Once A Giant Always A Giant is not a bad thing.
Dave Gettleman, the former Panthers GM who worked for the Giants from 1998-2012, is still the prohibitive favorite to be named the Giants GM. The announcement could come as early as this week if co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch and consultant/former Giants GM Ernie Accorsi decide there is no reason to wait for other potential candidates (Green Bay’s Eliot Wolf, Minnesota’s George Paton, Baltimore’s Eric DeCosta) to interview once their seasons are over.
There is nothing wrong with The Giants Way.
Remember, with George Young handing off to Accorsi, who handed off to Jerry Reese, the Giants have won four Super Bowls since 1986, the most in that time other than the Patriots, who have won five. It’s just that Reese lost his touch the last six years and dropped the Giants into a ditch.
Even so, fresh ideas and a new voice in the draft and free agent war rooms are needed. That’s why I think the Giants should hire Gettleman as GM to maintain the Giants Way and also Louis Riddick as his right-hand man/heir apparent to introduce Another Way.
Gettleman is equipped to hit the ground running and straighten out the Giants personnel. He’s a no-nonsense, no-frills guy who helped build the Panthers team that went to the Super Bowl in 2015, as well as having input on the Giants teams that went to the Super Bowl in 2000 and won it in ’07 and ’11.
“Seamless transition,” is how one of my sources framed it.
His best qualities?
“He’s smart and really focused on what’s important,” he said. “He’s very tough-minded and doesn’t have an ego. He knows the job inside and out and has done everything on the personnel side.”
But he also will be 67 years old on Feb. 21, although it’s not like part of the job requirement is running 40-yard sprints. He just has to pick the right players, which is his strength.
Having a succession plan in place and letting Gettleman mentor and groom his replacement would make for another seamless transition. I’ve heard from many Giants fans who love Riddick, but they are basing that off his TV work, at which he excels. He comes off as bright and informed and likeable. He clearly knows the game.
Does that translate into being an elite GM? Riddick worked as a scout and in pro personnel for Washington and the Eagles from 2001-13 before joining ESPN four years ago. “He’s been away from scouting for five years,” the source said.
He has no track record in a position of power, but could be a rising star at the age of 48. If he’s agreeable to waiting a few years for Gettleman to retire and in the meantime accept a position of director of football operations with a promise he’s the next GM if things go well, it could be a great opportunity for him and the Giants. He would bring new ideas that could be incorporated into The Giants Way.
Riddick came close to getting the 49ers GM job last year, and if Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels had not pulled out, they had a great chance to be hired together. The 49ers wound up hiring John Lynch out of the Fox TV booth to be their GM. He had no NFL front office experience, but he is a Stanford guy as is Paraag Marathe, the Niners chief strategy officer.
Riddick has a prominent role at ESPN and may not be willing to leave unless he gets the No. 1 spot on the football decision-making depth chart. The GM job has huge responsibilities and certainly the Giants could carve out a meaningful role for Riddick to work with Gettleman.
One source I spoke to said he thought the Giants might want to keep Marc Ross, the vice president of player evaluation, and team him with Gettleman, but liked the idea of putting Riddick with Gettleman. Assistant GM Kevin Abrams could remain handling the salary cap.
Although the Giants are going through the worst and most disappointing season in their history, they don’t need to hire a GM who has no connection to the organization just to distance themselves from the stink left behind by Reese and Ben McAdoo.
Some Giants thoughts:
— Riddick is tight with McDaniels and if he’s hired as the GM or another prominent role, he could help the Giants get the most sought-after offensive coach. McDaniels and Tom Brady are very close and he may not want to leave until Brady is done. He’s also the logical successor to Bill Belichick, but there’s no indication when Belichick is going to take his vibrant personality and happy-go-lucky attitude to Nantucket full-time.
— Gettleman inherited Ron Rivera in Carolina and never hired his own head coach. Panthers first-year defensive coordinator Steve Wilks is considered a future head coach. He has worked with Rivera in Chicago, San Diego and Carolina. The Giants have never had an African-American head coach. Wilks has been with the Panthers since 2012, one year before Gettleman arrived.
— Obviously, the plan for Eli Manning is one of the top questions being asked of the GM candidates and will be asked of coaching candidates. After what McAdoo went through when he benched Manning and knowing how Manning will react if it’s not handled correctly, could The Eli Issue be a turnoff to candidates? Is a rookie coach going to want to deal with this?
