Robert Saleh had barely put his suitcase down after returning home from London on Oct. 7 when Jets owner Woody Johnson fired him.
If the Giants (2-7) lose to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday in Munich, Germany, will Brian Daboll’s key card work at the team’s facility on Monday?
Co-owner John Mara went on the record in late October saying “we are not making any changes this season, and I do not anticipate making any changes in the offseason, either.”
But Mara’s votes of confidence tend to have early expiration dates. Just ask Ben McAdoo and Joe Judge.
Both teams that have lost to the Panthers (2-7) have fired coordinators or coaches this season: the New Orleans Saints canned head coach Dennis Allen, and the Las Vegas Raiders fired offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and many of his assistants.
There is also a chance that an international embarrassment against the Panthers could prompt a statement or action from co-owner Steve Tisch that turns the tide.
That is a forgotten element around here when Tisch lays low: that this is a 50-50 partnership. And that Tisch, as it relates to his weighing in, tends to come heavy or not at all.
Mara was being honest when he said he is trying to be more patient than he has been in the past. But his collaborative dynamic with the Tisch family is what ultimately swings the scales.
Tisch famously wanted to blow up the Dave Gettleman-Pat Shurmur regime after 2019, while Mara wanted to give Gettleman more time. So Tisch compromised, and they only fired Shurmur.
After Judge’s second season, Mara initially considered giving his coach the third season he’d promised him, but Tisch had seen enough. So they overhauled it completely and fired everyone.
Tisch then notably kept his enthusiasm in perspective after the Giants’ 2022 playoff win at Minnesota in Joe Schoen’s and Daboll’s first season.
While Mara was quoted saying “we’re back” in the postgame locker room, Tisch released a statement that he was “proud of the players, coaches and staff” and that “Joe and [Daboll] have laid the foundation for continued success.”
Then Tisch added: “We all agree there is much work left to be done.”
Since Tisch released that statement, the Giants are 8-19-0. Since the Giants’ 6-1 start to that 2022 season, in fact, they are 11-24-1.
They have a 4-12-1 record in the NFC East, including 1-10-0 against the Cowboys and Eagles.
They were swept by Washington this season, and the Commanders scored on 12 of their 15 possessions in the two games. The Giants only forced two punts. The other drive was a victory formation kneel-down at the goal line when Washington called off the dogs.
The Giants are the lowest-scoring offense (15.4 points per game) in an NFL that is down on good teams, with seven clubs at two wins entering Week 10. Daboll is calling the plays full-time. That’s even worse than their 15.6 points per game average that ranked 30th in 2023.
The Giants’ league sack lead (35) is offset by having the NFL’s worst run defense (5.2 yards per carry) and rarely forcing takeaways (seven turnovers, only one interception).
They have lost four straight.
What really isn’t sitting well on top of all that, meanwhile, is Schoen’s release of starter Nick McCloud this week after the veteran corner refused to take a pay cut.
Players are having a hard time wrapping their minds around it. They know it evokes the same questions as those Saquon Barkley scenes on HBO’s ‘Hard Knocks:’
‘Why? What are we doing? What are the motivations behind these decisions?’
Corner Deonte Banks has come under fire for lackluster effort. The line has gotten pushed around lately, though. And the entire defense will be worth monitoring on Sunday to see their reaction to that cutthroat move.
Meanwhile, an injury to left tackle Andrew Thomas has severely compromised the Giants for a second straight season because Schoen had no adequate plan behind him.
Sunday may actually bring the true return of Schoen 2022 No. 7 overall pick Evan Neal to the field at right tackle. The Giants have hidden him from the public eye so far this year.
But it’s time to give the young man another shot, whether it validates or exposes their evaluation.
There is just too much about this Giants regime and operation that doesn’t represent the organization well.
It evokes the image of Schoen and Daboll’s pre-draft meeting with ownership from Hard Knocks, when Daboll was slouching on a couch with his feet on a coffee table in front of Mara and Tisch:
What are we doing?
That is the question Mara and Tisch should be asking themselves already.
That is the question they will be asking themselves on the flight home from Germany if the Giants lose this game.
