Big Blue View
Good morning, New York Giants fans!
This is Mike Kafka’s chance to prove he can be a head coach in the NFL.
He stepped onto the practice field Wednesday for the first time as the interim head coach of the New York Giants, replacing his former boss, Brian Daboll, who was fired 10 games into his fourth season with his team sporting a 2-8 record for the third straight year.
Fowler: The job needs stout leadership in the worst way. Schoen has played a role in some of those roster highlights you mentioned above. And ownership has let so many people go over the past decade that it probably couldn’t stomach one more (the buyout money on New York’s books is incredible). That’s why the Giants should explore all options for the head coach, looking for the best fit above the shiniest new toy. The coordinator pool is weaker than it has been, which I believe could bring collegiate candidates or retread NFL head coaches more into play.
With that established, I know a lot of folks are out for blood on the general manager. So, I’ll point out a couple things regarding Schoen. First, over the past four years, he has helped completely modernize the team’s football operation, building an entirely new scouting system, and draft room, and incorporating analytics and data, not just to support scouting, but also the coaching staff on game day. As a result, for the first time, the Giants’ entire football operation was working under one system, and ownership saw that as a promising step forward.
Second, Schoen’s experience in a similar situation before helps. He was in Miami when the Dolphins fired Joe Philbin four games into the 2015 season, and turned to Dan Campbell, who eventually had Zac Taylor and Lou Anarumo as his play-callers. There was regret in Miami that Campbell wasn’t given a longer look for ’16, given the fight...
