Eli Manning Urges Patience with Giants' Leadership

Retired quarterback Eli Manning believes the Giants must stay the course and let head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen continue to build the team.
Feb 4, 2023; Paradise, NV, USA; NFL coach Eli Manning reacts during practice at Allegiant Stadium.
Feb 4, 2023; Paradise, NV, USA; NFL coach Eli Manning reacts during practice at Allegiant Stadium. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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Like the scores of New York Giants fans who sat through the 2024 season, retired quarterback Eli Manning often sat in disbelief over what he saw on the field, wondering with each passing loss what might become of the franchise he quarterbacked for 16 of its first 100 seasons.

But when the dust settled, the team’s ownership duo of John Mara and Steve Tisch decided to run things back with general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll despite the pair having been at the helm of the team’s worst season in its history.

Manning understands the reasoning behind the decision.  

“You got to be a little bit more patient,” he said when asked if he was surprised that Schoen and Daboll were retained in their respective roles. “Everybody's in a quick decision mode to get rid of people without necessarily a game plan.”

New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll (right) and general manager Joe Schoen
Aug 26, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll (right) and general manager Joe Schoen (left) talk before a game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. / Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

For many Giants fans, the franchise's lack of wins has eroded their confidence that the team’s brass has any idea what they’re doing. Over the last eight seasons, the Giants have won fewer than ten games, sharing that record with the Jets.

And the Giants offense, which was supposed to be Daboll’s specialty, was worse this year than ever. Per Pro Football Network, the Giants finished with a -142 point differential, the fourth-worst in the NFL. 

The Giants also had a negative point differential in 12 of the last 15 seasons, during which time they are 98-145-1 despite winning a Super Bowl in 2011, which they did so despite having a -6 point differential that season.

All of that and then some is enough to justify a change, but Manning, in preaching patience to the fan base, said that a degree of patience, which ownership hasn’t shown since the day Tom Coughlin walked out the door, is the way to go, despite how challenging that might be.

“You can't just keep changing over on coaches and management and expect better results,” he said. “You got to give time for people to get their people in, set their culture, and let the players develop under them. 

“You saw success two years ago. Last year was tough, but I think Coach Daboll and Joe Schoen are good people. They're good coaches. They're committed to it. And you know, if you have that, you have to give them time and let them figure it out.”

Additional reportng by Victoria Jonach.


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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.