EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Joe Schoen defended his roster construction and pointed to talent already in place, from quarterback Jaxson Dart to receiver Malik Nabers, as a reason why he deserves to keep his job as New York Giants general manager and oversee the search for the team's next head coach.
Schoen on Tuesday at his annual bye week news conference acknowledged errors he has made along the way that have contributed to a 2-11 record this season and 25 losses over the past 30 games. He said he expects ownership to evaluate the football operations department over the next several weeks.
“I’m excited about the guys who are here,” Schoen said. “Have I screwed up? Have I made mistakes? Absolutely. Absolutely, but I’m not going to make the same mistake twice and we’re going to continue to get better.”
Schoen appeared to receive a vote of confidence last month from owner John Mara when coach Brian Daboll was fired. Mara said Schoen “assembled a good nucleus of talent, and we look forward to its development.”
The Giants have lost three in a row under interim replacement Mike Kafka to extend their skid to seven. Most recently was a 33-15 loss Monday night at New England that Dart called embarrassing.
“Two wins is not where we want to be right now,” Schoen said. “It’s not good enough. I understand the frustration from fans, ownership, the people inside the building and nobody’s more frustrated than myself. And it starts with me, and I’m tasked with trying to get this organization going back in the proper direction.”
Schoen said Kafka, who had never served as a head coach at any level until now, would get a look for the full-time role, assuming he is the one making the hire. Kafka said he had not thought about this as an audition.
“That’s out in the future,” Kafka said. “I’m going to leave that out there and just focus on what’s most important, and it’s the players and the coaches and the staff right now.”
Asked multiple times about his own job security, Schoen repeated the line, “I understand the question,” while voicing optimism about the future.
“I’m very confident in my staff, myself and our ability to get this franchise back to where it needs to go,” Schoen said. “I do have confidence in our ability and our process to find the next coach to lead the organization. I truly believe in that process, and I know we’re going to get it right.”
It did not work out with Daboll, and some of the mistakes include signing QB Daniel Jones long term and eventually losing franchise running back Saquon Barkley to free agency. Jones was benched and released last season on the way to New York finishing 3-14.
Bottoming out paved the way to draft edge rusher Abdul Carter with the third pick, and while he has now been benched by Kafka for the start of two of the past three games, Schoen said he is not worried about off-field issues becoming a trend. Instead, he pointed to that position as one of the team's strengths.
“That’s when it gets fun: when you’re building around a young quarterback, you have a good nucleus, you have a good left tackle you have a wide receiver that had a historic year (in his) rookie season, you got a good running back room, you got pass rushers,” Schoen said. “There’s pieces in place.”
When asked about a potential coach who might want his own GM, he responded: “The calls we’ve gotten, I think we’re going to be able to fill the job.”
The organization's focus is on supporting Kafka down the stretch, Schoen said, before going into search mode. Finding someone who can help develop Dart is part of the equation but not all of it, and Schoen said he wants an all-around coach for a group that has so far underachieved even modest expectations.
“I do believe there is a good, young core to build around here,” Schoen said. “It will be an attractive job for many coaches and I’m excited to get that process going as we move forward.”
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