EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The clock has started ticking for New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll.
The Giants are in their third year under Schoen and Daboll. In Year 1 in 2022, the team surprisingly made it to the postseason and won a playoff game. That earned them enough positive equity to shrug off a mess of a second season as nothing more than an outlier. The overflow of injuries derailed them, they have said.
New York needed a strong finish to go 6-11 during a 2023 season that included too much drama, too many injuries and enough offensive incompetence to, at the very least, raise questions. The fallout was Daboll overhauling his coaching staff this offseason and taking over playcalling. He appears destined to call plays this season, even though a final decision hasn't been made.
At the very least, the Giants under their leadership need to show progress. There must be signs they are headed in the right direction when this season concludes.
"For us, it's let's get ready for training camp. Look past, look forward. We have those conversations. But our mindset is we're happy that today's here," Daboll said at the start of training camp. "We get to start our first practice and start competing out to see what our team is going to look like in 2024. Have a lot of confidence in the people in our room and excited about getting started."
If the Giants struggle again this season (ESPN's Mike Clay has them projected for an NFL-low 4.7 wins), it's fair to wonder if ownership will react rashly. The previous three Giants coaches lasted either two seasons or less. Daboll could be in trouble depending on how it all unfolds.
It wasn't that long ago that Tom Coughlin's job was in jeopardy heading into the 2007 season after two straight playoff appearances. Jim Fassel needed to put all his chips on the table to record a 12-4 campaign. The standards, at least in the past, have been high.
They at least have been more patient with the general manager. Dave Gettleman got four seasons (without sniffing a winning record in any) before he willingly disappeared into the sunset.
"The good thing with ownership, we have great communication, we talk every day, and they understand where we are and what we're trying to do," Schoen said. "And the focus right now is today. We're going to continue to build this thing. Best 11 on offense, best 11 on defense, what they do well, that's what we'll accentuate and that's what we'll build around."
It's not crazy to expect the team to be able to compete with the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles three years into this regime. The Giants have won just one of nine games against those two division rivals since Schoen and Daboll took charge. Their only win last season came in the season finale against Philadelphia. Perhaps they are at least heading in the right direction.
Failing to compete at that level again this year -- the Eagles and Cowboys are the overwhelming favorites to win the NFC East -- would be a blemish on the Schoen/Daboll résumé. And if the Giants have another losing season and still need to find their next franchise quarterback next offseason, it's fair to wonder just how long is the right amount of time in allowing them to build the organization into a contender.
This is the reality of the situation. Only four of the projected offensive and defensive starters (quarterback Daniel Jones, left tackle Andrew Thomas, wide receiver Darius Slayton and defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence II) predate Schoen and Daboll in New York. This is unequivocally their roster, especially considering they were involved in re-signing Jones.
Progress is mandatory at this point. It could be in terms of wins or simply the blossoming of some key players, namely Schoen's draft picks. If Deonte Banks becomes a shutdown cornerback and Malik Nabers a No. 1 receiver, it will be a lot easier to sell that there is reason to believe this team could do damage moving forward if they get better quarterback play. Or if some of Schoen's Day 2 or 3 picks hit big, that would also produce a similar result. Entering this season, wide receivers Wan'Dale Robinson and Jalin Hyatt, cornerback Cor'Dale Flott, safety Dane Belton, tight end Daniel Bellinger and offensive linemen Evan Neal, John Michael Schmitz Jr. and Joshua Ezeudu, among others, leave you wanting to see more.
They'll get their chance this season. It's a big year for them and this Giants regime. The expectation is to simply improve.
"To be better than last year," captain and middle linebacker Bobby Okereke said.
Perhaps the biggest difference for the Giants this offseason has been a reallocation of resources. It's something owner John Mara mentioned earlier this year at the NFL's annual meetings after allowing running back Saquon Barkley and safety Xavier McKinney to walk as free agents. They added standout edge rusher Brian Burns in a trade and signed two projected starting offensive linemen (guard Jon Runyan and guard/tackle Jermaine Eluemunor) in free agency.
New York prioritized more premium positions such as edge rusher and offensive line over safety and running back. On paper, it seems like a prudent philosophy. Now it's time to see if it produces different results -- and there is confidence in the locker room that this team will have success in 2024.
"I think we are going to be a good winning team," tight end Lawrence Cager said. "You don't want to have a loser's mentality. Just trying to win as many games as possible. I think that is going to be a good amount because we have the right team, the right players, the right coaches in this organization and we all have a winner's mentality."