— Gettleman was the Panthers GM when Odell Beckham had his meltdown against Carolina cornerback Josh Norman late in the 2015 season. That’s something to keep in mind if Gettleman gets the Giants job. The Giants picked up Beckham’s $8.4 million option for 2018 in the spring, but Mara said over the summer that Beckham will get a long-term deal. But a few things have changed: Beckham broke his ankle in the fifth game, he acted like a dog and pretended to pee on the field in Philly in the third game and the Giants will have a new GM who may not run scared of Beckham like Reese.
Gettleman didn’t show much sentiment or loyalty in his dealings in Carolina with Steve Smith, Josh Norman and DeAngelo Williams. He didn’t draft any of them and let them all leave. One of the reasons Gettleman was let go by Jerry Richardson right before training camp this year was the anticipated tough way Gettleman was going to handle negotiations with Thomas Davis, a Richardson favorite.
— One of Accorsi’s best friends is Gettleman, but he still recommended Reese over him in 2007. He then helped him get the Carolina job in 2013. I can’t see Accorsi recommending anybody over Gettleman a second time for the Giants GM job but Mara and Tisch have final say.
PROBLEMS IN FOXBORO?
Is there trouble in paradise? Belichick and Brady have never been particularly close despite their success, but now that Belichick recently banned Brady’s business partner and fitness guru Alex Guerrero from the sidelines and team plane and forbids him from treating anybody but Brady in his stadium office, this could turn out to be an explosive situation. Brady is a big proponent of Guerrero’s alternative training techniques and he spends a lot of time talking about the “TB12 training method.” He and Guerrero are partners in the “TB12” fitness center based in the Patriot Place mall owned by Robert Kraft next to Gillette Stadium. Kraft considers Brady his fifth son, so Belichick must have convinced him having Guerrero around the players on team property offering conflicting advice from team trainers and doctors was detrimental to their chances to win another Super Bowl. Brady was asked Friday if the Guerrero stuff has impacted his relationship with Belichick. “No,” he said. “I just try to show up and do the right thing and win football games.”
END OF HACK
How bad is Christian Hackenberg?
The Jets are 10-20 the last two years starting Ryan Fitzpatrick, Geno Smith, Bryce Petty and Josh McCown and Hackenberg can’t get on the field. He’s dressed for only two games — the final game last year, the first game this year — when he was the only healthy second QB on the roster. He can’t even jump ahead of the very limited Petty on the depth chart. That tells you the Jets have given up all hope Hackenberg can ever be their guy, despite being a second-round pick in 2016. That was a colossal miss by GM Mike Maccagnan. I think if Wyoming’s Josh Allen is there for the Jets or they move up a few spots — they currently have the No. 10 pick — they will pick him and pray he becomes Carson Wentz.
CAROLINA TIMES
Richardson’s decision to sell the Panthers after the sexual misconduct allegations was not mandated by the NFL office, but I’m sure it was a relief... Richardson owns 48% of the Panthers, but the entire 100% is on the market. If Richardson sells to one of his minority partners, two names have emerged: Erskine Bowles, the former chief of staff in the Clinton administration, and developer Johnny Harris. The Panthers stadium lease is up after the 2018 season and I’ve been hearing there could be a plan to try and lure them right across the border into South Carolina with a new domed stadium with the potential to host a Super Bowl... Jimmy Garoppolo is 3-0 since taking over as the 49ers starter. They are now 4-10. The more games he wins, the worse it looks that the Pats only received a second-round pick in return. Jimmy G has put himself in position for a huge payday. SF will either designate him as the franchise player (about $22 million) or sign him to a long-term deal with probably $40 million guaranteed. Either way, he will make more than Brady, who will get $14 million next year. Lynch didn’t help his negotiating position when he said after Garoppolo’s first start, “I could have had five rings if I had a guy like that because in Tampa we never had that.” Lynch won just one ring with the Bucs despite their great defense... The deadline for underclassmen to declare for the draft is Jan. 15. UCLA’s Josh Rosen is a sure thing to declare. USC’s Sam Darnold is not... Zeke Elliott is back for the Cowboys, who lost their first three and won their last three during his six-game suspension. They finish up the season against the Seahawks and Eagles and even if they win both to get to 10-6, they still need help to make the playoffs... The Broncos (5-9) have had a disappointing year with rookie coach Vance Joseph. It’s a problem when GM John Elway is still the best QB in the building.
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