Even after Barkley had a monster season and won the 2018 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award, the questions wouldn’t cease. And the harder Gettleman pushed back, the more intense the criticisms became.

Gettleman is now several years removed from his rush-out-the-door “retirement” but his stance on Barkley hasn’t changed. Despite the many injuries and issues with drops, the former Giants GM still believes he made the right call on Barkley.

Not only that, but Gettleman believes Barkley’s value can’t be measured analytically and that he should, contrary to popular belief, be given a big-money, long-term contract.

“The style of play in the NFL has certainly evolved in the 60 years I’ve been watching. But there are certain principles that have not changed, and those are: protect the quarterback, sack the quarterback, run the ball in key spots, and stop the run,” Gettleman told the Boston Globe this week. “Those are key points, basic principles, and they have not changed.

“When you build a team, on offense, about the quarterback, it’s about the offensive line and it’s about touchdown scorers. “Saquon Barkley is a touchdown scorer from anywhere on the field. And, oh by the way, via land or air, he can be in the army or he can be in the air force. You can’t put that in an analytic formula. I know that every time Saquon touches the ball. There aren’t a ton of those guys, they’re rare.”

Barkley is a very talented player when healthy, but current Giants general manager Joe Schoen doesn’t subscribe to the same ideology as Gettleman. For him, there was a limit to what you can pay a running back and Barkley found that out this offseason.

Although he was seeking a long-term contract, the Giants drew a line in the sand and would not cross it. Ultimately, the two sides settled on an altered franchise tag — one year for up to $11 million total ($909,000 in added incentives).

Barkley is currently missing times due to an ankle sprain and dropped two passes (both leading to interceptions) over the first two games of the season.

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Dave Gettleman ‘proud as hell’ to watch Giants he drafted thrive

Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley staying healthy, leading the Giants into the playoffs and playing so well that lucrative new contracts are sure to follow are all achievements considered to be improbable, implausible and perhaps even impossible when this all kicked off several months ago. 

The individual who brought Jones and Barkley to the Giants is thrilled — but not surprised — it has worked out this way. 

“I’m proud as hell, they both persevered and fought through,’’ Dave Gettleman, the former Giants general manager, told The Post on Friday. “You talk about mental toughness, for Saquon to fight through those injuries and not getting a contract and being forced to play out his fifth year, he had to have a lot of confidence in himself, show some mental toughness. 

“And Daniel, the same thing. He’s in his third system in four years. Of course I’m proud of them. I’m really happy for them. It’s not because it justifies me. It justifies them.’’ 

Dave Gettleman is happy to watch the players he drafted make the playoffs.
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More than anything else, the success or failure of high draft picks define a general manager’s tenure with a team. Gettleman’s first selection with the Giants was Barkley, taken No. 2 overall in 2018. No one questioned Barkley’s ability, but the value of a running back as a top-five pick was certainly a worthwhile debate. 

A year later, it was no secret the Giants were in the quarterback market, with the aging icon franchise Eli Manning on the downside of his 16-year career. It was not considered a strong draft for quarterbacks in 2019 and Gettleman defied most draft prognostications by taking Jones, out of Duke, at No. 6 overall. 

Barkley was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year but injuries to his ankle and knee — a torn ACL limited him to only two games in 2020 —dulled much of his luster. Jones, only two games into his rookie year, replaced Manning and showed great promise before a new coaching staff and new offensive systems, plus nagging injuries and a neck issue down the stretch in 2021 spawned questions if he was the answer at the most important position on the field. 

Through it all, both players endured, thrived under first-year head coach Brian Daboll and carried the Giants to a record of 9-6-1 and their first playoff berth since 2016 heading into the regular-season finale against the Eagles. 

“It’s been proven time and time again, you draft a kid in the first round, you’re the New York Giants or the New York Jets, he better be able to handle New York,’’ Gettleman said. “Because it ain’t easy. 

“New York’s a tough place and it’s a tough place when things aren’t going right. I’m just proud they stuck to it and not been bothered by things that are written and said. I’m thrilled for those kids. They’re good people. Good young men.’’ 

Daniel Jones smiles during the Giants’ win over the Colts on Jan. 1.
Robert Sabo for the NY POST
Saquon Barkley was picked No. 2 in the 2018 NFL draft by Dave Gettleman.
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Gettleman after four years as the general manager saw the writing on the wall and opted for retirement after the Giants went 4-13, triggering a housecleaning that sent Joe Judge packing and ushered in Daboll and new general manager to lead another rebuild. 

Gettleman, 71, splits his time between his homes in New Jersey and Cape Cod. His fingerprints are all over the current Giants roster. Defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence (first round, 2019) and left tackle Andrew Thomas (first round, 2020) are centerpieces and budding stars. Safeties Xavier McKinney (second round, 2020) and Julian Love (fourth round, 2019) are fixtures on the back end of the defense. Azeez Ojulari (second sound, 2021) is a rising pass rusher. The trade with the Jets for Leonard Williams imported a versatile interior defensive lineman and the free agent signing of Graham Gano provided Daboll with one of the NFL’s most reliable kickers. 

“Am I happy the guys are doing well? I’m thrilled,’’ Gettleman said. “Daniel and Saquan and Andrew Thomas and Dexter, where do you want me to stop? I’m thrilled they’re all playing well. They’re maturing as players and they’re getting coached.’’ 

There were notable Gettleman misfires, of course: DeAndre Baker and Kadarius Toney in the draft, Kenny Golladay in free agency, salary cap miscalculations. Any time a top executive leaves behind a young quarterback with promise, though, it is a resume-enhancer. 

“Daniel hasn’t changed,’’ Gettleman said. “He’s always been hard-working, athletic, tough, smart. We all have to learn our craft. Sad thing, in the society we live in right now and the culture we have, there’s no patience for anything. 

“I’ve always been confident with the pick. You look at the quarterbacks that have been brought in, that are getting drafted high, people were just taking shots and taking chances. A lot of GMs and owners acquiesce to the media and public opinion. You take a guy with the sixth pick in the draft, if you don’t believe he’s gonna be successful, what planet, what are you doing? I’ve never backed off of the pick, never once did I ever shake my head and say ‘boy, did I f–k up.’ Not once. 

“If you were gonna bet money on a guy, that’s a guy you would bet on.’’

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