Giants owner John Mara talks all things Big Blue — from passing on Sam Darnold to drafting Saquon Barkley to the disaster that was the 2016 season, and more — in a Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby.
Q: How do you feel having gifted the Jets their franchise quarterback, Sam Darnold?
A: (Chuckle) Listen, we loved Sam Darnold. We loved a lot of those quarterbacks that were coming out last year. But everybody in this building felt Saquon Barkley was the best player in the draft and is a generational talent — I hate to use that term, but that seems to be the popular phrase nowadays. Nothing he’s done so far has given us any reason to feel otherwise, so we’re excited about him. I’m sure Sam is going to have a great career with the Jets, but we saw an opportunity to take a guy that we thought is really a special talent. I’m happy we did.
Q: Did any part of you have any pause that you did not take a franchise quarterback with that second-overall pick?
A: Oh sure. You always second-guess yourself a little bit. And who knows, years from now we may look back at it and feel that way, but we are very confident that the guy we took is a special player and can help us win a championship. The thing that impressed me about that was that there wasn’t anybody in the building that felt that he was not the best player in the draft. When you have that, and you have that opportunity, it’s pretty tough to pass that up.
Q: You watched a few Penn State games last year?
A: I saw him return kickoffs for touchdowns and break off long runs. You couldn’t help but notice him. It seemed to me he was their whole offense, too. The thing that was impressive was I think the teams playing them knew he was their whole offense and geared up to try to stop him, and he still made big play after big play. I watched those games thinking, “We’ll never have a chance to take him. He’ll be the first or second player in the draft.” Little did I know that we would have the second pick.
Q: You know the argument: You shouldn’t draft a running back so high.
A: I know that’s the argument, but do you think the Cowboys feel that way about Ezekiel Elliott, or the Rams about Todd Gurley? These guys are difference-makers now. I know that’s the argument, but I’ve never believed it.
Q: Do you think he can catch 70 balls?
A: I think this is the perfect offense for him because Pat [Shurmur, coach] likes to get the ball to the running back. That was one of the things that attracted us to him in the first place was his proficiency in catching the ball.
Q: How would Odell Beckham Jr. and Lawrence Taylor have bonded on game day?
A: I think they would have been a great pair on game day, because they both want to win so badly, they both play with such high energy levels. I think it would have been a great match. … I’m not sure I would have wanted them hanging out together off the field (smile). But I think on the field, it would have been a great pair.
Q: Do you expect Odell to be a leader?
A: Yes, I do. The one thing about him that I have always admired is how hard he practices and how he really competes on the practice field. And I think when other players look at the best player on the team and how hard he works and how he competes, it sets a good example. It sets a good tone for everybody else. Yes, I do expect him to be a leader. He’s going into his fifth year now. He’s not a rookie anymore, he’s a seasoned veteran, and we do expect that out of him.
Q: Did you sit down with him after the Paris video?
A: We did speak about that. I’m not going to go into specific details of it, but he knows what we expect of him. I’m confident that he’s going to deliver on that.
Q: Did anybody call you last year to ask if Eli Manning might be on the market because of the fluid circumstances surrounding the end of his streak?
A: I got one call about him, I’m not going to reveal the team. But my response was that we’re not looking to trade him.
Q: Was this after the Dec. 3 loss at Oakland, when Eli was benched for Geno Smith? Before that?
A: It was after Oakland, and I don’t remember exactly what the time period was.
Q: The initials are not T.C [Jaguars president Tom Coughlin]?
A: The initials are not T.C.
Q: No offer was made?
A: No.
Q: Why do you still believe in Eli?
A: When he’s protected and when he has his offensive weapons on the field, he produces at a high level. When he’s not protected, when all the receivers are hurt, it’s very difficult for any quarterback to succeed. And I had seen enough at different stages and certainly the season before to make me realize it. … He hasn’t declined. And when you watch him out on the practice field every day, he still throws the ball every bit as well as he ever has. He still has command of the offense. … And there’s no reason to think that he can’t lead this team back into the postseason and win another championship … provided that we have the appropriate support around him. I think we’re getting to the point where we do.
Q: Do you sense there is a chip on his shoulder?
A: If he has one, he certainly hasn’t shown it to anybody. … He’s the same guy he’s been since 2004.
Q: Do you think he might be able to play until he’s 41 like Tom Brady?
A: I don’t know about that. I just believe that he can certainly play a few more years at a high level. I think at this stage of his career, we just need to take it one year at a time.
Q: Shurmur thinks his completion percentage can be in the mid-60s or higher.
A: I’m not as concerned about that, I just want us to win the game. If he’s throwing it 52 percent or 65 percent, just win the game (smile), as Phil Simms used to say. But I think with Pat’s style of offense, I guess that’s achievable.
Q: Eli ideally will buy you time to find the next guy.
A: That’s a fair statement. We didn’t feel any urgency to have to do it this season.
Q: What do you recall about the plane ride home from Oakland following that 24-17 loss, after which you fired coach Ben McAdoo and GM Jerry Reese the next day?
