Reader Mailbag: The New Coaching Staff, Forgotten Players and More

Let's see what's on people's minds.

From Matt L.

To see the most massive overhaul of coaching philosophy I have seen since Ray Perkins was brought on board, I need to ask if you can explain the genesis and development of this overhaul of thought in the ownership group?

Great question, Matt. I think the basis behind the approach with the coaching selections stems back to the last two staffs, which weren't very successful, especially Shurmur's staff. 

I've said this before on podcasts, but I firmly believe that when Shurmur was hired, he rushed through the process of selecting assistant coaches, and with some of his picks, I don't think they were guys who were his first choice.

Judge, as I have also noted on the LockedOn Giants podcast, spent nearly a month interviewing and vetting candidates. I also pointed out in this article some of the interesting aspects behind some of the hires for different position groups.

Add it all together, and I think it was a matter of ownership, in knowing that they didn't get the last two coaching hires right, really wanting the third tie to be a charm. Will it? Time will tell.

#askpat Which forgotten players on the full roster are you most excited to see under the new regime?

— David Seidenfrau (@dseidenfrau) February 6, 2020

Thanks for that question, David. I think Wayne Gallman comes to mind. I get what the former coaching staff was saying about Buck Allen and everything, but I still think Gallman is a serviceable runner who deserves a chance to compete for the backup behind Saquon Barkley.

I'm also interested in seeing what B.J. Hill might be able to bring to the table. Hill's playing time dwindled after Leonard Williams arrived, but if the Giants are going to talk about having a deep rotation on that defensive line, then I can't see why Hill saw his snap counts fall off a cliff, not unless something changed in the scheme or in what he was doing.   

From Len C.

Could you see a scenario where the Giants trade with Washington to get Chase Young?

What's up, Len? I guess you never should say never, but I would be stunned if Washington trades with the Giants int he first round. Why on earth would a division rival help another rival? Trades between division teams are very rare--I think the last time such a trade happened in the NFL East was when the Eagles sent Donovan McNabb to Washington before the 2010 draft. 

And not for nothing, but I think fans need to accept that the Giants aren't likely going to get Chase Young. Heck, even if he was there when they pick, there is no guarantee that he was their "must-have" guy. There are a lot of ways the team can go in this year's draft. Young isn't the only way.

From Pete S.

Can you clarify what exactly Daniel Jones has been able to do with the receivers while at Duke? I read where he's holding a passing camp? Thanks.

Thanks for the question, Pete. By rule, players are not allowed to work with their NFL coaches until two weeks after the teams commence their off-season program. 

What Jones is likely doing down at Duke University is working on improving his own game, and hey, while he's at it, why not have some of the guys to whom he'll be throwing in the regular season down there so they can develop chemistry?

I spoke with Duke head coach David Cutcliffe during Eli Manning's retirement ceremony, and he mentioned that Jones was going to be down there working on some of his technical issues and on getting better. 

For a quarterback to do that, he needs a receiver to throw the ball to. So this "passing camp" Jones is running right now is probably just that. 

I wouldn't be surprised if, after the spring football practices end, he goes back down to Duke with some of his receivers to work on specific concepts that Jason Garrett installed during the spring.

From Joe R.

Which unit do you think will make the biggest jump in 2020 under the new coaching staff? And how would you measure progress this team might make? Thanks.

Wow, that first one is a tough question, Joe. Off the top of my head, I would say every unit on that Giants team needs to take a big jump forward if they're to avoid another 4-12 season. I don't know that it's fair to isolate one unit, though I do get where you're going with your thought process. 

In terms of measuring progress, in addition to a better won-loss record, I think the biggest thing I want to see is the elimination of mistakes from training camp and the beginning of the year. I don't think we saw enough of that last year; in fact, we could probably argue that some guys regressed. 

This is going to take some time, and I doubt the Giants are going to be Super Bowl contenders in 2020, but if they show forward progress, I'd take that as a positive sign.

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