Joe Schoen must think Giants fans are dummies | Politi

Giants season ticket holders have had a lot of B.S. shoveled in their direction in recent years, so much so that the PSLs they had to buy for the privilege of attending games at MetLife Stadium should stand for something else entirely.
Please stop laughing!
These are fans who, after a decade of unwatchable football, must think they’ve seen and heard every possible broken promise, lame excuse and premature proclamation that a bad NFL franchise can dish out to its paying customers. Well, they can add a new one to the list — and it is a whopper.
This came from general manager Joe Schoen, who during his midseason press conference on Tuesday summed up the current state of the 2-8 Giants with four words that will be chiseled onto his career tombstone if he doesn’t turn this team around soon.
“We’re not far off.”
No, really, Schoen said that about a team that just lost in Munich to the Carolina Panthers — previously believed to be the NFL’s worst team — for its fifth-straight loss. He said that about a team that is now 10-24-1 over its past 25 games. He said that about a team ranked dead last in the league in scoring, 30th in rushing defense and with the fifth-worst point differential (minus-66).
Maybe the media is at fault here. When Schoen said those four words, no one thought to ask a follow up question: You’re not far off … from WHAT?!
Look, in fairness to Schoen, these press conferences are a challenge for general managers even when a team is doing well. The league’s decision makers are hardwired not to reveal too much, especially during the season. Schoen acknowledged that the results are not good enough and accepted his share of blame for the team’s poor performance.
He would not, however, admit that the roster he constructed lacked the talented necessary to compete in the NFL, which is just silly. The Giants are 2-8. Of course they aren’t talented enough! His eye-popping quote came after he pointed out the number of young players on the team and praising the performance of his recent draft class.
“The build is tough,” Schoen said. “It hurts sometimes when you’re going through it. But you’ve got to go through it to get to the other side. I like the young foundation that we’ve put in place.
“There are some young pieces here in place in terms of the foundation that we’re going to continue to build on. Another year of free agency and another draft, we’re not far off.”
Two problems with this:
1. The Giants still need, in no particular order, a franchise quarterback, a right guard, a tight end, a No. 2 wide receiver, a second defensive tackle, a No. 1 cornerback, another safety and depth at basically every position. If that isn’t “far off,” what is?
2. Some teams have searched for the first position on that list — franchise quarterback — for more than a half century without finding one. Just ask the Jets how easy it is. Maybe they’ll even stop crying long enough to answer.
Sorry. In the NFL, until you have the right quarterback, you are the very definition of “far off.”
Schoen came as close as he could to admitting that signing Daniel Jones to a $160-million contract extension two years ago was a crippling mistake. The Giants would have beaten the Panthers in Germany, and with better play at the most important position, might be within sniffing distance of a playoff berth instead of planning for next season.
Instead, they’re trapped in what previous GM Dave Gettleman called “quarterback hell.” What, exactly, is the plan to get a new one? The Giants will be one of a half dozen or so teams near the top of the draft order that need one, and the 2024 draft class doesn’t have a single passer that scouts agree is a can’t-miss prospect. Overpaying for a mediocre option in free agency would almost be as big mistake as re-signing Jones.
In the meantime, Jones is a convenient fall guy. If, as expected, he is benched before the Giants return from their bye week, then all of the focus will center on a team that — three years into Schoen’s reign — still depends on holdovers from Gettleman to stay competitive.
“I believe in the process,” Schoen said. “I believe where we’re going. Again, doing it, sometimes it hurts and it’s painful and it’s hard to go through it. But we’re going in the right direction.”
Right direction. Not far off. Giants fans are stuck in the back seat on this road to nowhere, and the only way to keep from losing their minds is to keep laughing at the nonsense.
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Steve Politi may be reached at [email protected].