Going into the offseason, it seemed like the New York Giants head coaching job had so much to offer.
There’s the prospect of remaking an offense with a mobile quarterback in Daniel Jones and a star at running back in Saquon Barkley. The receiving corps is intriguing when healthy. The fourth overall pick in the upcoming NFL draft would perhaps either bolster the offensive line or bring in some much-needed defensive help.
But then some of the more notable offseason names looked elsewhere without so much as an interview.
Ron Rivera was hired by the Washington Redskins, a move Giants GM Dave Gettleman noted in a recent meeting with the media happened before he could even start the process with the former Panthers coach.
And on Tuesday, with everyone expecting Baylor’s Matt Rhule to interview with Big Blue — some reports said he was a top candidate, especially after working for the Giants in 2012 as an offensive line assistant — news broke that the Carolina Panthers were hiring him.
What does that tell you about the state of the Giants right now, that Rhule — with some ties to the franchise — didn’t even come in for an interview?
Here’s what it tells me: maybe these candidates see some disarray and the fact that the franchise held on to Gettleman (who’s responsible for a lot of the problems with the team’s roster) makes them nervous about working with him.
This is why the Giants should have done a full house-cleaning in the first place. It would have given the new coach some say in who he gets to work with, or at least the illusion that it’s the case.
Now? Perhaps these candidates see the power structure already in place and that a head coach just two years on the job got let go for something that wasn’t completely his fault.
That’s not desirable. And it could cost the Giants some of the names they wanted.
