When the New York Giants were offered a late-round pick for safety Landon Collins a year ago, general manager Dave Gettleman opted to hang onto his captain in an effort to prevent the locker-room from dividing.
Ultimately, however, the Giants got nothing in return for Collins, who was not designated a franchise player and eventually signed with the Washington Redskins early on in free agency.
Despite that, Gettleman feels like he made the right call in each instance because every decision he makes sends a message to the locker-room. And a year ago, he wanted that message to be cohesion. This year? Well, that’s anyone’s guess.
The decision to let Collins walk coupled with the trades of Odell Beckham Jr. and Olivier Vernon have left some wondering if there’s really a plan — or a message — at all.
“Every decision that a general manager makes is sending a message to the rest of the team and sending a message obviously to the fan base,” Gettleman said during an appearance on NFL Network. “At the end of the day, football is the ultimate team game. Last time I checked when you blow a whistle and the ball is spotted, there’s 11 guys on both sides of the ball. So that’s why I say it’s the ultimate team game.
“You’ve got a sport like baseball, it’s the batter or the pitcher. That’s what it is. Every once in a while you have a rundown, so you might get a handful of guys involved. But our game is the ultimate team sport. The best team will win, and really it’s about volume in terms of talent.”
The Giants were certainly lacking volume when it came to their talent, which is why Gettleman feels trading Beckham away for added pieces was the correct decision.
“The business decision was teams had called us, we listened, and we were not going to give Odell away – and we didn’t,” Gettleman added.
Shortly after Beckham’s trade, players like defensive lineman B.J. Hill seemed to question the direction of the team (via tweet that has since been deleted), but he eventually fell into line with his mind on the future.
The players don’t seem to understand Gettleman’s vision, so perhaps the current message is a bit confusing. But Gettleman says everyone should just trust him and the plan will ultimately reveal itself, so what other choice does the locker-room really have but to wait and see?
