New York Giants fans may have expected the team to be busy on NFL’s Black Monday.
Coaches and general managers around the league are getting fired on the league’s annual day of change.
Yet Monday afternoon rolled around and Joe Judge remains the head coach of the Giants.
The only change that was made came by default as GM Dave Gettleman has announced his retirement.
Dave Gettleman officially announced his retirement as Senior Vice President and General Manager of the New York Giants.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 10, 2022
This retirement may have saved Gettleman the embarrassment of being fired.
So fans got one wish with Gettleman gone.
He famously drafted both Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones to be pillars of the organization for years to come.
Now both look like they won’t even land a second contract in New York.
But there is still a major reason for fans to be concerned.
That has to do with Judge staying while the team seeks out a new general manager.
Doing The Process The Wrong Way
Successful NFL teams have a proper chain of command.
The head coach reports to the general manager, and the two work hand in hand to craft the best roster possible.
The best way to ensure they work together is for the GM to hire the coach, so there is no power struggle from the start.
Yet the Giants are working backwards in this situation.
They will hire a boss for Judge, and the two may not get along.
It is no secret that GMs in the NFL usually prefer to hire their own head coach.
NFL insider Mike Garafolo revealed there still may not be a final decision on Judge’s status just yet.
My understanding is Joe Judge has not yet met with #Giants ownership. So there are more discussions to be had. We'll continue to monitor and update. https://t.co/VVqG1LiEIe
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) January 10, 2022
It’s still possible that Judge gets fired, or that the team takes a few days to think about how he meshes with new GM hires.
Just a few weeks ago his job seemed safe.
Then came the final few games of the season where it didn’t even look like the team was prepared to play.
The Giants should want to steer clear of any potential dysfunction after another losing season.
Keeping Judge and hiring a new GM who can’t pick his own coach seems like a recipe for more pain in New York.
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who says the GM will not be able to hire his own HC? Just because you say so? Did it occur to you that Judge hasn’t been fired until a new GM is hired and makes that decision? This also lets management get confidential feedback from different GM candidates on what they think of Judge. If it were something like most every potential GM thinks Judge should go, then no point in keeping him if you value their respective opinions.
And yet a new GM may indeed want to retain Judge. You might think that’s a bad decision, but if this were to be the case, what then, if you already fired the guy? Rehire him a week or two after you fired him?
nope, doing it that way is not “dysfunctional” at all…
You hire the GM, and then he makes the decision on who to retain or get rid of, players and coaches alike. That may mean Judge is gone, or it may not.