A: The plane ride home from Oakland, I would say, was the low point for me in many, many years. We were a disaster at that point. Not only did we have the Eli benching, but we were not competitive, the locker room was a problem. I knew sitting on that plane coming home that we had to make some changes, and I knew how painful that was going to be. So I would say that I didn’t sleep a wink that plane ride coming home, and knew that it was going to be an unpleasant day the next day and, in fact, it was.
Q: After getting trounced 51-17 by the Rams at home Nov. 5, what was that car ride like for you?
A: There were a lot of lousy car rides home last year. That was the one game where we just were not the least bit competitive. That’s where you start to think to yourself, “This is spiraling out of control, and maybe we need to do something here sooner rather than later.”
Q: After you beat the Broncos on Oct. 15 to become 1-5, did you have hope that maybe McAdoo could turn it around?
A: I did have hope after winning the Denver game that maybe things would start to turn around, and maybe we’d get some breaks and guys would get healthy and the team would start performing better, but obviously it never happened. I think the real turning point for me was losing that third game in Philadelphia, where we should have the game won, and we collapse at the end of the game [giving up two field goals in final minute in 27-24 loss]. I think at that point, we really started to worry that the season was going to quickly slip out of control.
Q: What happened with the locker room last year?
A: I think the combination of players getting hurt, the losing, and a head coach who really was inexperienced and had not been through anything like that before. I just think everything went wrong last year, and we didn’t have enough leadership in the locker room to pull us out of it.
Q: Do you have enough this year?
A: I believe that we do. Let’s start playing games and see what happens. There’ll be some points during the season, I’m sure, where we go through some adversity, and hopefully we have enough leadership down there now to pull us out of that.
Q: Would you say last season was your most gut-wrenching experience since 1978, when the Giants went 6-10 and fired John McVay?
A: (Pause) I would say yes. ’78 was probably the low point in the franchise history. I can’t ever remember a year where the expectations were so high and the performance was so poor. Most people predicted us certainly to be in the playoffs last year, and a lot of you picked us to be in the Super Bowl.
Q: I picked you to win it.
A: (Laugh) Pick us last this season. Please! … Mr. Loser. I didn’t see it coming until it got four, five games into the season. It really was a shock to me. I love the way people wrote, “Well, it shouldn’t have been a shock, you should have seen it coming.” Well, how? How?
Q: Who saw the Eagles winning the Super Bowl?
A: Especially after Carson Wentz got hurt. So, you just don’t know in this game. That’s why you’re never as good as you think you are after you win, and you’re never as bad as you think you are after you lose, although last year we were as bad as we felt we were.
Q: Demeanor-wise, Shurmur reminds me of Cowboys coach Jason Garrett and former Redskins coach Joe Gibbs.
A: I think that’s not an unfair analogy at all. … He’s just very mature, very calm, very in control with what’s going on. He’s not afraid to bark at the players when they need that, but he’s somebody who always seems to keep control of his emotions and his demeanor seems to be pretty even-keeled. That’s his style and it’s one certainly that fits with what we want.
Q: Describe your new defensive coordinator, James Bettcher.
A: So far, I like what I’ve seen. The thing I like the most about it is the enthusiasm that the players seem to show about this style of defense. I think it will fit some of their skill levels very well. Time will tell. The proof is in the pudding. I think we have a chance to be a pretty good defense.
Q: A scouting report on GM Dave Gettleman.
A: Dave is the most upbeat guy you’ll ever be around. I’m a big fan of his approach on how to build a team, his philosophy on how to build a winning team. I’m very confident that we have the right guy to lead our football operation.
Q: Since you hired Dave and Pat, what is the tenor of your emails lately?
A: Dave, Pat and drafting Saquon Barkley. People have a much more positive outlook (chuckle) about our team right now. Last year was about as brutal as it ever will be, between the performance of the team, the national anthem stuff, just everything that was going on last year. If we lose our opening game, I’ll get a ton of mail saying how we screwed up on not drafting a quarterback or not hiring somebody else as general manager. That comes with the territory, you learn to deal with that. The season is a marathon. There will be ups and downs. Hopefully we’ll have more ups this year.
Q: So the fans emailing you were very pleased with the Saquon pick.
A: They sure were. That scares me a little bit (laugh).
Q: What have you seen from Eli Apple?
A: I think he’s had a really impressive training camp. He’s competed very well, he’s had a great attitude. He seems like he’s mixing in very well with the other defensive players. He’s not afraid to compete against any of our receivers. So, so far, so good with him.
Q: Ereck Flowers?
A: I think Ereck has had a really good preseason. I think he’s had a terrific attitude. I’ve asked the coaches about him several times and they all have been very positive about him.
Q: Nate Solder?
A: Nate has been a great addition for us. A lot of people might claim that we overpaid for him, but it was a big-time need for us, and to give Eli somebody that can protect his blind side on a consistent basis — and to provide some leadership in that room. I think having a veteran like that who has had that kind of success in the past in that offensive line meeting room, I think, will help us.
Q: How much would your father have loved Will Hernandez?
