Why the Optimism Around the New York Giants is Real

Here is why the hype around the direction of the New York Giants franchise is very real.

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
Jul 24, 2022 10:00 AM EDT

In this story:

The buzz around the New York Giants this summer is undeniable and with good reason.

After multiple attempts to pull the franchise out of its downward spiral that has seen the Giants post a losing record in eight of its last nine seasons since 2013, there is hope that the franchise is finally on the right track.

That hope begins with team ownership's willingness to scrap the old and outdated "Giants way" of doing business in which the team operated as a sort of a closed organization in which whenever a key opening came up in its front office, that opening was filled with a face familiar to ownership.

In the case of the general manager, we're talking about the George Young tree. Young, who became the first full general manager of the team and the first to hold complete autonomy over football decisions, would be followed by Ernie Accorsi, who served as the assistant general manager under Young; Jerry Reese, the director of college scouting under Accosi; and Dave Gettleman, who had been director of pro personnel under Accorsi.

Instead, the Giants, who in 2015, after two-time winning head coach Tom Coughlin resigned his position, kept trying to find stability in familiarity, an approach that consistently failed to put the general manager on the same timeline as the head coach.

After three head coaches, two of whom were put in place during Gettleman's four-year tenure, the Giants finally did what they should have done in the first place: put the head coach and general manager on the same timeline and with the same vision.

They tapped into the Buffalo Bills organization for their two most important leaders tasked with shaping the direction and future of the franchise: general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll.

That decision is just one of many reasons why the building in East Rutherford is buzzing as the Giants get ready to open training camp on Tuesday. And in our debut episode of "Tommy's Takes," Tommy G, Giants Country's new podcaster, talks about the decision to put the head coach and general manager on the same timeline. He also looks at a couple of other reasons why the energy and excitement level for Giants football has never been higher.

Check out the new Giants Country YouTube channel, where you'll find other takes and podcast episodes from Tommy G and the rest of the Giants Country editorial team.