Brian Daboll, Joe Schoen share thoughts on Giants as season opener nears
Giants GM Joe Schoen, left, and head coach Brian Daboll speak with the media at Quest Diagnostics Training Center in East Rutherford, N.J., on Jan. 23. Credit: James Escher
On Thursday, Giants general manager Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll held a preseason news conference.
They answered a host of questions on many topics, perhaps most importantly this one: How do you stack up these days against the Eagles?
Schoen’s response was “we’ll see,” because the Giants haven’t played a game yet. That time is coming, with Dallas set to visit MetLife Stadium in primetime on Sept. 10 to open the season.
Schoen noted that he learned something about last year’s team when it rallied to beat the Titans on the road in the opener.
“We still have a lot to learn about this team,” he said. “We’ll see when it comes to Sunday against the Cowboys, how they're going to come together as a team and gel and how they're going to react in those situations.”
The Giants did not play most of their starters for long stretches in preseason. Saquon Barkley did not take the field at all.
Schoen said of Barkley: “He had a really good camp, he came in in shape, voted a captain, his leadership stood out from day one. I’m really happy with where he is right now.”
What was the thought process in acquiring LB Isaiah Simmons?
Scheon said he talked to defensive coordinator Wink Martindale who “a vision for the player.”
Simmons has experience at linebacker and safety. There are packages where he’d probably be best described as a playmaker.
“He’s is a young guy, just turned 25, has size, has length, athleticism and versatility,” the GM said. “So, for the compensation, we thought it made sense.” The Giants parted only with a seventh-round pick in the deal.
Schoen added, “We’re excited.”
Simmons had issues with the leadership in Arizona, a different regime than the one that drafted him eighth overall in the 2020 draft.
“He’s fitting in good,” said Daboll, adding that Simmons knew Dexter Lawrence from their Clemson days, and Barkley, Isaiah Hodgins and Parris Campbell from working out in Arizona.
Schoen noted that when there is turnover of coaching staff and administrative staffs in football, a high-profile player sometimes no longer fits.
He also said the Giants did plenty of homework. As for Simmons? “He’s come in and fit in well,” Schoen said.
How has Darren Waller measured up to what you either hoped or expected?
The answer is yes. There were times on the practice field this summer when Waller literally dominated the practice.
Daboll said Waller has “done a good job” in acclimating. The biggest question is whether he can stay healthy. “I know we've talked about him quite a bit this summer, but he's come in and he's learned our system. We've had good communication as to some of the stuff that he likes to do or had done and introduced him to some of the stuff that we think he could do well to help us. Again, he’s done a nice job since he’s been here.”
Coincidentally, or not, Schoen noted that it is natural for quarterback Daniel Jones to be more comfortable in the second year in an offense. From the moment Waller arrived on the practice field with the Giants, it appeared that he and Jones has worked on chemistry and generally were successful.
What about the offensive line?
Three guards, Ben Bredeson, Mark Glowinski and Joshua Ezeudu, rotated during training camp and offensive line coach Bobby Johnson would probably say they were all better for it. all worked during camp.
“We’ll see when we get to Sunday against the Cowboys,” Schoen said. “We won a lot of games with those players minus JMS (rookie center John Michael Schmitz).”
Schoen said of JMS: “Came in mature. He's worked hard. He's got some leadership about him. He's had a good camp. Again, he gets challenged more than anybody on a daily basis having to line up across from (defensive lineman) Dexter Lawrence, but I'm happy with what we've seen so far.”
Will you negotiate contracts again during the season, like last year?
The short answer is no.
“I won’t say we won’t do it,” Scheon said, “but we have nothing on the docket right now.”
That means safety Xavier McKinney, for example will have to wait until after the season to negotiate. Unless Schoen changes his mind.
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.
