Giants assistant GM Brandon Brown helping build on team culture

Over the past year, Giants fans have gotten to know coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen. 

Daboll told us early on that he likes a cigar, or two. He’ll occasionally play Ping-Pong in the locker room. And he proved during the 2022 season that he can coach the heck out of a football team, even one with significant holes. 

Schoen has proved he means what he says, both to the media and to agents. If he says he’s going to pull a deal, he’ll pull it. Just ask current Seahawks safety Julian Love. 

Or Saquon Barkley. 

On Tuesday, assistant general manager Brandon Brown met with the media. The 35-year-old Brown joined the Giants in February 2022 after spending five years with the Philadelphia Eagles. 

A native of Glen Cove, Brown attended St. Anthony's High School in South Huntington, where he was a Sports Illustrated Northeast All-American in 2003 and was named to Prepstar Magazine’s All-Region team. 

These days, he is a scout and a sounding board for Schoen and Daboll. 

His star, it appears, is on the rise. 

On Tuesday, Brown was on the field as legendary coach Bill Parcells and Hall of Fame defensive end Michael Strahan visited to watch practice. 

“I think it speaks to the culture we’re building,” Brown said. “It’s contagious. Guys want to be around. They want to come back. It’s something they want to be a part of. When you know something good is brewing, you want to see it on a day-to-day basis. Is it temporary or does it have long-term staying power? You look at the guys we vetted in the offseason, in free agency and the trade for Darren Waller. We added guys who are about our fabric.” 

Parcells spoke to the team at the close of practice. Everyone loves a winner. 

Brown said he has been involved in every part of the organization, including overhauling the draft room, free agency decisions and participating in contract talks. 

“I think that’s part of the collaboration process. We get with the coaches in the postseason and [ask], how do we get better? What areas do we need to improve on? We’re not satisfied with how the season ended and being explosive is one of [those] objectives.” 

Enter Waller, the tight end who was available via trade with the Raiders in March. All Waller has done this spring is change the entire look of the Giants offense. And he’s gotten help. The Giants retained or signed receivers who have one trait in common: Speed. 

As Brown said, “You don’t have to have long drives when you have the quick-strike ability.” 

Translation: Explosive plays win games. 

A reminder: The Giants were last in the league in those plays, of at least 20 passing yards, last season. 

(An almost sure bet: They won’t be last this season.) 

Brown was asked about the topic of every day, the status of Barkley, who has neither signed his franchise tag nor come to a contract resolution with the Giants. Thus, he is not permitted at this mandatory mini-camp and has not been at any of the team’s offseason conditioning. 

Brown noted that the communications with Barkley’s camp have now lasted “about nine months now.” 

“We love Saquon,” he added. “He knows how I feel about him, he knows how we feel about him collectively. But we’re going to keep team business inside, but I’m excited for whenever he’s back. I know he’s taking care of his business right now.”

By Kimberly Jones

kimberly.jones@newsday.comkimjonessports

Kimberly Jones covers the Giants for Newsday, a beat she first worked in the early 2000s before joining the YES Network to cover the Yankees. She worked for the NFL Network for more than a decade and has been heard semi-regularly on WFAN.