A: (Smile) I was thinking that when the first round was over, after we took Barkley and as the first round is progressing, I thought there’s no way Hernandez is going to make it all the way to the next day. I actually thought that he would have been exactly the type of player my father would have been pacing up and down the draft room looking at his card on the board because he loved offensive linemen, particularly offensive linemen with that kind of mentality.
Q: Describe that mentality.
A: The toughness, the willingness to mix it up if necessary, and his athletic ability, his intelligence level. And he’s a really classy young man, also.
Q: On the field, he’s what a New York Football Giant supposed to look and play like.
A: I think so … we lost something when guard Richie Seubert left us, we lost a little bit, and I think Will Hernandez brings some of that back for us.
Q: Alec Ogletree?
A: That was kind of a gift for us because I think we needed some leadership on defense, particularly at that position. You want your inside linebacker to be a leader and to be the guy that can call out the defenses and can get people lined up where they should be, and also who can make plays. We’re certainly hopeful that he’s going to be able to do that for us.
Q: Sterling Shepard.
A: He’s had a great preseason, he’s a terrific young man, he works as hard as anybody, and we think he can be a great part of this offense.
Q: Evan Engram.
A: Engram is really an outstanding young man, and he’s a great part of our offense. I give him a lot of credit. He was a rookie last year, all the receivers got hurt, and he still had a very, very productive season.
Q: Eli has never had this array of weapons, is it safe to say?
A: This is as good a skill position group as we’ve had in quite some time.
Q: Any thoughts on Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey trying to bait Odell?
A: I don’t get too worried about statements like that. I just hope and believe that Odell is mature enough not to let that bother him.
Q: Can this offense average 24 points per game?
A: I just want them to score one more point than the opposing team each week.
Q: Are you worried about the confusion that the helmet rule may cause?
A: I think that will subside over time. Every time we have made a rule designed to improve player safety over the past 15 years, there’s been an initial outcry about how it’s going to change the game — it’s going to lower the strike zone, there’s going to be more knee injuries, there’s going to be more suspect penalties, there’s going to be all sorts of confusion. And you know what happens every time is players and officials adapt to it. The rule against launching into an opponent in the head or neck area, that’s an accepted part of the game right now. This will become an accepted part of the game, also. It’s going to have some ups and downs early on, but as we go through the season, officials will have a better handle on it, and certainly the players. The idea is to change the way players think, and keep them from lowering their heads because it’s a dangerous tactic, both to the player that lowers his head and to the player who’s absorbing the blow.
Q: How do you see the popularity of the game in the wake of the CTE findings and the player safety urgency?
A: I think the popularity of this game is still at a tremendously high level. I think you’re going to see TV ratings go back up. We have so many bright young stars in this league right now that people want to see. We have a lot of compelling games this year. We’re in a good place. Since I’ve been on the Competition Committee [2001], player health and safety is and will always be the No. 1 priority.
Q: How will the anthem controversy be resolved?
A: I think you’ll see it get resolved fairly soon. It needs to be resolved. People are tired of reading and hearing about it.
Q: Have you spoken to your team about it?
A: I’ve spoken to individual players about it, not to the team as a whole, and we’ll have more discussions about it going forward.
Q: An 18-game regular season in a few years?
A: We were negotiating the CBA in 2011 … Jerry Jones in one of our meetings, we were on a break and we were about to go in and talk to the players about the schedule. He said, “I want to try to sell them on the 18-game regular season.” And my response was, “Jerry, they’re adamantly opposed to that. You have no chance.” He says, “I’ll bet I can sell ’em on it.” I said, “You sell them on the 18-game season, I will walk around Times Square for the week in a Dallas Cowboys sweatshirt.” He said, “You’re on.” We walked (chuckle) into the meeting room, and he barely got the words out of his mouth, and the players said: “No way. That’s a deal breaker, we’ll walk out of here right now.” So I did not have to walk around Times Square wearing a Dallas Cowboys sweatshirt (smile).
Q: Now that Odell Beckham is signed, what about Landon Collins?
A: He’s certainly an important player to us. I think at the appropriate time we’ll have discussions with his agent. But I’m not sure that there’s any specific schedule for that yet.
Q: How do you view the NFC East?
A: Well, certainly Philadelphia has got to be the team to beat coming off of the Super Bowl with the tremendous talent that they have on that team. But I think any one of the four teams is capable of winning it. The team that stays healthy and gets some breaks along the way, I think any one of the four can win.
Q: Any advice you care to give the Eagles as far as what it takes to repeat?
A: (Laugh) I’m worried about my own team, I can’t be worried about giving them advice about how they’re going to repeat.
Q: Thoughts on younger brother Chris Mara winning the Triple Crown with Justify.
A: (Laugh) We were all very excited for him. My only criticism, more in jest than anything else, is, don’t say it’s like winning the Super Bowl because there’s nothing like winning the Super Bowl.
Q: Message to Giants fans.
A: We’re excited about this season. And my family and Steve [Tisch] and his family hope you are, too. We’ve done everything we can possibly do to give you the type of team that you can be proud of. And … let’s go!
Source: Read Full Article