It's a new era in New York... yet again. The New York Football Giants have hired Bills' Assistant General Manager, Joe Schoen, as their new GM, and hired his offensive coordinator from Buffalo, Brian Daboll, as Big Blue's new head coach. The Giants have had three coaches in the past six years, the most turnover in the NFL, and President John Mara admitted, "It's up to Steve [Tisch] and me to make the right choices going forward to earn back their [the fan's] trust."
Joe Schoen has had an extensive 21-year career inside the NFL from the moment he began working with the Panthers in 2001 as a ticket assistant and ball carrier. Giants fans should be delighted to know in 2008, Bill Parcells hired Schoen as a national scout calling him a "sharp guy" and "a very good evaluator of talent in the NFL."
Schoen's former colleagues continue to rave about his work ethic and dedication to the job. Schoen was often seen as Brandon Beane's (Buffalo GM) right-hand man in Buffalo. Beane told reporters, "He's a really good leader. He can talk to the owner, he can talk to anybody, a sponsor, fans, whoever. He just knows how to relate." A big shift from the coded language and generalizations used by former Giants GM, Dave Gettleman.
As for the relationship between Schoen and Daboll, it's clear what their goal is. During the hiring process, Schoen said he wanted to be in "lockstep" with whoever the head coach is. That shouldn't be hard to achieve with these two. They've previously worked together in 2011 when Daboll joined Tony Sparano's Miami Dolphins while Schoen worked in scouting. More recently, they've put together an incredible resume for the past 4 years in Buffalo, accumulating a 40-25 regular-season record and playoff appearances three out of the last four seasons, including an AFC Championship appearance last year. It's safe to say their philosophies about how to build a culture and develop players align.
Brian Daboll has worked with legendary coaches such as Belicheck, with whom he's won five rings, and Nick Saban where he helped Alabama reach the national title game as their offensive coordinator. Daboll has had years of previous experience in the league as an offensive coordinator for both the Dolphins and the Browns before getting the job at Alabama, and later the Bills.
According to Pro Football Focus, the Giants ranked 31st in overall offense last season. Hiring Brian Daboll hopefully allows for the Giants to elevate their current offensive structure- and more importantly- develop Daniel Jones. This may seem reminiscent of how Daboll developed Josh Allen in Buffalo. The Giants believe they've got the right offensive-minded guy to get the job done and hire the right staff that'll support Jones. Jones has not had any continuity at the head coaching and offensive coordinator position making it virtually impossible for him to develop.
New York should be proud of these two hires. These two men have a great previous relationship with one another that involves a deep understanding of each other's values and aspirations for their team. The Giants believe Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll's modernized way of thinking about the game can move the organization from dwelling on the glory days of 'yesteryear' and into the new decade with a rejuvenated franchise molded for success.
