5 Takeaways From a Press Conference That Raised More Questions Than It Answered
The New York Giants’ general manager Joe Schoen stepped up to the podium late Tuesday afternoon which honestly set the tone for everything that followed. It was a pressure cooker disguised as a press conference, coming less than 24 hours after the Giants fell to 2–11 in a disastrous Monday Night loss to the red-hot Patriots.
Two wins. Another lost season. A coaching staff shakeup. A frustrated fanbase. And ownership watching closely.
Schoen tried to explain how the Giants got here. Again. And why he believes he’s still the man to fix it. Again.
Here are the biggest moments from a press conference that left Giants fans wondering: Did he really just say that?
1. “It starts with me”… but nothing was actually his fault.
This was the theme of the day. Schoen repeated the phrase “It starts with me” multiple times but never actually owned a specific mistake.
Free agency?
The draft?
Coaching hires?
Roster decisions?
Leadership gaps?
Player discipline?
Every answer circled the drain but never went down it. He acknowledges five wins in two years isn’t acceptable. He just won’t tell us where he personally went wrong. He’ll keep that in-house of course.
2. He believes the Giants are an “attractive job.”
He seemed to be convincing himself more than anyone else when he said this.
According to Schoen, the Giants are appealing because they have:
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A rookie QB he now calls “a future leader”
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Malik Nabers coming off a historic season
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A young RB room
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A few defensive pieces
That’s all fine, but it ignores the giant elephant sitting on top of MetLife:
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The team is 2–11 again.
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They’re 30th in defense again.
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They’ve won five games in two years.
Attractive job?
Sure. NFL head-coaching jobs are rare. There are only 32, so by default the job looks attractive. But it’s like that house that looks good from the curb and then you walk in and realize, “Oh…”
This is a fixer-upper with foundation issues.
3. The Daboll split still casts a massive shadow.
Every question about Brian Daboll got the same answer:
Ownership made the decision. Not him.
He says he supports it, but the messaging was careful. Maybe a little too careful.
Giants fans aren’t dumb. Even if the organization thinks they can play fast and slick with them. Everyone knows something went on behind the scenes that fractured the Daboll–Schoen relationship that was supposedly “lock-step” until this year.
It also basically confirmed everything that had been reported: ownership wanted Brian Daboll gone and he was always on a short leash. After another meltdown in Chicago, no one was talking anyone out of anything that night.
4. He doubled down on Jaxson Dart
This was the strongest part of the presser.
He praised Dart’s:
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Leadership
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Competitiveness
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Off-platform ability
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Rookie of the Month performance
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Toughness
And flat-out said Dart has “exceeded expectations.”
He also backed the decision to trade back into Round 1 for him and insisted it was an “organizational decision,” not a “Daboll decision.”
Translation:
Dart seems to be working out, so I’ll take credit for it now.
And let’s not pretend Schoen isn’t aware that his job hinges on his draft picks hitting. Something he’s had a little trouble doing as of late.
5. Accountability issues? Nah. It’s just a young team.
Schoen brushed aside concerns about:
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Malik Nabers tweeting frustration
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Young players criticizing coaches
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Discipline inconsistencies
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Veterans calling out effort
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Benching (or lack thereof)
Instead, he chalked it up to “young players in a social media world.”
But we all know that’s not the whole story. It’s Schoen’s sad attempt at trying to put a positive spin on the massive accountability problem that runs rampant in this building. Much like being late.
The Giants have a culture problem.
Everyone sees it.
Everyone feels it.
And the GM avoiding the question doesn’t make it disappear.
The Most Telling Quotes
Here are the lines Giants fans will be talking about:
“It starts with me… but I’m going to support Kafka moving forward.”
On repeat.
“Ownership made the decision on Daboll.”
Translation: Don’t blame me.
“We’re still 30th on defense with all the additions… we’ve got to do a better job.”
Key word being still.
“Have I made mistakes? Absolutely. But I won’t make the same mistake twice.”
But you literally have.
“I think this is an attractive job.”
Debatable, but he has to say it publicly. Supply and demand makes this job attractive.
“We have a good young quarterback… and that’s when it gets fun.”
Are you having fun, Joe? Because the fans aren’t.
One Giant Takeaway
This press conference just raised more questions. It didn’t rebuild trust. And it didn’t outline a real plan but then again, the Giants never seem to have one. Lack of planning and lack of accountability are the only things that are clear as day with this franchise.
But the press conference did do one thing:
It confirmed that the next four weeks are ownership’s way of putting the entire staff on notice. As they should.
No one in that building should feel like their job is safe. This “audition” isn’t exactly going well for anyone involved, and now that Schoen doesn’t have Brian Daboll or Shane Bowen to hide behind, it’s starting to look like the Emperor has no clothes.
Maybe that’s why he sprinted off the podium at the end of his press conference.
