The Giants named Buffalo Bills Assistant General Manager Joe Schoen, (pronounced 'Shane') as their new General Manager on Friday, and in earnest began interviewing Head Coaching candidates, namely Bills Offensive Coordinator Brian Daboll.
While the Bills are still in the playoffs, and depending on how they do on Sunday in Kansas City, could remain in the playoffs for another three weeks, the fact the Giants interviewed Daboll first, and his connections to Schoen, might indicate that he is an early favorite for the job.
Schoen spent the past five years with the Bills as Assistant GM under Brandon Beane. He is credited as being part of a front office that orchestrated a franchise turnaround from destitute loser to perennial Super Bowl contender.
Whether that makes Schoen a shoe-in to be a success down I-81 is anyone's guess. He has to hit on the head coach first. There are a number of candidates aside from Daboll, who are interested. Namely former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores who is expected to interview for the job.
Flores is a New York native, and is said to want the job. He is coming off of three mediocre seasons in Miami as head coach, and was fired because he didn't get along with the front office or quarterback Tua Tagovailola. Do the Giants want to go the route of hiring a head coach who was just fired? Remember when the Jets did that? Adam Gase was supposed to be an offensive genius, but had a spotty history with Miami. The rest, as they say, is infamy.
Daboll, like Flores, also hails from the Bill Belichick tree, having served most of his career as a Patriots assistant coach. He is credited with turning around Josh Allen's career the past few seasons when it looked like the quarterback was off to a disastrous start to his career in 2018.
Daboll is the unknown. He has never been a head coach at this level, and nobody knows how good he will be. A Daboll-Schoen tandem would be the ultimate shot in the dark for the Giants, who are trying to get back on track in a division that has no true dominant team.
In addition to the head coach, Schoen has to figure out what to do with quarterback Daniel Jones. There is no slam dunk in the draft this year. There never is. Do the Giants reach for someone like Kenny Pickett in the draft and hope, like the previous administration did with Jones, that Pickett is the guy, eventually?
Or do the Giants go out and try to contend by trading for a veteran? Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson are two significant names that could be on the market this spring. If the Giants went that route, Schoen would need to significantly beef up the offensive line and make other moves that could make the Giants contenders right away.
Or, the safest bet is roll with Jones for another year. Build around him as much as possible, and if doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. At least Schoen and (fill in the blank for Head Coach) would have a year under their belts to evaluate the roster and make a significant move in 2023.
Welcome to New York, Joe. The challenge is yours.
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